DETROIT – NBA Veteran and “Fab Five” Legend Jalen Rose and Detroit Reverend Dr. Wendell Anthony will serve as Grand Marshals for the 96th America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner White.
“We look forward to Grand Marshals Jalen Rose and Reverend Wendell Anthony leading America’s Thanksgiving Parade presented by Gardner White down Woodward Avenue on Thanksgiving morning,” said Tony Michaels, president & CEO, The Parade Company. “Both are incredible community leaders who exemplify all things great in our city. It is a thrill to honor them in this year’s parade.”
Jalen Rose
Rose was born and raised in Detroit. He attended Southwestern High School and the University of Michigan. In college, he was part of the legendary “Fab Five” where he and his teammates led the Wolverines to back-to-back NCAA Championship game appearances. He was later drafted by the Denver Nuggets and had a 13-year NBA career. He is currently an ABC/ESPN analyst, New York Times Bestselling Author and philanthropist.
He established the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy in Detroit, which opened in September of 2011. It’s an open enrollment, tuition-free, public charter high school with more than 400 high school students and nearly 700 alumni annually.
Rev. Wendell Anthony
Anthony serves on the NAACP National Board of Directors, is President of the Detroit Branch NAACP, the largest unit in the nation, and Pastor of Fellowship Chapel in Detroit for nearly 40 years.
Anthony is the founder of non-profit organizations Freedom Institute for Economic, Social Justice and People Empowerment and Fannie Lou Hamer Political Action Committee and has been Pastor of Fellowship Chapel since 1986.
He was educated in the Detroit public school system, graduated from Wayne State University with a B.A. in Political Science and Marygrove College with an M.A. in Pastoral Ministry.
He attended the University of Detroit for advanced study in Black Theology and is a Certified Social Worker with the State of Michigan.
America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Gardner White
Voted as America’s Number One Holiday Parade by the 2018 and 2019 USA TODAY 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards, America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Gardner White takes place on Thursday, November 24. WDIV-Local 4′s live coverage begins at 6 a.m. with pre-parade coverage, followed by a parade pre-show beginning at 9 a.m.
America’s Thanksgiving Parade® presented by Gardner White will air live on WDIV-Local 4 from 10 a.m. – noon, including a one-hour syndicated national broadcast from 10 a.m. -11 a.m. reaching more than 185 television markets across the country.
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