A small crowd gathered to watch Grambling’s first Black history month parade held on Saturday, February 15. The parade was sponsored by the Grambling Juneteenth committee.
The local area Black Farmers served as parade grand marshals to enhance this year’s national Black History Month theme, “African Americans and Labor”.
“We decided to go with our local farmers and talk about the significant role that they played in forming the collective experiences of Black people throughout history. It was a short parade, but hopefully it was impactful,” said Deidra Scott, a member of the city’s Juneteenth committee.
The celebration continued at the Grambling City Hall when farmers gathered to share with residents how they got into farming and how they plan to sustain their farms. Joining Scott was Boise Land & Cattle, Douglas & Debra Sapp Owner/Operator and Roberson Farms LLC, Carlyle & Craton Roberson, Owner Operator.
The theme focused on the significant role that work, in all its forms, has played in the collective experience of Black people throughout history. It aims to highlight how work, whether enslaved labor, skilled trades, entrepreneurship, or organized labor movements, has been central to Black history and identity. It explored the varied experiences of Black workers across different industries, skill levels, and historical periods,” explained Scott.
“As a farmer, I think it was a great opportunity for all of us to get together and to get to know the people of our community and hopefully start buying from them,” Scott said.”
