Overview
- Saturday’s 97th Bud Billiken Parade stepped off near 39th Street and King Drive and drew thousands to a back-to-school celebration on the South Side.
- The event traces to 1929 and grew out of the Chicago Defender newspaper, which used its Bud Jr. youth section to teach civic engagement and journalism.
- Organizers say the parade is now the largest African American parade in the country and features dozens of marching bands, floats, dance teams and community groups.
- Myiti Sengstacke Rice led the parade as the fourth-generation head of Chicago Defender Charities, and families used the day to pass history to children through projects like kid-made YouTube videos.
- Participants described the parade as a public ritual that preserves community memory, encourages school readiness and could strengthen local civic ties as new youth storytellers keep the tradition alive.