Orange County Black History Parade celebrates unity
- Share via
Anaheim hosted the 46th annual Orange County Black History Parade, with local community organizations, schools and Black sororities and fraternities all gathering to celebrate on Saturday.
The yearly event is organized by the Orange County Heritage Council, a volunteer nonprofit established in 2008, that promotes cultural awareness and the historical contributions of Black people in Orange County.
This year’s theme, “Unity in Purpose,” welcomed Anaheim Unified High School District’s Social Justice Collective, the equestrian group Urban Saddles, Cal State Fullerton’s Black Student Union and the Orange County section of the National Council of Negro Women.
The Orange County Black History Parade was founded by Santa Ana native Helen Shipp, who organized local businesses, churches and veterans for the first parade in 1980. The event was held in Santa Ana for 30 years before the event was moved to Anaheim in 2012. The Orange County Heritage Council continues to keep Shipp’s legacy alive with the Helen M. Shipp Scholarship that’s awarded to local students.
Ronald Rochon, president of California State University, Fullerton, served as this year’s grand marshal. Other community leaders involved included Tammy Tumbling as community involvement division marshal, Gregory C. Scott as the division marshal for economics and Deborah Wondercheck as the division marshal representing the arts.
“African Americans in our county are less than 3%,” said Wondercheck. “So when something like this happens, we all come together. We all unify and say we are here to support each other, we are here to support our voices and be present for each other.”
Wondercheck, a lifelong musician, is the founder of Costa Mesa’s Arts & Learning Conservatory, a nonprofit that aims to change children’s lives by exposing them to the arts. In 2022, she organized the inaugural performance of “Gospel Voice of OC” at Chapman University’s Musco Center for the Arts, with the aim to make the concert celebrating Black excellence in music, art and history an annual tradition in O.C.
She said this year’s theme of “Unity in Purpose” aligns greatly with Arts & Learning Conservatory‘s ideals.
“Arts & Learning Conservatory’s whole purpose and mission is to make sure the arts programs are accessible and equitable for all children,” she said.
The arts were well represented in the parade, with performances by Los Angeles Parmelettes Drumline dance and drum and Centralia Elementary School District’s Baile Folklorico dance team.
The event also included a Unity Festival at the Center Street Promenade in downtown Anaheim with arts and crafts, games and a food fest with offerings from vendors like Hot Grease and Santa Ana Redds. A Health Village, hosted by event sponsors CalOptima and Kaisera, included booths offering health resources, screenings and information.
The parade kicked off Black History Month and runs through February, celebrating African American life and culture, while encouraging the study of Black history.
