A sea of humanity flowed up and down Martin Luther King Jr. Drive for the 95th Bud Billiken Parade, the largest and most prestigious African American procession in the United States.
The parade route began at 39th and MLK Drive and traveled to Washington Park, where they hosted a picnic and back-to-school giveaways. The event featured a vibrant display of hundreds of elaborate floats, luxury vehicles, marching bands, celebrities, politicians and dignitaries. Among the most notable were Mayor Brandon Johnson and Cook County State’s attorney Kim Foxx.
Hometown hero and Hollywood actor Jason Weaver — who starred in such classics as ATL and Drumline and currently anchors the hit show “The Chi” — served as the grand marshal.
To top it off, the Chicago Defender Charities gave away $100,000 in scholarships to students this year.
“This is amazing because it’s the community that puts this together. It’s the energy of the community wanting to keep this tradition and culture alive. That’s why we are able to be here for five generations and 95 years later,” said Myiti Sengstacke-Rice, President and CEO of The Chicago Defender Charities, which puts on the annual parade.
The parade has a long history. It started in 1924 by Chicago Defender founder Robert Sengstacke Abbott as a picnic for neighborhood kids who delivered his paper. The annual celebration became a parade in 1929 and has mushroomed into a city celebration and back-to-school event at Washington Park. Abbott later created the fictional character Bud Billiken, from which the multifaceted parade derives its name.
