A Brookhaven family has a unique reason to celebrate — a mother-daughter duo is celebrating the completion of each of their college degrees.

The family of the Rev. Eugene and Cora Edwards has been through a lot of upheaval in the past three years. In February, Cory Godbolt was convicted of the 2017 murders of eight Lincoln Countians, including several members of the Edwards family.

As a result, the educational journeys of the couple’s daughter Tiffany Blackwell and their granddaughter Alexandria Blackwell were put on hold. Tiffany’s son Jordan, Alexandria’s brother, was one of the family members whose life was lost that Memorial Day weekend.

But mother and daughter were eventually able to return to their schooling, and will celebrate their completed degrees with a parade Saturday. The parade will begin at 3 p.m. on North Second Street at Brookhaven First Assembly of God, then move north to Choctaw Street, where it will turn right and continue past the Edwards’ home. Family members will then have a small private gathering to avoid unnecessary exposure to the coronavirus, Cora Edwards said.

Anyone who would like to participate in the parade is encouraged to do so, and only the passenger side of vehicles needs to have signs or decorations, if desired.

Tiffany Blackwell, an employee of King’s Daughters Medical Center, will graduate Friday with a bachelor of science degree in healthcare administration from Jackson State University. Alexandria Blackwell graduated earlier this month with a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from the University of Southern Mississippi. She has accepted a teaching job in Laurel.

“It’s a wonderful thing and we are very blessed,” Edwards said.