The “Karamu! Celebrate!” statewide Black History Parade and Festival was held on Saturday, February 22, in the historic Waverly and Five Points communities. The parade started on Harden Street and ended at Martin Luther King Park.
The grand marshal for this year’s parade was Senator Maggie Glover, the first African American woman to be elected as a state senator in South Carolina. Also appearing was Comedian Annie McKnight, local entertainers and vendors from across the state. After the parade, guests explored the vendor village and dined at the food truck park while being entertained by numerous musicians and entertainers on the grand stand.
“Karamu! Celebrate! – The South Carolina Black History Parade & Festival” is sponsored by Friends United as a Neighborhood Developmental Society Inc. (F.U.N.D.S. Inc.) “Karamu” is a Swahili term for “celebration.” In the Swahili culture, festivals and feasts are celebrations of significant events in the lives of people.
Established in 2005, the parade’s initial focus was the celebration of Black History Month in the United States and the recognition of the many significant contributions of those of African descent in America and the global village.
The purpose of “Karamu! Celebrate! – The South Carolina Black History Parade and Festival” is to educate, entertain and celebrate those achievements; hence the parade motto, “Education Through Entertainment.”
Parade founder and organizer Oveta Glover indicated that this 20th parade may be the last. The theme of the parade was Karamu: The Grand Finale.
For more information, visit the parade website at www. fundsinc1.org.
Bible Way to host annual scholarship program
The Bible Way Church Ministries is hosting its Scholarship Program in memory of the Late Bishop Roy Lee Belton and the Late Bishop Arthur J. Morgan. The Program is Sunday, March 16, 2025 at the Bible Way Church Ministries, 3111 Piedmont Avenue, Columbia, South Carolina at 3 {: } 0 0 \mathrm { p. m } .
Bishop Belton and Bishop Morgan’s commitment to The Bible Way Churches Worldwide and the Bible Way Church Ministries for a total of over fifty (50) years have awarded them the esteemed honor of being recognized for their servanthood. The value of education and Christian living were prerequisites of these men’s ministries.
Proceeds from this program will provide scholarship opportunities for (4) young people to continue his or her academic pursuit at the college or university of their choice. The scholarship recipients are: Jaedyn Ellis Williams, a senior at Colleton County High, Walterboro, SC; Jalen Cannon, a senior at Spring Valley High School, Columbia; Kynadi Howard, a senior at Westwood High, Columbia; Azzaziyah Slater, a senior at C. A. Johnson High School, Columbia. We solicit your support of this endeavor via sponsorship/donations.
For additional information and sponsorship opportunities, contact Ms. Michelle Renwrick at (803) 254-6870.
