Baltimore will skip its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade and opt instead for a day of service to honor the slain civil rights hero.

The parade hasn’t been held since 2020 because of COVID-19 restrictions. But the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts, which produces the event, said it made “a conscious decision” this year to cancel the parade and encourage public service.

"Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is the only federal holiday designated as a National Day of Service. So, to honor Dr. King — and follow his example — we encourage all Baltimoreans to participate in this year's National Day of Service on January 16, 2023, by signing up to volunteer with a local, regional, or national organization,"  BOPA announced Thursday (Jan. 5) in a Twitter post.

The decision for a day of service in lieu of a parade received pushback. Maryland’s U.S. Rep. Kweisi Mfume took issue with the announcement, calling it “disrespectful” for two reasons.

"It is disrespectful to tell entire communities that there won’t be an MLK parade less than two weeks before the celebration of his birthday and equally disrespectful to suggest that he can’t be celebrated through both a day of service and a community parade,” the Baltimore lawmaker, wondering about the event’s future, said in a statement.

“BOPA is going down the wrong path by making this decision, thereby setting the stage for there never to be an MLK celebration parade again in Baltimore. It's disgraceful," Mfume added.