Parade Organizers Following in Educator’s Footsteps

SANTA ANA —  In 1904, Mary McLeod Bethune, a daughter of former slaves, started a school for African American children with four little girls as pupils and $1.50 for textbooks in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Today, her elementary school is a thriving four-year college called Bethune-Cookman. One of its graduates, Wayne Snyder, is a director of this year’s Black History Parade in Orange County.

“I love her story, I’m proud of her,” Snyder said of Bethune. “She started out with $1.50 . . . and ended up being a great friend of Eleanor Roosevelt, an advisor to presidents.”

He and his partner, Chuck Mosely, have followed in Bethune’s tradition, taking a little bit of money and a lot of determination and turning it into success. For the first time since it was founded 19 years ago, the Black History Parade will not incur any debt on $40,000 in expenses, and an estimated 6,000 people--including hundreds of elementary school children--are expected to turn out Saturday morning for the 10 a.m. kickoff.

The grand marshal is Roger Mosely of “Magnum, P.I.” and marshals include L.A. Laker player Byron Scott and N.Y. Yankee Darryl Strawberry. They will be sign autographs for kids at a cultural fair after the parade. Bethune and other noted African American figures will be remembered properly at the festivities. Half a dozen Santa Ana elementary schools have been painting large banners of favorite role models and heroes--from educator Bethune to abolitionist Sojourner Truth to Gen. Colin L. Powell and Olympic champion Carl Lewis.

The theme of the parade is “Recognizing the Quilt of Diversity.”

According to the 1990 census, less than 2% of Orange County’s population is black, mostly made up of middle-class professionals, including attorneys, doctors and teachers. While most of the parade participants and audience are usually African American, many other ethnic groups will participate.

“Every group here has stereotypes about other groups,” organizer Chuck Mosely said. “We can’t be successful just doing our own thing. We want people to be exposed to the positives about each other, to break down the stereotypes.”

Walker Elementary School Principal Bob de Barry agreed.

“Our school is composed of quite a diverse population--Cambodian, Cham [Muslim Cambodians], Vietnamese and Hispanic. We felt our school should cultivate honor and respect for other cultures. The parade is pretty much a multicultural affair.”

The parade starts at 10 a.m. at Broadway and 10th Street. The cultural fair afterward will include everything from strolling historians from Bowers Museum to food booths to representatives from corporate sponsors and social services agencies. For the first time, there will be a Kids Lane with special games and events.