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BLACK HISTORY MONTH PARADE & CELEBRATION
Join us for the 8th Annual Black History Month Parade and Celebration on Saturday, February 1, 2025.
The parade will begin at 10 am through Downtown Thomasville. A celebration will begin immediately following the parade at The Ritz Amphitheater featuring DJ’d music by Jammin Jay, local school performance by Scott Elementary, African Dancers & Drummers, TCCHS and THS Drumlines, food vendors, and MUCH MORE!
- Food vendor applications have closed.
- Parade entry applications have closed.
- Click here for the parade route.
- Click here for the parade line-up.
- Parade Entries: Click here for line-up by map block.
For additional information, please call (229) 227-7020.
WE CELEBRATE THESE THOMASVILLE NATIVES DURING BLACK HISTORY MONTH:
Former Secretary of Defense General Lloyd James Austin, III
Lloyd James Austin III served as the Secretary of Defense from Jan. 22, 2021 to Jan. 20, 2025. Mr. Austin was the principal assistant to the President in all matters relating to the Department of Defense and served on the National Security Council.
Mr. Austin was born in Mobile, Alabama, and raised in Thomasville, Georgia. He graduated from the United States Military Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission in the Infantry. He holds a Master of Arts degree in counselor education from Auburn University and a Master of Business Management from Webster University. He is a graduate of the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced courses, the Army Command and General Staff College, and the Army War College.
His 41-year career in the Army included command at the corps, division, battalion, and brigade levels. Mr. Austin was awarded the Silver Star for his leadership of the Army’s 3rd Infantry Division during the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Seven years later, he would assume the duties of Commanding General of United States Forces – Iraq, overseeing all combat operations in the country.
Lieutenant Henry Ossian Flipper
Henry Ossian Flipper was born into slavery in Thomasville, Georgia on March 21, 1856. He was the eldest of five children, born to Festus and Isabella Flipper. In 1874, he became the fifth black man accepted into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was often ostracized by the other cadets and had little interaction or support from the other white cadets, yet he preserved and became the first black man to graduate from West Point in 1877. He accepted a commission as second lieutenant to Company A of the Tenth United States Cavalry in 1878. He first reached Fort Still, Oklahoma, where he designed and supervised the creation of drainage to the “malarial ponds,” which saved hundreds of enlisted lives. To this day, Flipper’s Ditch still operates and has been a historic landmark since 1977. Also in 1977, the Henry O. Flipper Award was created at West Point and is presented to the graduating cadet who exhibits “leadership, self-discipline, and perseverance in the face of unusual circumstances.” Lt. Henry Flipper’s remains are interred at the Lt. Henry Ossian Flipper Historic Cemetery, located at 804 North Madison Street.
Charlie Ward, Jr.
1993 Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Ward, Jr. is a native of Thomasville and graduate of Thomas County Central High School. After he graduated from Florida State University, Ward by-passed the NFL and played professional basketball for the New York Knicks, San Antonio Spurs, and Houston Rockets before retiring in 2005. His Heisman Trophy, earned playing quarterback for the Seminoles, is on display at the Thomas County Public Library.