Baltimore will pay tribute to the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with a parade in his honor Jan. 20.The city’s Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade will begin at noon at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and North Eutaw Street. Paraders will proceed south on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and end at Baltimore Street.“Baltimore’s Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd was completed on December 9, 1982, and the first MLK Jr Day parade organized on his namesake street was held in the year 2000, growing in size and celebration every year,” according to a news release from the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA). “This year, we invite all Baltimoreans of every age, race, creed, and walk of life to attend the parade in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s legacy.” The theme of this year’s parade is “Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers.” The Grand Marshall for this year’s parade will be Baltimore City Solicitor Ebony M. Thompson, who became the first woman and openly gay person to serve in the city solicitor role in January 2024.As solicitor, Thompson represents and advises the mayor, Baltimore City Council, and other Baltimore officials and employees in legal matters. She is leading the largest case in Baltimore history, which has secured more than $668 million in damages from opioid manufacturers and distributors.Thompson graduated from Baltimore City College and University of Baltimore School of Law. Super Lawyers named her a Rising Star in 2022, The Best Lawyers in America recognized her on their list of “Ones to Watch” in 2021, and she was selected as a Leadership Academy Fellow of the Maryland State Bar Association. Community and civil rights organizations, music and dance performers, fraternities and sororities, and other groups can submit an application to participate in the parade on BOPA’s website.Groups that are selected to march in this year’s parade will be notified by email that they have been accepted.The parade will be the final event that BOPA organizes as the city’s contracted events producer, after the city terminated its contract with the arts organization in November.