Martin Luther King Day celebrants will have to wait a little longer to honor the civil rights leader with a parade.
The MLK Observance Day Association, Inc. announced that the annual parade on Jan. 17 will be postponed this year due to a spike in COVID-19 cases. Last year's parade celebration was canceled with Tybee Island and Richmond Hill following suit. However, Tybee Island hosted a virtual event in light of the cancelation.
In his weekly press conference Tuesday, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson expressed his understanding of the association's decision.
"I certainly hope that we will have an MLK Day parade later this year when conditions permit," Johnson said.
The major points of concern listed in the media release by the MLK Observance Day Association were the omicron variant and practicing caution when it came to "the health and welfare of the citizens of Savannah and Chatham County, the volunteers that stage the parade and the participants in the parade."
There is currently no new date for the parade, but Johnson urged people to remember that the observance of MLK Day goes beyond a parade — it's about service.
"I'm encouraging Savannahians to be bold. And in the time we would've invested in a parade, let us invest in making our community better, let us invest in making our city better, let us invest in doing kind and random acts of kindness to our fellow man and for our fellow man. That is the spirit of MLK."
Laura Nwogu is the quality of life reporter for Savannah Morning News. Contact her at lnwogu@gannett.com. Twitter: @lauranwogu_
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah Mayor Van Johnson encourages acts of service despite MLK Day parade postponement
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