011926 MLK Parade JoshuaKodis 001 — PHOTO BY JOSHUA KODIS

GIFFORD — Chilly weather didn’t stop spectators from flocking to 45th Street to witness the annual Martin Luther King Jr. parade and program on Monday. WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill, a Gifford native and 2010 Vero Beach High School graduate, also made a surprise appearance during the program at the Victor Hart Sr. Community Enhancement Complex.

WWE Women’s Champion Jade Cargill poses for a photo at the 2026 MLK Day Program in Gifford. PHOTO PROVIDED BY DENNY HART

Parade marchers held up signs with messages of unity and love. Vehicles displayed images of Dr. King, the renowned civil rights leader whose push toward equal rights for Black people became a staple of the Civil Rights Movement.

Terri Floyd, one of the organizers for the parade and program, said attending the MLK events is crucial for people to learn about King’s legacy.

“A lot of people just look at it as a day, but you have to know why you’re celebrating, what King did, how he brought us through and got us to this point where races can mingle,” Floyd said. “It’s important for people to come out and listen to the speeches.”

The Vero Beach High School Fighting Indians Marching Band, along with the Sebastian River High School Marching Sharks Band, graced the crowd with melodies and rhythms from the brass, woodwinds and percussion. The program held afterward featured food vendors along with speeches and performances including gospel worship, Christian rap, a mime showcase, a girls’ dance troop and more.

Video by Nick Samuel

Cargill, who is also a former two-time WWE Women’s Tag Team Champion, took pictures at the program. She is known for her super-hero inspired aesthetics, athleticism and wrestling theme song “The Storm is Coming.”

Cargill spoke in a video posted to Facebook, where she congratulated her alma mater – Vero Beach High School – for reaching 100 years in 2025 in teaching and guiding students.

Cargill’s surprise appearance, combined with the parade and musical performances, made this year’s MLK events remarkable, organizers say.

Video by Nick Samuel

The theme for this year’s MLK events was “Remembering the Past While Embracing the Future.”

Jonnie Mae Perry, the grand marshal of the parade, was honored at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship banquet held Saturday at the Gifford Youth Achievement Center. Perry, who is the executive director of the Gifford Historical Museum and Cultural Center, urged the community to remember the past and embrace the future with community engagement.

Jonnie Mae Perry, grand marshal for the 2026 MLK Day Parade. PHOTO PROVIDED

“Let us continue to tell the stories of Gifford’s history and that old Gifford spirit,” said Perry, who was recently named as president of the Indian River County Historical Society. “Your community needs you.”

Perry read one of Dr. King’s famous quotes, “Everybody can be great. Because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”

Rev. Desmond Cook, chaplain for the Miami Dolphins football team, was the guest speaker during the Martin Luther King Jr. Banquet. Cook’s message was for everybody to be called to participate in something greater than themselves.

“King fought the fight knowing he might not see the promised land. We may not be able to get there ourselves, but we can lay the groundwork for future generations,” Cook said. “King walked in his calling. I wouldn’t have had the opportunities in my life if it weren’t for King and others he locked arms with.”

Cook said King was a key figure in his era. King called for us to not be self-centered, said Cook, a 1999 Stanford University graduate who oversees the Fellowship of Christian Athletes sports ministry.

“We were created on purpose. Sometimes walking in that purpose means we may not experience the fruits of our labor in this season, but other generations may experience it,” Cook said.

Video by Nick Samuel