Paul Bass Photo
A parade celebrating a fictional neighborhood-clean-up character named Freddie Fixer had a new real-life star this year: mom.
The vibe was mellow as moms like Alice Jordan lined Dixwell Avenue through Dixwell and Newhallville along with their children to take part in New Haven’s largest annual outdoor African-American celebration. Jordan (at far right in photo) has attended the event, the Freddie Fixer Parade, since she was a kid. “It used to be bigger — more floats, more people from out of town,” Jordan said as she sat with her daughter Amanda and other relatives outside Dixwell Plaza. “This is a good pace, not overcrowded. Just enough.”
Without much help from established institutions, community activist Maurice Smith has revived the parade. Dr. Fred Smith and Ed Grant, among others, started the parade in 1962 to promote black community clean-up campaigns. Asked whether this year’s parade would invoke another “Freddy”—Freddy Gray, who has become a touchstone for black marches nationwide after Baltimore police killed him — Smith said organizers deliberately kept such issues off the agenda. He said they wanted to remain “neutral” and focused on the parade’s original environmental message.
And on moms: Smith initially took some criticism for scheduling the parade on Mother’s Day rather than a week later, as usual, when it runs into Yale graduation (creating a logistical mess). But attendees along the route Sunday said they liked the Mother’s Day connection. “It gives us something to do with the kids,” said Patrice Moye, who said she never misses The Freddie. She came out with her 9‑year-old son Darnell.
“Happy Mother’s Day!” Mayor Toni Harp (at left in photo) called out to the women along the route who she waved to and hugged. Harp said she has attended “at least 25” Freddie Fixer Parades.
“Happy Mother’s Day!” called out Sheila Mullins (at center in photo), who was with her children and friends.
“Oh my God, I love your outfit!” Mullins added when Dixwell Community Management Team Co-Chair Cordelia Thorpe passed by in her holiday-appropriate dress.
Smith organized six divisions of nine units each to march in the parade. While the divisions didn’t include, say, the teams of tri-state motorcycle-riding black police officers from parades of yore, a number of drill teams did come to the parade from out of town, including the Finest Drill Team & Drum Corps of Philadelphia. It, too, picked up on the Mother’s Day theme.
Moms and big sisters who helped out with New Haven’s Fusion Steppers Drill Team and Drum Corps, which earned some first-place honors a day earlier at the Freddie Fixer drill competition, included Jasmine Moncrease, Courtney Taylor, and Denia Williams.
“Yay the fireman!” yelled the crowd as Josh Miller of Engine 6 waved back.
This year’s marshal, the normally behind-the-scenes city Office of Legislative Services Director Al Lucas, came decked out for strutting.
Dixwell Alder Jeanette Morrison, who began attending the parade as a child growing up a block from the Avenue, couldn’t resist the beat along with Dwight Alder Frank Douglass as they helped Lucas head the line.
Lt. Makiem Miller was on duty, so he couldn’t march in Shriner regalia with fellow members of Arabic Temple #40. He did have a chance to check in with Maurice Douglas, among others, as they passed by.
It had to be one of the mellowest parades on record, especially along the sidelines. The pace picked up in the last hour near the bandstand in front of Dixwell Plaza, where Howard Boyd emceed …
… WNHU’s DJ Soul (aka Heath Terry) spun the tunes …
… and the Hamden Academy of Dance & Music (pictured), Hartford Proud, Strictly Businezz …
… and other drill teams took turns stopping to strut their stuff. (Click on the video to watch snippets.)
The party continued afterwards with a second performance on the Dixwell “Q” House plaza by Doug Bethea’s New Haven’s Nation Drill Squad …
… and barbecue in the parking lot behind Dixwell Plaza.