Deontay Wilder Named Grand Marshal For Juneteenth Parade

The Tuscaloosa branch of the NAACP recently made a huge announcement involving Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder.

Saturday, June 18th, the Tuscaloosa branch of the NAACP and the Black Heritage Festival will host the city's first Juneteenth Parade. The announcement was recently made that Tuscaloosa native Deontay Wilder will serve as the Grand Marshal for the parade.

The parade will begin at Westlawn Middle School at 10a and end at the McDonald Hughes Center.

During a recent interview with Townsquare Media's DreDay, the Event Planner for Tuscaloosa's Juneteenth events  Sonya McKinstry spoke on the opportunity to have Wilder in the parade.

"How fitting is that for Deontay to lead us in our first Juneteenth parade in Tuscaloosa? He's excited, I'm excited, we're all excited."

"Deontay exemplifies everything that we want for our little black girls' and boys' success. We're so proud of him," said Lisa Young, President of the Tuscaloosa county branch NAACP.

Wilder recently received a huge honor in his hometown of Tuscaloosa. In May of 2022, Deontay Wilder was honored at the Tuscaloosa River Market with the unveiling of a bronze statue of the Heavyweight champion.

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In a post on his Instagram page, Wilder posted about receiving a statue in his hometown.

The post featured a caption saying, "I received my flowers while I’m well alive Amen"

The first Juneteenth parade in Tuscaloosa will take place on June 18th, beginning at Westlawn Middle School. The line up is at 9a and the parade kicks off at 10a.