By JOEL PHELPS | arkadelphian.com
More than 100 paraders braved bitterly cold temps Monday afternoon to participate in the annual Marade honoring civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
Despite the weather, the 2025 event appeared to draw a larger crowd than in past events. “We had a great turnout,” said event organizer Rev. Llewellyn Terry. “We had a totally inclusive crowd: Black, White, Hispanic — you name it, they showed up.”
The one-mile march from Greater Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church to downtown Arkadelphia was made in below-freezing temperatures. Some walked, some rode on floats and some rode in vehicles to the National Guard Armory building to hear a presentation by Little Rock pastor Rev. Roy Elliott. As the paraders arrived at the Armory, even more spectators trickled in for the ceremony.
Terry, whose father joined King in his 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery, opened the ceremony, followed by a passage read by his grandson, Caiden Dickerson. Pastor Jamal Brown of St. Ruth Baptist Church welcomed the guest speaker.
Elliott’s brief but eloquent speech centered around King’s call for action in social injustice. Preaching from the Old Testament book of Amos, Elliott charged those in attendance to examine their own lives and to be genuinely righteous in their community. With injustice still in society, Elliott said collective action is needed to bring about justice.
Elliott’s speech drew a standing ovation, followed by a closing prayer and sang, a cappella, “We Shall Overcome”.
Some paraders rode in floats. | Joel Phelps photo 
Members of Omega Psi Phi pause for a photo at the ceremony. | Llewellyn Terry photo 
Dozens of people listen to Elliott’s speech. | Llewellyn Terry photo 
Rev. Roy Elliott speaks at the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration in Arkadelphia. | Llewellyn Terry photo
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