Actress Debbie Allen, producer-director of the NBC...

Actress Debbie Allen, producer-director of the NBC television sitcom, “A Different World,” will be grand marshal of Pasadena’s 10th annual African-American History Month parade Saturday.

The parade--with the theme “One People, One History, One Destiny”--will march off at 10 a.m. at Charles White Park on Fair Oaks Avenue in Altadena, and end on Mountain Street in Pasadena. Entries include a 100-member gospel choir.

After the parade, jazz, R&B;, and reggae groups will entertain at an all-day festival in Jackie Robinson Park, 1081 N. Fair Oaks Ave, during which ethnic food and clothing will be on sale.

The national observation began as Negro History Week in 1926.

Its creator, black historian Carter G. Woodson, author of “The Mis-Education of the Negro,” wanted to educate the public about contributions black people have made to American society. He chose the second week in February, because it coincided with the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12) and Author and historian Carter G. Woodson black abolitionist Frederick Douglass (Feb. 14).

In the mid-1970s, a week was insufficient for all the activities, and the observation evolved into Black History Month, which has since been renamed African-American History Month.