Meet the man keeping MLK’s legacy alive in Jacksonville for 45 years | Black History Month

For Gary Thomas, Jacksonville’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. parade isn’t just a procession through downtown streets — it’s a “Freedom Walk” that has defined nearly half a century of his life. Thomas, co-founder of Jacksonville’s MLK Foundation, has helped organize the parade for 45 years, transforming it into one of the city’s most significant civil rights commemorations.