"A dream, it never ends": MLK Day parade rolls through Punta Gorda

PUNTA GORDA, Fla. — On Monday, a parade honoring the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. rolled through downtown Punta Gorda.

The Macedonia Human Services Cultural Training Center and church organized the parade for the 33rd year. Co-chair of the organization, Zelda Smith told Fox 4 Charlotte County Community Correspondent, Alex Orenczuk, that parades help keep Dr. King’s dream alive, that “people will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

“Anything that you say is a dream, it never ends,” said Smith. “There's always work involved, there's always improvement involved, as you can see this year is bigger than it was last year so we will continue to do it and hopefully we can get more people to come out and participate.”

Smith said the theme for this year’s parade was unity.

“Unity is very important because somewhere in society it was departed from, because of who may be president who may not be the president,” said Smith. So, this year it was to remind everybody that everyone is equal, no matter what race, color, creed, what nationality, what kind of bank account, we’re all the same.”

Dozens of social groups and organizations, churches, local governments and first responders drove the parade route, many with MLK signs and quotes from his speeches. The parade ended with a celebration at the historic Cooper Street Rec Center.