Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade Grand Marshal chosen
Each year in Colleton County, the Walterboro Shrine Club of Arabian Temple #139, sponsors the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade for its citizens and others from surrounding areas. Dr. King, one of the most renowned Civil Rights Leaders of America, dreamed of a world where all men and women would live wherein “they would not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” The parade will be held on Sunday, January 18, 2026 at 2:30 p.m. from Jefferies Boulevard to the Ivanhoe Shopping Center Area.
The lineup will begin at 1:30 p.m. across the street from Live Oak Cemetery. For the 38th Annual MLK Parade, the Walterboro Shrine Club has announced that Mr. Edward Williams, Director of the Robotics Program for the Colleton County School District in Walterboro, South Carolina, will lead the parade as its Marshal. Mr. Williams said, “I am honored to have been selected for this prestigious occasion.”
Mr. Williams began his early education in the public schools of Colleton County, having graduated from Colleton High School in 1962. After graduation he began his higher education journey at Mather Junior College, Beaufort, South Carolina, earning an Associate of Arts degree. In 1967 he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Education at South Carolina State University. In later years he earned a Masters in Human Resources from Webster University, followed by a Masters in Educational Administration from Cambridge College in Boston, Massachusetts. After a successful career in Industry and Education, Mr. Williams retired from Whale Branch Middle School in Beaufort, South Carolina, which didn’t last long, because former Superintendent Leila Williams called him back into education to serve the Colleton County School District, in order to initiate a robotics program like the one he started in Beaufort, which has grown from pre-K to high school. His program has the distinction of having the only seamless robotics program on the I-95 corridor.
Ed, as he prefers to be called, currently serves as President of the Colleton Chapter #5507 of the NAACP. This is his second term as the president, as he served 15 years prior to now.
Further, he serves as Regional Coordinator for Colleton, Hampton, Beaufort, and Jasper Counties, representing the South Carolina Conference of Branches of the NAACP. He also serves as a member of the South Carolina Conference of Branches Executive Board, under the leadership of President Brenda Murphy.
Having always been a staunch community activist, Ed also serves as Chairman of the Colleton County Transportation Committee, appointed by the late Senator McKinley Washington, as its longest serving member from its inception. He is the founding member of the Ace Basin Community Development Organization, Inc., in Jonesville Community Public Landing, Blue House, White Hall, and Roadside, currently serving as its President. He is a member of the Board of the Lowcountry Community Action Agency, serving both Hampton and Colleton Counties.
Edward Williams is the fourth child of the late Otis and Janie Hamilton Williams of the Jonesville Community (Yemassee). Ed has one daughter, Shauna D. Williams; one son, Brent Crockett; two grandsons, Vashoun Brigman and Breon Crockett; and three brothers, Eligah Williams, Tech Sgt. Retired Wilbur Williams, and Command Sgt. Major Retired Kapers Carl Williams. Ed has one simple principle in life: “To wake up every day and do God’s will in supporting my fellow man.”
Every citizen is welcome to participate in / attend this annual momentous event. Noble Eric Cook is the newly-elected Illustrious Potentate of Arabian Temple #139, and Noble Cornelius Shepherd, HPP is the president of the Walterboro Shrine Club. Any organization, school, church, club, etc., interested in participating in the parade, please contact Herman G. Bright, Parade Chairman (843-217-5000), C. J. Wilford (843-217-0063), Henry Pinckney (843-908-4882), or Willie White (843-599-1923).
