[Press Conference: "Details on the 45th Annual 'Original' MLK Jr. Day Parade"]
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ALL RIGHT, LET'S GET STARTED.GOOD AFTERNOON AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE.
UH, SO THANK YOU, UH, TO EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE TODAY, UH, FOR AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT THE 45TH ANNUAL ORIGINAL M-A-M-L-K DAY PARADE, 45TH YEAR FOR THE FOURTH YEAR.
UH, THE CITY OF HOUSTON IS PARTNERING WITH THE BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY TO PLAN AND PRODUCE A STELLAR PARADE FILLED WITH DYNAMIC MARCHING BANDS, UH, DECORATED FLOATS, AND SOME WELL-KNOWN CELEBRITIES AND COMMUNITY LEADERS.
AND BEFORE I CONTINUE, I DO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THERESA BREWER, PRESIDENT OF THE BLACK CARRIAGE SOCIETY, AND YOU'LL HERE FROM HER AND SOME OF THE OTHER MEMBERS, UH, ALONG WITH SOME OF THE SPONSORS OF THE 2023 PARADE.
UH, YOU WILL HEAR MORE FROM THEM, UH, IN A FEW MINUTES.
AS I HAVE SHARED WITH MEMBERS OF MY TEAM, UH, THIS IS THE YEAR TO EXECUTE AND IMPLEMENT ACROSS ALL AREAS OF OUR CITY, AND TO GO OVER AND ABOVE WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE PAST.
UM, SO ON MONDAY, JANUARY THE 16TH, OUR CITY WILL COME TOGETHER TO HONOR DR.
AND I ENCOURAGE PEOPLE FROM ALL HOUSTON NEIGHBORHOODS AND ALL WALKS OF LIFE AND ALL COMMUNITIES, UH, TO SHOW UP AND LINE THE PARADE ROUTE.
UH, WE WILL HAVE 156 PARADE ENTRIES.
THAT'S A WHOLE LOT, AND THAT INCLUDES 12 MARCHING BANDS WITH TEXAS SOUTHERN, UH, UNIVERSITY OCEAN OF SOUL, LEADING OFF THE PARADE.
AND THEN WE WILL ALSO HAVE A, MY ALMA MATER, THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON, UH, COUGS BAND, AND THEN THE RICE UNIVERSITY AISLE BAND, UH, PLUS NINE MORE MARCHING BANDS.
SO THAT'S TEXAS SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON AND RICE, ALL PARTICIPATING IN THIS, IN THIS PARADE, THERE WILL BE 14 FLOATS, UH, IN THIS PARADE.
YOU GONNA THINK IT'S CHRISTMAS ALL OVER AGAIN,
AND THE PARADE WILL INCLUDE A LINEUP OF SOME OF OUR MOST DISTINGUISHED ATHLETES IN THE PAST, EDUCATORS, AND A FEW SURPRISE INDIVIDUALS WHO I'VE ADDED WHO I'VE ASKED TO PARTICIPATE.
UH, WE HAVE, FOR EXAMPLE, THE BIG E ELVIN HAYES, WHOSE JERSEY WAS RETIRED, WOULD BE IN THIS PARADE, UH, ZENA GARRISON.
UH, ONE OF OUR SPORTS TENNIS LEGENDS WOULD BE IN THIS PARADE.
AND NONE OF SOMEBODY WHO I RAN WITH CARL LEWIS,
WE WAS THIS, WE BOTH WENT TO UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON TOGETHER.
UH, WE'LL BE IN THIS PARADE, AND THERE WILL BE SOME OTHERS, UH, THAT WE'LL BE NAMING AS WELL.
BUT COME OUT AND SEE THE BIG E ZENA GARRISON, CARL LEWIS, ALL OF THEM.
UH, THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE NAMES WE CAN REVEAL ON TODAY.
I ALSO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AND THANK OUR PARADE SPONSORS.
SITCO WELLS FARGO, A TNT, TONY RIVERA, HERE, HEB JAMES HARRIS, MCDONALD'S RADIO ONE IS IN THE HOUSE.
K-H-O-U-T-V WILL BE STREAMING OF THIS PARADE.
UH, AND THEN THE TRANSPORTATION WORKERS OF AMERICA, UH, ALONG WITH THE GARCIA HAMILTON AND ASSOCIATES ARE JUST SOME OF THE SPONSORS.
OH, CAN'T OVERLOOK UNITED AIRLINES ALLEGIANCE BANK AND CIVIL EAGLE DISTRIBUTORS.
SO, SO SOME MAIN SPONSORS, UH, FOR THIS, UH, PARADE, WHICH SHOW SHOWCASES THE IMPORTANCE OF IT, THE HISTORICAL NATURE OF IT, AND THAT THIS IS HOUSTON'S NUMBER ONE PARADE ON MLK DAY.
AND FINALLY, I'M HONORED THAT THE BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY, UH, CHOSE ME AS THEIR GRAND MARSHALL.
YOU KNOW, LOOK, WITH THIS BEING, UH, MY FINAL YEAR AS MAYOR OF CITY OF HOUSTON AND THE 45TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE ORIGINAL MLK DAY PARADE, I WANNA INVITE EVERYONE TO COME AND PARTICIPATE.
AND IF YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE ON A FLOAT OR MARCHING WITH A BAND OR WALKING IN THE PARADE WITH JANICE WEAVER, I WANT TO SEE YOU LINED UP
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AND YOU'LL COME AND SEE SOME OF OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS, COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY ALCO, AND SO MANY OTHERS WHO WILL BE WITH US AS WELL.
KING'S LEGACY AND RECOGNIZE THE GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF OUR CITY, AND WE WILL GATHER IN A WAY THAT DEMONSTRATES UNITY AND LOVE, UH, FOR OUR CITY THIS YEAR.
AND THEN, IN THIS PARADE, WE CERTAINLY WON'T UNDERSCORE THE DIVERSITY OF OUR CITY, BUT MORE IMPORTANT, UM, HOW WE COME TOGETHER AS ONE.
SO THIS IS A PARADE HONORING THE LEGACY OF DR. KING, WHICH MEANS WE ARE MARCHING AND PARADING AGAINST HATE, PREJUDICE, DISCRIMINATION, DIVISION.
UH, THIS IS A PARADE THAT ACKNOWLEDGES THAT WE CAN ALL LIVE TOGETHER AS BROTHERS AND SISTERS, AND THERE'S NO PLACE TO DEMONSTRATE THAT BETTER THAN RIGHT HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON.
SO LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THE LAST FOUR YEARS AT SOME OF THE AMAZING MOMENTS OF PREVIOUS PARADES.
I WANT TO THANK EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE.
THIS IS MY ASK IS THAT AS WE MOVE FORWARD, A HOUSE DIVIDED AGAINST ITSELF CANNOT STAND.
AND TODAY IS A DAY ABOUT SERVICE.
TO BE A PART OF A GREAT, WONDERFUL REVEREND MARTIN LUTHER KING PARADE HERE THAT REPRESENTS SOME ONE OF THE GREATEST CITIES ON EARTH.
I'M EXTREMELY HUMBLED TO BE HERE AND, AND CONSCIOUS LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.
YOU KNOW, THIS IS, UH, A DAY THAT STANDS FOR SO MUCH TO UNIFY THIS CITY, UH, TO STAND BEHIND THE ORIGINAL MLK.
THE KING INSPIRED A ENTIRE GENERATION TO BE BRAVE, TO BE BOLD, AND TO NEVER GIVE UP.
I RECOGNIZE NOT ONLY DR. KING, BUT TO HAVE SO MANY YOUNG PEOPLE AND CHILDREN ON THE STREETS OF HOUSTON RIGHT NOW, HONORING AND RECOGNIZING AND CONTINUING THE LEGACY OF DR. KING, WHICH I KNOW WE'LL ALL CONTINUE TO DO.
THIS IS THE WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL PROOF.
THANK YOU AS MARCH IN HONOR OF DR. BOND TO THE CAPE WELTERING, WITH THE HEAT OF OPPRESSION WILL BE TRANSFORMED INTO AN OASIS OF FREEDOM AND JUSTICE.
I HAVE A DREAM, EVEN IN THAT SHORT CLIP, YOU KINDA GET THE FLAVOR, UH, OF WHY WE ARE CONTINUING, UH, THIS PARADE.
SO, UM, UM, JUST BROUGHT BACK A WHOLE LOT OF, WHOLE LOT OF MEMORIES.
AND SO I HOPE YOU WILL ALL JOIN US ON JANUARY THE 16TH AT 10 O'CLOCK DOWNTOWN HOUSTON, UH, FOR THIS PARADE.
NOW, LET ME PAUSE FOR A FEW MINUTES AND BRING UP, UH, THE BLACK CIST SOCIETY BOARD PRESIDENT THERESA BREWER.
AND LET ME JUST SAY, YOU'VE BEEN A PLEASURE AND A DELIGHT AND AN HONOR TO WORK WITH.
AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR, FOR YOUR, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP.
UH, THERESA BREWER, YOU ALL THE PRESIDENT, THANK YOU, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER.
IT'S BEEN GREAT HAVING A MAYOR AND WORKING HERE IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON WITH YOU.
MANY THANKS TO EVERYONE THAT'S PRESENT TODAY.
THANK YOU, HONEY, FOR BEING HERE,
UM, THAT CLIFFS KIND OF BROUGHT BACK MEMORIES BECAUSE I CAN REMEMBER AS A CHILD, MY MOTHER PRESSING HER WAY, BRING, TAKING HER CHILDREN TO THE PARADE, AND I, I DID IT.
AND MY CHILDREN ARE DOING THE SAME THING.
UM, I WANNA THANK OH, I WAS GONNA CALL YOU UP, REPRESENTATIVE RONALD REYNOLDS.
AND I WAS GONNA SAY, UM, ONE OF OUR BANDS, UH, OUR LOVELY, UM, MAYOR, BUT I WANNA TALK ABOUT WORTHY.
THEY'VE BEEN WITH BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY, SOCIETY FOR A LONG TIME, WORTHY THE SCHOOL BAND.
I'M GONNA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO YOU ALL.
UH, WE WANNA JUST THANK YOU FOR THAT.
AND WE ARE JUST HONORED TO HAVE SO MANY ENTRIES INTO THE PARADE.
BUT AS I WAS SAYING, MANY MAY KNOW THAT OUR FOUNDER, LATE IGHT DUNCAN, TELL JR.
AND MISS, UH, DUNCAN, TELL, THANK YOU.
CELEBRATE THE FIRST MARTIN LUTHER KING JR PARADE IN THE NATION IN 1978.
COMM COMMEMORATING DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING'S JR.
TODAY, THE BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY
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BOARD MEMBERS, PASTOR DECKER IS HERE AND COMMITTEES STAND WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON.PRESENT THE 45TH ORIGINAL MARTIN LUTHER KING PARADE TO HOUSTON, LIKE OUR MAYOR SAID, JANUARY THE 16TH, 2023 DOWNTOWN HOUSTON.
OUR THEME IS CLIMBING THE MOUNTAIN TO A BETTER FUTURE.
THIS YEAR IS EXTRAORDINARY BECAUSE IT IS THE LAST ORIGINAL MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
PARADE HELD UNDER YOUR ADMINISTRATION, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER.
OVER THE PAST SEVEN YEARS, MARY TURNER HAS LED OUR CITY THROUGH NATURAL DISASTER, UH, PENSION REFORM, UH, ADVERSARY, ADVERSARY, UM, EVEN COVI, POST, POST COVID ADVERSITY, SORRY.
HE LEADS A LEGACY OF UNITY, BRINGING DIVERSE PEOPLE TOGETHER, MAKING HOUSTON PROUD.
UH, HE'S IMPACT LIVES ECONOMICALLY, PHYSICALLY, TECHNOLOGICALLY, AND WE JUST APPRECIATE ALL OF IT.
THE BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY BELIEVES HE IS A WONDERFUL REPRESENTATION OF THE KING'S DREAM.
CAMILLE CASH, A RENOWNED PLASTIC SURGEON, REVEREND DR.
DERRICK KING, NEPHEW OF THE LATE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
AND A MEMORIAL TRIBUTE TO THE LATE JOHN W BLAND.
THE MARTIN LUTHER KING FESTIVITIES INCLUDE FESTIVAL DIRECTLY FOLLOWING THE PARADE IN HERMAN SQUARE.
ALSO, WE ARE HOSTING A BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY GALA, AND THIS YEAR WE ARE HAVING A MARTIN LUTHER KING GOSPEL FEST AND CONCERT AT GREENHOUSE INTERNATIONAL.
SO WE ARE DOING BIG THINGS HERE IN HOUSTON, TEXAS.
THIS HISTORICAL EVENT THRIVES BECAUSE OF COMMITTED, DETERMINATE, BRAVE, EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE LIKE YOU.
PEOPLE ARE COMING FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, JUST LIKE MAYOR SYLVESTER TURN SAID.
THEY'RE COMING FROM LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA, CALIFORNIA, UH, ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES.
THE BLACK HERITAGE SAYS, THANK YOU TO HOUSTON AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES.
A BIG THANKS TO OUR SUPPORTERS AND SPONSORS.
UH, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER DID READ MANY OF THEIR NAMES OFF, AND WE DEFINITELY WANT TO MAKE SURE WE GIVE YOU A SHOUT OUT.
UM, NUMBER ONE, OUR VOLUNTEERS NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS ARE NOTHING WITHOUT VOLUNTEERS.
UM, WE WANNA GIVE A GOOD SHOUT OUT TO OUR PARADE PARTICIPANTS AND OUR SPECTATORS MAKING THEIR WAY EACH YEAR TO HONOR THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR.
I'M OFTEN THINKING ABOUT MR. IGHT DUNCAN TELL, AND I SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, HE PROBABLY SAID TO HIMSELF, HMM, I'M JUST THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX.
HE PROBABLY SAID, YOU KNOW, DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING WAS RIGHT.
VIOLENCE IS THE WAY DEMOCRACY, RIGHTS, JUSTICE AND FREEDOM FOR ALL.
I'M THERESA BREWER WITH THE BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY, AND I WANNA THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING ALSO WITH THIS YEAR.
WE WANT MS. DUNCAN, TELL, JUST SHARE IT WITH ME.
WE WANNA LET YOU ALL KNOW WE HAVE A NEW PORTION, PORTION AS WELL
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TO OUR PARADE, AND THAT WOULD BE YOUTH KING AND QUEEN.AGAIN, WE WANNA CONTINUE TO TAKE, UH, EVERY YEAR, TAKE THE PARADE, A LEVEL UP, AND B, BRING THE, UH, PARADE WITH EXCELLENCY.
THANK YOU, MADAM PRESIDENT, AND YOU STATED IT, UH, UH, VERY WELL.
WE DO WANT TO TAKE IT UP, TAKE IT UP TO ANOTHER LEVEL, BECAUSE QUITE FRANKLY, IF WE EVER NEEDED PEACE, LOVE, AND UNITY, CERTAINLY WE NEED IT NOW.
AND SO, UM, THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND FOR THE BOARD.
I DO WANT TO RECOGNIZE YOU HARRIS, WHO'S WITH CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE'S OFFICE.
WE, WE KNOW THAT THE CONGRESSWOMAN, ALONG WITH THE OTHERS, ARE TIED UP RIGHT NOW.
UH, BUT, UH, ARE THEY STILL VOTING? I, I THINK IT'S NUMBER 10.
I, I SENT THEM A NOTE, AND PLEASE DON'T PUT MY NAME IN IT,
UH, BUT I DO WANT EUROPA HARRIS TO COME AND SAY A WORD ON BEHALF OF THE CONGRESSWOMAN.
AND THANK YOU SO KINDLY TO OUR MAYOR, MAYOR SYLVESTER TURNER, AND TO MS. BREWER AND THE ENTIRE TEAM, WE ARE EXCITED TO JOIN YOU TO JOIN IN UNITY AND ON BEHALF OF CONGRESSWOMAN SHEILA JACKSON LEE, WE ARE EXCITED.
AND, UH, OUR CONGRESSWOMAN IS IN WASHINGTON DC AS THE MAYOR SAID, BUT SHE IS CERTAINLY EXCITED AND LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS YEAR'S CELEBRATION.
I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE CONGRESSMAN AL GREEN.
HE SENT ME A NOTE, HE TOO, UH, WAS EXPECTING TO BE HERE ON TODAY.
UM, IN FACT, WE KINDA MOVED THIS, UH, PRESS CONFERENCE KNOWING FOR SURE THAT THEY, SOMETHING WOULD'VE HAPPENED
UH, SO I CERTAINLY WANT TO SAY TO CONGRESSMAN AL GREEN, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING HIM ON JANUARY 16TH, AND WE KNOW HE'S DOING THE PEOPLE'S BUSINESS.
LEMME TAKE THE PRIVILEGE NOW OF ACKNOWLEDGING AND BRINGING UP, UH, FOLKS, UH, HIS REMARKS.
UH, STATE REPRESENTATIVE, UH, RON REYNOLDS, BUT WHO IS ALSO GOING INTO THIS, UH, LEGISLATIVE SESSION STARTING ON TUESDAY AS THE CHAIR OF THE LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS.
UH, SO HE'S NOT JUST THE STATE REPRESENTATIVE, HE IS NOW LEADING, UH, THE LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS.
SO NO BETTER FITTING REPRESENTATIVE ON THIS EVENT, UH, THAN, UH, STATE REPRESENTATIVE RON REYNOLDS.
IT'S, IT'S A DELIGHT TO BE HERE TODAY.
I WANNA THANK THERESA BREWER AND, UH, COUNCILWOMAN ALCORN AND HEB AND, UH, AT AND T AND ALL OF THE SPONSORS, UH, FOR THEIR GREAT, GREAT, UH, PHILANTHROPIC LEADERSHIP.
THIS IS A GREAT CELEBRATION, AND THE MAYOR IS RIGHT.
THERE IS NO GREATER TIME THAN TO CELEBRATE THE LEGACY OF DR. KING ON THIS 45TH ANNUAL, THE ORIGINAL MLK JUNIOR PARADE IN FESTIVAL.
AND I WANT TO THANK MS. DUNCAN TAIL FOR BEING HERE.
UH, MAYOR, I REMEMBER SO MANY GREAT MEMORIES OF VIE DUNCAN TAIL, AND WE STAND ON HIS SHOULDERS.
UH, HIS LEGACY AND HIS, HIS EXCELLENCE, HIS PERSEVERANCE LIVES ON.
AND I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE THE BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY CONTINUE TO KEEP THIS GOING STRONG.
AND MAYOR TURNER, UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, IT IS BIGGER.
AND I KNOW THAT ON YOUR LAST YEAR, AS MAYOR, WE ARE GONNA SHOW UP AND SHOW OUT.
AND I KNOW THAT YOU BEING THE GRAND MARSHAL AND ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER, COMING TOGETHER, LIKE ONLY H TOWN CAN, UH, OVER AT DUNCAN TELL, IS GONNA BE SMILING FROM HEAVEN.
I CAN JUST PICTURE HIM WITH DR. KING
SO, SO, UH, WE WANT TO THANK EVERYONE AND CERTAINLY, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO PARTICIPATING.
AND I WANT TO THANK ALL OF THE, UH, UH, PASTOR DECKARD AND EVERYONE ON THE BOARD, UH, JANICE WEAVER, EVERYBODY THAT HAS BEEN TOING FOR MANY, MANY YEARS, UH, THIS, THIS IS A, A LABOR OF LOVE.
AND, AND THERESA, THANK YOU FOR ACKNOWLEDGING ALL THE VOLUNTEERS BECAUSE IT TAKES A VILLAGE.
SO I LOOK FORWARD TO JANUARY THE 16TH, AND I HOPE THAT YOU'LL PARTICIPATE IN THE, UH, IN THE GALA AND ALSO THE GOSPEL CONCERT, PARTICIPATE IN ALL OF IT.
THIS IS GONNA BE A GREAT CELEBRATORY KING WEEKEND.
SO THANK YOU, AND GOD BLESS YOU.
THANKS REPRESENTATIVE REYNOLDS.
AND I DO, I'LL BE REMI NOW TO ACKNOWLEDGE, UH, PASTOR DECKER, BECAUSE DURING THE, THE LAST FREEZE, UH, WHEN WE HAD TO SET UP THE WARMING CENTERS, IT WAS PASTOR DECKER AND HIS CHURCH THAT OPENED UP THEIR DOORS AND PROVIDED SPACE FOR UP TO 500 PEOPLE AND PROVIDED THE COTS, THE FOOD, BREAKFAST, LUNCH, AND DINNER, UH, WHICH WAS REALLY MORE THAN, UM, ALL THE OTHER SHELTERS THAT WE, I MEAN, MORMON CENTERS THAT WE SET UP.
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PLEASE, UH, GIVE A ROUND OF APPLAUSE TO PASTOR DECK.I WANNA THANK YOU SO VERY, VERY MUCH.
AND THEN LASTLY, WE'LL BE REMISS, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING WITHOUT THE SPONSORS.
OKAY? AND SO JUST TO REPRESENT ALL OF THE SPONSORS, LEMME JUST HAVE THEM TO COME AND JUST SAY, UH, A BRIEF COMMENT.
LEMME START OFF WITH HEB, UH, BROTHER HARRY'S.
YOU KNOW, I'M GONNA KEEP THIS, UH, EVEN SHORTER.
I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU GUYS FOR ALLOWING HEB TO TAKE PART IN SUCH A IFICATION AS THIS.
WHEREVER YOU HAVE SOMETHING THAT'S WHOLESOME WITH SOMETHING THAT'S, UH, DOING A GREAT DEAL IN THE COMMUNITY AND GIVING BACK, YOU'LL FIND HEB THERE.
SO, UH, I'M HAPPY TO REPRESENT HEB, UH, THIS YEAR AND IN THE PREVIOUS YEARS TO BE A PART OF, NOT JUST ONE IN HOUSTON, BUT ABOUT NINE MORE, UH, MLK PARADES ACROSS THE GREAT STATE OF TEXAS.
WE CAN SCREAM LIKE THOSE OTHERS, YOU KNOW, BUT THIS ONE IS THE BEST.
UH, AND THEN REPRESENTING AT AND T TANYA RIVERA, TANYA MAYOR, YOU KNOW, I LOVE YOU.
JUST GIVE OPPORTUNITIES TO JUST SPEAK WHEN YOU WEREN'T EVEN THINKING OF IT.
BUT ON BEHALF OF AT AND T, JUST WANNA THANK ALL OF YOU FOR PUTTING TOGETHER THE MLK PARADE.
WE'RE PROUD TO BE A SPONSOR AND LOOKING FORWARD TO CONTINUE WORKING WITH THE CITY OF HOUSTON TO BRIDGE THE DIGITAL DIGITAL DIVIDE AND MAKE SURE THAT THOSE THAT NEED TO BE CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET AND TO ALL OF THE, THE RESOURCES THAT ARE AVAILABLE ARE ABLE TO DO THAT.
AND SO, JUST THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR, FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND FOR HAVING US HERE.
SPEAKING AT THE, AT, AT THE PRESS CONFERENCE CALLED YOU MOA.
THIS WASN'T, THIS WASN'T NO FREE ASS, YOU KNOW,
HOW Y'ALL DOING? I'M HERE FOR RADIO 1 97 9.
SO, UH, WE GREATLY APPRECIATE Y'ALL FOR, FIRST OF ALL, HAVING US HERE AND THEN AS WELL AS, UH, ALLOWING US TO BE A SPONSOR FOR THE SHOW.
I MEAN, FOR THE, UH, PARADE, I'M SORRY.
UM, BUT, UH, PERSPECTIVE I WANT TO GIVE Y'ALL IS I GREW UP AS A KID IN HOUSTON FROM MISSOURI CITY, TEXAS.
AND THE FACT THAT I'M ABLE TO BE HERE NOW FROM BEING ON THE SIDE TO BEING A PART OF THIS SHOW IS, IS WHERE I EXPRESS MY, MY GRATITUDE.
SO FOR RADIO ONE, I APPRECIATE Y'ALL.
AND THEN I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE SPECIAL EVENTS, UH, SUSAN CHRISTIAN AND HER TEAM.
LET ME ACKNOWLEDGE SPECIAL EVENTS AGAIN, UH, FOR HAVING TO PULL ALL OF THESE THINGS TOGETHER, ALL OF THE DEPARTMENTS.
UH, I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE JANICE WEAVER PUBLIC WORKS, UH, MAYOR'S OFFICE WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, ST.
JA PONCHE, MY LEGAL DEPARTMENT, UH, UM, MAYOR'S OFFICE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS, UH, THE WHOLE NINE YARDS, GO GOVERNMENT RELATIONS, THE VETERANS DEPARTMENT, MAYOR'S OFFICE OF VETERAN AFFAIRS, COMPLETE COMMUNITIES IS PRESIDENT.
ALL OF THE DIRECTORS, PLEASE GIVE IT UP TO ALL OF THEM.
LET ME ACKNOWLEDGE COMMUN THE COMMUNICATIONS TEAM, THE LEGAL TEAM, EVERYONE.
THIS IS, UH, THIS IS A FAMILY AFFAIR.
AND SO, UH, AGAIN, AND, AND, AND, AND TO MS. DUNCAN, TELL, UH, LET JUST SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN I FIRST RAN FOR OFFICE, WHEN I CAME BACK, UH, TO HOUSTON, UH, IT WAS FOR THE HARRIS COUNTY COMMISSIONER'S COURT, SEAT PRECINCT, ONE O VIOL AND I WERE IN THAT SAME RACE.
UH, WE WERE CANDIDATES IN THAT SAME RACE, AND WE WERE SO BONDED TOGETHER.
UH, WE FINISHED LIKE THE LAST TWO
WE WERE JUST TRYING TO SEE WHO WAS GONNA COME IN AT THE BOTTOM.
BUT I LEARNED A GREAT DEAL FROM, FROM VAL, VERY PRINCIPLED, VERY COMMITTED.
WHEN I CAME IN AS MAYOR, HE WANTED IT TO BE CLEAR THAT THIS PARADE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND THE SPIRIT IN WHICH IT GOT STARTED, HE WAS VERY STRONG ABOUT THAT.
AND I WANT TO SAY TO THE BLACK HARRIS SOCIETY, TO, TO THERESA BREWER, THE PRESIDENT AND OTHERS, YOU HAVE KEPT THAT DREAM OF HIS ALIVE.
AND I WANNA, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR IT.
HAVING SAID THAT, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ANYONE MAY HAVE? GOT IT COVERED.
JANUARY 16TH, 10:00 AM DOWNTOWN, UH, HOUSTON WILL BE THE MLK PARADE.
AND IT'S OPEN TO, AND EVERYBODY IS INVITED.
CAN YOU JUST MENTION THOSE TWO LITTLE BEGINNING? COME ON, COME ON.
JUST EARLIER, MAYBE IN A LITTLE, LITTLE BIT NERVOUS, BUT WE ARE HAVING THE BLACK HERITAGE SOCIETY GALA, THAT'S GONNA BE JANUARY THE 14TH, AS WELL AS THE MK GOSPEL FEST CONCERT.
THAT WOULD BE JANUARY THE 15TH.
PLEASE GO TO OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE INFORMATION, GREENHOUSE INTERNATIONAL, UM, FOR MORE INFORMATION@WWW.BLACK
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HERITAGE SOCIETY.NET.MORNING, NOW IS THE HOUSTON AREA URBAN LEAGUE.
EVERY GOOD, GOOD, GOOD TO SEE YOU, MY FRIEND FROM THE HOUSTON AREA URBAN LEAGUE.
WHICH CONFERENCE? THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE WE WILL BE HOSTING IN THE CITY OF HOUSTON IN THE MONTH OF JULY.
SO WE'RE VERY EXCITED BY THAT.
SO HAVE I, HAVE I MISSED OFF ANY, ANYTHING? NOPE.
WE SAID THAT THIS YEAR WAS GOING TO BE THE YEAR OF EXCELLENCE AND GOING OVER AND BEYOND.
SO, UH, THIS IS THE YEAR AND, UM, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE IT'S, IT IS MY FINAL YEAR AS MAYOR AND MIXED FEELINGS ON THAT.
UH, BUT, UM, BUT LOOK, WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT, UH, WE'RE GONNA, WE'RE GONNA JUST GONNA GO OUT OUR WAY TO, TO REALLY TAKE IT UP ANOTHER NOTCH.
SO I WANT TO THANK, AGAIN, LET ME THANK COUNCIL MEMBER SALLY AORN FOR BEING HERE.
THANK FOR BEING SO SUPPORTIVE.
I'LL SEE YOU ON JANUARY THE 16TH AT 10:00 AM THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING.
LEMME THANK THE PRESS THE MEDIA, UH, FOR JOINING US TODAY, UH, AND FOR HELPING TO GET THE MESSAGE OUT.
I REALLY WANT TO THANK, UH, THE MEMBERS OF THE MEDIA BECAUSE, UH, QUITE FRANKLY, WITHOUT YOU, NO ONE KNOWS.
SO THANK YOU ALL SO VERY, VERY MUCH.
RE ANYTHING ELSE I SHOULD SAY? MARY, YOU DID EXCELLENT.