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The parade ended with the horse riders, and this young cowboy.

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Nearing the end of the parade.

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The banner indicates that the OKC chapter of the NAACP was founded in 1913. Years before Rosa Parks even thought about buses.

Oklahoma is on the cusp of north and south. It was not a state during the Civil War, but some of the Native Americans living here did join the Confederate cause – in the naive hope that that government would give them more of a fair deal than the one in Washington. If you follow the news, you're probably aware that some tribes held African-American slaves.

Oklahoma was not free of racial prejudice. It had its pockets of "Dark Towns" - Spencer and Luther among them. The Tulsa Race Riot is legend. Yet, when people boycotted the lunch counters (the first boycott following Rosa Parks), Oklahoma City businesses responded within days, rather than weeks.

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Rev. Lee Cooper, pastor of Prospect Baptist Church, the key note speaker for the program immediately proceeding the parade. He certainly spoke in the Baptist preacher tradition, and carried on Martin's legacy by railing against the Iraq war. Many in the church called out, "Preach it!" and "Amen!"

Our congregation is more lively than many Episcopal congregations – they laugh quite easily. But you are unlikely to hear someone cry out, "Amen" or "Preach it". Additionally, our Dean has made timid references that seem to oppose the Iraq war, but nothing this overt and blatant.

Given the event, Rev. Cooper was no doubt preaching to the choir. He was not the first speaker to note that Rev. King would have been opposed the Iraq war just as much as he did the Viet Nam war.

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Local politician, Dana O— models appropriate walking wear. The shirt reads, "I don't know about you, but I'm tired of violence." - MLK

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The parade begins (Saturday, ~2:30 pm).