OC Black History Parade and Unity Festival are Saturday in Anaheim

Dwayne Shipp said he is happy to be continuing the work his mom began 43 years ago.

This weekend, the Orange County Heritage Council will when again host a parade and celebration in Anaheim to mark the beginning of Black History Month.

" The legacy never ever ends, new vines grow from strong roots," Dwayne Shipp, who is the Heritage Council's president, said.

His mom, Helen Shipp, established the Black Historical Commission and hosting the parade initially fell under its auspices. The company's founding motto, Dwayne Shipp said, was "honoring our heritage, praising our existence and strengthening our future."

Which is why, he said, it is essential for him to carry on, "since I'm honoring my heritage, our heritage, which is my mother, praising her presence and fortifying our future progressing."

The Orange County Black History Parade, he stated, is an opportunity to showcase how far the neighborhood has come and it is a platform to protect Black contributions in the county and enrich its multiculturalism.

When the parade was founded, it accommodated the 450 Black households who resided in Santa Ana. Now 10,000 households come out for the celebrations. "It's a reunion," Shipp stated. "A great deal of individuals that moved out of the city, out of the state, they all come."

The parade has been a component in Anaheim since 2011. According to the current U.S. Census data, Black people account for around 2% of Orange County's population, with a bulk now residing in the city of Anaheim.

Saturday, Feb. 4, will begin with an early morning blessing followed by the parade from 10 a.m. to twelve noon. The yearly Unity Festival will take place right after.

The theme for this year's edition of the parade is "Our History, Our Voice, Our Pride" and its grand marshal will be radio character Adai Lamar from "The Steve Harvey Show." The Stone City Band, Amin Joseph of the television program "Snowfall" and producer DJ Battlecat will participate along with a procession of marching bands, dance teams, double Dutch teams, community groups and vintage and unique cars and trucks.

" At the Unity Festival, we have live entertainment, food," Shipp said. "We have a college reasonable; we have a health town."

The health town will provide totally free health screenings and food choices at the celebration will range from barbecue to fish to tacos to African specials. This year, Shipp said, around 140 suppliers will participate in the festival.

" The sense of community and togetherness of this event is an inspiration to all of us," stated Anaheim Mayor Ashleigh Aitken, who will ride in the parade together with other members of the City Council. "It is an honor and source of pride for Anaheim to host Orange County's only Black History Month parade."

An exhibition on Center Street Promenade in the center of the Unity Festival will display images of the parade through its history.

" It's the Orange County Black History Parade right now at 43 (years)," Shipp stated. "By the time it's 50, I would like it to be the California Black History Parade, with acknowledgment throughout California."

However, putting together the parade is a significant job, Shipp stated.

" Every year, we have financial problems, getting the cash and sponsorships to take into this event and make it occur," he said. "But every year it happens and it's effective."

The parade begins at 10 a.m. at the southeast corner of Pearson Park, just north of Lincoln Avenue, and will take a trip south on Lemon Street onto Lincoln to Anaheim Boulevard, ending at Water Street. The Unity Festival will follow at midday on the Center Street Promenade, lasting till 4 p.m.