55th annual motorcade to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. drives through downtown Louisville

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — On Monday, residents of Louisville and southern Indiana joined with the rest of the country in celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

In downtown Louisville Monday morning, the 55th annual motorcade honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was making its way to the King Solomon Baptist Church where speakers would say a few words.

Coordinators say this year, the route is even longer so they can spread the message of peace, unity and healing even further across Louisville.

Bishop Dennis V. Lyons helped arrange the motorcade.

“This is a regathering of the family of our community, so it’s very exciting because we get a chance to see each other — and I guess we get to see each other without the pressure and without the animosity,” Lyons said.

Dozens of cars, vans and buses lined up in the Kroger parking lot at the intersection of South 28th Street and West Broadway with participants socializing as a community before the motorcade got underway.

Community members lined up alongside church leaders, police and elected officials as Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech played over loudspeakers. 

Lyons says this is the longest MLK day motorcade route they’ve ever arranged because this year, Chickasaw Park was included in the route for its historic significance, as it was the largest park for African Americans during the age of Jim Crow laws.

Organizers say now that those laws have been abolished, it’s still important to work towards peace and unity, in contrast to segregation and hate.

“We’re coming out on MLK Day and talking about the beloved community which was his vision and dream of a perfect society to work together,” said Peter Hayes of Compassion Games, an organization that promote acts of kindness. “We’ve come a long way since he was assassinated, but we have a lot of work to do.”

The motorcade was scheduled to conclude at the King Solomon Baptist Church where the governor and other elected leaders will speak on the significance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

The reverend had several ties to Louisville. His younger brother preached at Zion Baptist Church on Muhammad Ali Boulevard in the mid-to-late 1960s.

His most famous visit to Kentucky was in 1964, when Dr. King, baseball legend Jackie Robinson and politician Georgia Davis Powers led a march of 10,000 on the Kentucky Capitol.

The reverend also had a sit-down visit with Louisville’s Muhammad Ali in 1967.

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