Parade, numerous celebrations to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Children walk past a mural of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on a wall outside the L.A. Memorial Coliseum.
A replica of the Montgomery, Ala., bus that Rosa Parks was riding in when she was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger will be featured in the 31st annual Kingdom Day Parade on Monday, one of numerous local celebrations planned to mark Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Los Angeles Councilman Curren D. Price Jr. will serve as grand marshal of this year’s parade, themed “Our Work Is Not Yet Done.”
The parade, honoring the slain civil rights leader, is scheduled to begin at 10:15 a.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Western Avenue, before heading west to Crenshaw Boulevard and concluding at Vernon Avenue.
Marching bands, drill teams, floats and a contingent of local officials, state legislators and law enforcement representatives will be part of the celebration, said Adrian Dove, parade president and CEO.
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“Because of … tension between minorities and police, we are working in close collaboration with Chief Charlie Beck, who will be in the parade, as well with Sheriff Jim McDonnell, who is riding a horse,” Dove said. “We are stressing a healing between the community and the police.”
ABC7 will air some of the parade live from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and a video of the entire event will be made available in a couple of weeks at www.kingdomdayparade.org.
The parade is one of several local celebrations planned to mark Monday’s national holiday.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Festival at Leimert Park Village will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and feature food trucks, musical performances, veteran and employment services as well as counseling on health and wellness issues.
At the California African American Museum in Exposition Park, holiday-goers can attend the “Cake for King” community celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants can eat birthday cake, listen to a reading of “My Brother Martin” or watch documentary films on King.
In Ingelwood, The Tabernacle, 321 N. Eucalyptus Ave., will host performances by local choirs and community groups. A march will start at 11 a.m. along Manchester Boulevard and head west to the Forum, where there will be musical performances.
In South Los Angeles, the public can participate in a holiday beautification project at Woodcrest Elementary School hosted by L.A. Works from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Volunteers will help spruce up school murals and rehab the school’s landscape among other projects.
Santa Monica will host a multiethnic, interfaith King celebration –- with the theme “Peace Requires Justice -- at 9 a.m. at Soka Gakkai International Auditorium, 525 Wilshire Blvd. In addition to musical and dance performances, Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila Kuehl will be the keynote speaker.
In Pasadena, the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast and Celebration will begin at 8 a.m. at Jackie Robinson Park. There will also be music and dance performances as well as arts and crafts exhibits.
Twitter: @thecindycarcamo
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