A Parade by the Numbers

According to the most recent census, Howard County is:

62.2% white, 17.5% black or African American, 14.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.0% from other races, and 3.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.8% .

According to the HoCo Gov website, Howard County has approximately 20,000 military veterans.

You can find information about the breakdown by race/ethnicity of Howard County veterans here.

You can view photographs and video footage of this year’s Veterans Day parade in Old Ellicott City here. This is County Executive Allan Kittleman’s Facebook page. You’ll need to scroll down past more current posts.

One thing I noticed after looking at all the videos and photographs was how really, really white this event is. Look at who is marching. Look at who is lining the streets. Look at the officials giving speeches. If one were to imagine Howard County from these pictures alone, I don’t think we’d come close to picturing the actual diversity we have here, both in the overall population and amongst veterans.

Why do you think that is? This is a genuine question. I am not ascribing any exclusionary intent here. I am not offering criticism, just an observation.

Mr. Kittleman offers this statement about the event:

PLEASE WATCH AND SHARE: So many great moments and memories at today's Veterans Parade in Ellicott City. This was just the third year for the parade and the crowd was very impressive. Next year's parade is sure to be even bigger and better and hopefully, a new Ellicott City tradition is growing right before our eyes. If you were there, you might spot yourself in this video.

So it’s a relatively new event and next year offers possibilities of improvement. That’s good to hear. Maybe our community can find a way for this parade to bring more people together so that we are honoring and supporting veterans in a way that shows the reality of who we are as a county.

Comments are welcome here:

https://www.facebook.com/VillageGreenTownSquared/?ref=bookmarks

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