July 21, 2024 marked the sixth year of the Roxbury Unity Parade. Toy Burton founded it to combat the recurring violence in Roxbury by serving as a reminder to remain united as a community, recognize and reward those who have helped preserve and contribute to the neighborhood, and to celebrate its history and culture. Throughout the years, the parade has continued to have sponsors demonstrating the parade’s everlasting support, including organizations like the Urban League, DeeDee’s Cry: Suicide Prevention and Family Support, and Juneteenth Emancipation Observation.
What makes this parade different from others is that it isn’t just a march that goes on and on. People come together beforehand to enjoy each other’s company, eat really sweet snow cones, and listen to music. The face paint tent even had a little dance party at one point with some teens. Stray balloons were what the little children used as entertainment, considering anything can keep them occupied.
From the start, the Roxbury Unity Parade was celebratory and ended with rallying voicing Roxbury pride. The event started with the block party, a moment where everyone has time to socialize and get together as the sponsored groups set up. By then, there were a handful of people there to experience the parade as well. Whether they were with their families or themselves, everyone was happy to be there. What helped a lot was the music. At the start, the DJ switched the genre a lot, but once he noticed that R&B was what stuck with the crowd, he made sure to stay with it, a choice I very much appreciated.
The award ceremony played a key part of the Roxbury Unity Parade, as it recognized people in the community for their contributions — such as changing the way Roxbury is viewed by other communities. The Elma Lewis Artist award, one for important artists in the community, and the Pillar of the Community award, an award for important people who serve as a foundation for the community, were a few awards to be given. Some named for their accomplishments were musical group New Edition, Mayor Michelle Wu, Michael Curry, the chief executive officer at the Massachusetts League of Community Health, and Rob Gibbs, aka ProblaK, a Bostonian visual artist who has been painting murals since 1991.
The march lasted about an hour, with cries of “Roxbury Love” and “Roxbury Unity” coming from the participants. I would’ve walked with them, but it was very hot, so, there’s that. But from what I was able to get from the parts I experienced, everyone was cheerful once again. Coming back through the balloon arch was like an achievement as everyone had done their job.
Hoodfest was a final part of the Roxbury Unity Parade, a collection of live and up-and-coming hip-hop artists deeply connected to Roxbury. They each had a story to tell with their music, voicing the life that people of color have to withstand. Sadly, many people left after the march was over, so they missed out on the performances. As an avid music lover, I enjoyed them all. Some of my favorite acts were done by Dr. AMB (African Man Born). His songs were catchy and you could easily get behind the beat. My other favorite was Big Brother Sadi who had a storytelling style with bits of humor here and there.
The parade was a unique experience that more should attend. While it’s common for many events to have a decrease in attendance post-COVID, that just means people need to be reminded of events. The parade is open to everyone and a great opportunity to be surrounded by the joyous people of Roxbury.
