For over 37 years, the
Orange County Heritage Council (OCHC) has produced the most celebrated Black History Month event of all times; the
Annual Black History Parade and Cultural Faire. Now in its' 38th year, the pomp and circumstance continues on Saturday, February 3rd, 2018 from 9am-4pm with Grand Marshalls
ABC7 Morning Anchor Team Leslie Sykes and Phillip Palmer!
Under the leadership of Shedrick Collins, President and Steering Committee Chair of OCHC, the goal is to consistently bring the culture and achievements of black history to the forefront through music, food, celebrities and of course the parade which brings out communities in the thousands.
"The primary goal of OCHC is to provide cultural awareness and to promote historical contributions of black people in Orange County communities. The Black History Parade and Cultural Faire is THE perfect opportunity to create a synergy of education, leadership, cultural awareness, political and faith-based representatives, family, unity, rich entertainment, celebrities and food,"
states Collins.
The
38th Annual Black History Parade and Cultural Faire begins with the parade promptly at 10 a.m.. For information on the parade route please visit OCHC website.
GRAND MARSHALLS:
OCHC is honored to have
ABC7 Morning Anchor Team Leslie Sykes and Phillip Palmer
as the 2018 OC Black History Parade Grand Marshalls. Sykes and Palmer will lead the parade through the City of Anaheim.
Attendees are encouraged to arrive early to navigate around street closures, find parking, claim their favorite viewing spots along the parade route,
and bring a portable chair to get a prime viewing spot.
Please note: The following streets will be closed for the parade generally from 10 a.m. until 12p.m. Motorist are advised to use caution while driving through the area.
The event continues at the cultural faire on Center Street Promenade featuring food vendors, retail and information booths, a Black History Exhibit, a Youth Village (which will include a Youth Art Contest, an Anaheim Public Library Bookmobile, and a Health Village, offering free health screening and important health related information). In addition, there is a college faire where students gain info about attending college.
The multi-facet day of cultural entertainment that will empower all that attends.
The OCHC is accepting entries from vendors, organizations, performers, community dignitaries, County and City officials, and celebrities. To submit, please complete form online at:
Announcements of other Parade Marshalls, celebrities, performers and officials attending will be release by mid-January.
For media features, participation or sponsorship support, please contact publicist KimiRhochelle of KRPR Media at:
Stay updated on all OCHC social sites:
FB:
@OrangeCountyHeritageCouncil
IG: @orangecountyheritagecouncil
TWITTER: @ocblackhistory
ABOUT GRAND MARSHALLS
Leslie Sykes
is co-anchor of the ABC7 Morning Show from 4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m., and ABC7 Eyewitness News at 11 a.m. She joined ABC7 in 1994.
Leslie was born in San Diego, California and grew up in Compton. She attended St. Joseph High School and then Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she majored in English.
Upon graduation Leslie took a job as a general assignment reporter at the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. Leslie completed an internship at KCOP and was a desk assistant at KTTV before landing her first on-air job in Hattiesburg, Mississippi at WDAM. There she reported and anchored three shows a day and produced a newscast. She went on to work at WVUE in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Phillip Palmer
is
co-anchor of the ABC7 Morning Show from
4:30 a.m. to 7 a.m., and ABC7 Eyewitness News at
11 a.m. He has also served as a general assignment reporter and weekend anchor since joining the station in 1998.
Phillip was born in Lawton, Oklahoma, but his family moved around a lot. In fact, Phillip has lived in Shreveport, Louisiana; Wichita, Kansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Little Rock, Arkansas; Evergreen, Colorado. In his adopted home of West Monroe, Louisiana, Phillip graduated high school in 1981. He graduated from Northeast Louisiana University with a degree in journalism and a minor in radio/TV/film.
Phillip's career also began in West Monroe, where in 1985, he became a sports reporter at KNOE AM/FM radio. He then moved to KAKE in Wichita, Kansas in 1990 as a weekend sports anchor. In 1994, Phillip moved to KCNC in Denver, Colorado as the morning news anchor.
A strong supporter of organ donation, Phillip donated a kidney to his friend, Dale Davis, in March 2007.
ABOUT OCHC: The Orange County Black History Parade and Cultural Faire is organized by the Orange County Heritage Council. a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community organization focused on commemoration of African American contributions to the strength of Orange County, California.
