Baltimore Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade Back On, Mayor Says

BALTIMORE, MD — Just days after organizers said Baltimore's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade had been canceled for a fourth consecutive year, Mayor Brandon Scott reassured residents Monday that the 2023 event would go on.

In an appearance on WYPR radio, Scott said his office would put on the parade after the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts said it would not hold this year's event, according to the Baltimore Banner.

"Quite frankly, my office is going to put on the MLK Day parade because BOPA is not doing it," Scott said in Monday's interview. "We were told by BOPA that there was not a priority." Scott also said King's legacy could be honored with a parade and a day of service, according to the Banner.

In social media posts, Scott said the parade would be held Monday starting at noon.

Last week, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and The Arts said in a statement that it had canceled this year's parade. The organization, which is funded by the City of Baltimore, said the decision to cancel the parade came at the mayor's request.

"It is a conscious decision to celebrate Dr. King's legacy through a day of service rather than a parade," the organization said.

The last parade held in 2019 was the 19th year of the event, according to an archived event website. The parade was canceled in previous years due to COVID-19 restrictions.

According to a CBS Baltimore report, the Baltimore Office of Promotion and The Arts has come under fire for other event cancellations and scheduling mishaps.

In a letter to the organization's board of directors, Scott called for the resignation of CEO Donna Drew Sawyer and said the city would pull its funding from the organization if she doesn't step down or isn't removed, CBS reported.

"I will not fund BOPA in the upcoming fiscal year and I will not renew BOPA's contract when the current one expires if Ms. Sawyer is not removed by January 15, 2023," Scott said in the letter. "If the Board fails to act swiftly, I am prepared to transition the organization's responsibilities to other City agencies who will be able to uplift Baltimore's arts community while maintaining our traditions."