GREAT DAY FOR PARADE IN HARLEM
Monday, September 20, 2004
By Suzanne Zionts For the Daily News

THOUSANDS MARCHED in Harlem yesterday for the 35th annual African-American Day Parade under a cloudless sky to the rhythm of marching bands and the cheers of children.

The largest African-American parade in the nation drew busloads of participants from around the country to a 30-block stretch of Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., organizers said.

"There are no balloons or clowns. It is about leaders and saluting those who achieved in the African-American community," said parade chairman Abe Snyder, one of 13 community leaders who first organized the celebration 35 years ago.

"This parade is strictly about positive leaders."

Sollette Baker said she comes to the parade each year with Toppers, a drum and bugle corps from Brooklyn.

"It shows that we care about our community as a whole," said Baker, who was decked out in a bright white and green uniform.

The parade's appeal appeared universal.

"The bands, dancing, the military marches give something for everyone to watch," said Karen Lossisieroni, a 17-year-old Italian-American who lives in Harlem.

It was the first time Dennis Red Moon of the Seminole Nation in Florida traveled to New York for the march.

"This has helped me meet many other African-Americans with mixed blood," he said. "It has been very beautiful for me."