COUNTYWIDE : Apathy, Economics Rained on Parade

It wasn’t rain that kept the Black History Parade from marching down Santa Ana’s Main Street last month. It was apathy and economics, organizers say.

“A lot of us took the parade for granted,” said Tonya Gipson, spokeswoman for the Orange County Black Historical Commission, the group that has staged the annual event in Santa Ana since 1979. “Now we are looking for those people who were upset about not having the parade to come forward and help.”

The commission’s goal is to raise $25,000 to cover the cost of next year’s parade. Parade planners said they may also look for another location for the event, since Santa Ana is no longer considered the mecca of the county’s African-American community.

“Over the years the black population of Orange County shifted and is no longer centered in Santa Ana,” Gipson said. “Anaheim has almost as many black residents as Santa Ana, and Tustin’s school district is 5% black,” she added.

Where the parade may end up is not known, but cities with significant African-American populations, such as Anaheim, Tustin and Buena Park, may be targeted for 1993, said Helen Shipp, president of the Black Historical Commission and parade founder. Shipp added that regardless of where the parade is held, it will still be an event for the entire county.

The parade had drawn thousands of spectators every first Saturday in February, which is Black History Month. But plans for this year began to fall apart last summer, when Santa Ana officials directed that the Black Historical Commission, like other nonprofit community groups, put up a dollar for every two from city funds donated for the event.

Allen Doby, executive director of recreation, parks and community services for Santa Ana, said the commission did not come up with the required $7,500 in matching funds.

“The city did not drop the ball, and it did have the money,” Doby said. He added that Santa Ana has earmarked funds, about $17,000, for next year’s parade, but the city still requires the commission to raise a third of the event costs before it will grant the money.

However, Gipson said the committee aims to raise all the money it needs for the parade itself. An advisory committee made up of representatives from county organizations and businesses has been formed to organize fund-raising events for the parade. Fund-raisers, including a community rummage sale and a comedy night, are already being planned, she said.

“We are going to make sure that we come to the table with hard funds,” Gipson said. “It is more important now with the raised racial tensions in the county to have a visual, positive black event.”