ENGLEWOOD — A South Side parade that has celebrated Englewood youth for the last six decades has been canceled to accommodate the increased police presence needed at this summer’s Democratic National Convention, organizers said.
The Englewood Back 2 School Parade, an annual summer tradition dating to 1961, is the city’s second-oldest Black parade after the Bud Billiken Parade.
Instead of the usual parade and procession along 63rd Street, organizers will host a backpack and school supplies giveaway 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Aug. 17 at Ogden Park, 6500 S. Racine St., said Sandra Streeter, parade chairman and coordinator.
The annual back-to-school celebration typically gathers bands, dancers and neighborhood organizers for a procession culminating at Ogden Park, with performances by the Jesse White Tumblers, Englewood STEM High School marching band, South Shore Drill Team and more.
Police officers are deployed to the Englewood parade every year, Streeter said. Parade organizers also hire private security personnel to help officers with crowd control, she said.
But with the city gearing up to host the Democratic National Convention, local police district leaders asked Streeter in early April to “scale back” this year’s parade, she said.
The DNC is Aug. 19-22 and will be centered around the McCormick Place Convention Center and the United Center.
Leaders at the Englewood (7th) Police District suggested organizers move the Englewood parade up one weekend to Aug. 10 or postpone it until Aug. 31 — but neither of those dates would work, Streeter said.
The Bud Billiken Parade, which draws legions of South Side families, is also Aug. 10, and having the Englewood parade Aug. 31 when most students are back in school defeats its purpose, Streeter said. Classes for Chicago Public Schools students begin Aug. 26.
Rather than reschedule, Streeter opted to call off the Englewood Back 2 School parade and procession altogether.
The Police Department “is working to secure major events throughout Chicago this summer, including the upcoming Democratic National Convention,” Don Terry, chief communications officer for the department, said in a statement to Block Club.
“To ensure the appropriate resources are allocated to the DNC, we are working with local organizers as they prepare public safety plans for their events,” asking them to reschedule or hold scaled-down events that require fewer police resources, Terry said. “CPD is continuing to communicate with these organizers and relay information about resources and the permitting process, which is run through the Chicago Department of Transportation and the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events.”
The Chicago Pride Parade, another highlight of summer, is also scaling down this year due to “safety and logistical concerns,” the Windy City Times reported. The June 30 event will start one hour earlier and is capped at 125 parade entries, a 37 percent decrease from last year. Pride organizers were notified by city officials of the changes in mid-March, the Windy City Times reported.
City leaders announced preliminary security measures for the DNC in March, with Police Supt. Larry Snelling pledging “sufficient staffing” citywide.
“It’s going to be an extremely busy summer, but we want everyone at whatever event they’re having to have fun, be safe and have an enjoyable time,” Terry said.
Streeter did not submit a permit application to the city’s Department of Transportation once police officials told her she’d have to change the parade’s date, cancel it or scale it back, she said.
Organizers are going forward with the backpack giveaway to serve families who depend on it, Streeter said. There will be at least 1,000 backpacks available for families.
Organizers will also select two families at the giveaway to support “from the beginning of the school year until the end of the year,” providing them with school uniforms, backpacks, Thanksgiving meals and Christmas presents, Streeter said.
Canceling the parade and performances is a “tad bit disappointing,” Streeter said. But she said she expected there might be a conflict when President Joe Biden announced the city would host the DNC in 2023.
What matters most is serving the community in some way, she said.
“As long as we can do our major mission, we are satisfied,” she said. “This event is for the community, and because we have that mindset, we can adjust.”
Streeter said she’ll use the year to prepare for the 2025 Englewood Back 2 School Parade. She hopes to develop a youth committee to co-lead the event.
“It’s time for us adults to step back,” Streeter said. “The goal is for our youth to be the ones who spearhead this parade. It’s for them. They’ll be the ones to take it full force.”
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