Thousands of people lined the streets of South Los Angeles Monday to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at the 31st annual Kingdom Day Parade, which had the theme of “Our Work is Not Yet Done.”
Los Angeles Councilman Curren D. Price Jr. served as grand marshal of the parade, which is billed as the nation’s biggest celebration of the life and legacy of the slain civil rights leader. The procession began at 10:15 a.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Arlington Avenue, headed west on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Crenshaw Boulevard, then proceeded south, concluding at Vernon Avenue.
Groups marching in the parade included the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, seeking to promote the messages that AIDS is a civil rights issue and access to care and treatment for people with HIV and AIDS should be a universal human right, and the L.A. Tenants Union, promoting the message of “Housing Justice For All!”
The Community Coalition community organization had a float with two black and brown fists, with broken chains and shackles, representing South Los Angeles’ black and Latino residents affected by slavery and mass incarceration.
The float was inspired by the 2014 passage of Proposition 47, which required misdemeanor sentences for certain drug possession and theft crimes and allowed for re-sentencing for past convictions, according to Sandra Hamada, the coalition’s director of youth programs.
Metro’s entry in the parade was a replica of the bus Rosa Parks was riding in when she was arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white rider in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.
The entry was intended to highlight the role of public transit in the civil rights movement and mark the 60th anniversary of Parks’ arrest and the subsequent bus boycott, which became a catalyst of the movement, according to a Metro official.
Price called the parade “a celebration of promise and hope of a better tomorrow.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti, other members of the City Council and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck were among those taking part in the parade.
“It’s amazing. This is such a great L.A. tradition, not only to remind us of the work that happened to get us to this point but to remind us of what’s left to do,” Garcetti told ABC7 in the midst of the parade. “And just to see every color of Los Angeles coming out to serve our city and to fight for justice. I’m proud of L.A. Last year we passed a minimum wage increase, which is exactly what Dr. King talked about. This year we’ve got to get people off the streets, our homeless. So our work never ends. But we can celebrate the victories and that’s what today’s about — to rest, to celebrate and commemorate a great man.”
Thousands of people lined the streets of South Los Angeles Monday to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. at the 31st annual Kingdom Day Parade, which had the theme of “Our Work is Not Yet Done.”
Los Angeles Councilman Curren D. Price Jr. served as grand marshal of the parade, which is billed as the nation’s biggest celebration of the life and legacy of the slain civil rights leader. The procession began at 10:15 a.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Arlington Avenue, headed west on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Crenshaw Boulevard, then proceeded south, concluding at Vernon Avenue.
Groups marching in the parade included the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, seeking to promote the messages that AIDS is a civil rights issue and access to care and treatment for people with HIV and AIDS should be a universal human right, and the L.A. Tenants Union, promoting the message of “Housing Justice For All!”
The Community Coalition community organization had a float with two black and brown fists, with broken chains and shackles, representing South Los Angeles’ black and Latino residents affected by slavery and mass incarceration.
The float was inspired by the 2014 passage of Proposition 47, which required misdemeanor sentences for certain drug possession and theft crimes and allowed for re-sentencing for past convictions, according to Sandra Hamada, the coalition’s director of youth programs.
Metro’s entry in the parade was a replica of the bus Rosa Parks was riding in when she was arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white rider in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.
The entry was intended to highlight the role of public transit in the civil rights movement and mark the 60th anniversary of Parks’ arrest and the subsequent bus boycott, which became a catalyst of the movement, according to a Metro official.
Price called the parade “a celebration of promise and hope of a better tomorrow.”
Mayor Eric Garcetti, other members of the City Council and Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck were among those taking part in the parade.
“It’s amazing. This is such a great L.A. tradition, not only to remind us of the work that happened to get us to this point but to remind us of what’s left to do,” Garcetti told ABC7 in the midst of the parade. “And just to see every color of Los Angeles coming out to serve our city and to fight for justice. I’m proud of L.A. Last year we passed a minimum wage increase, which is exactly what Dr. King talked about. This year we’ve got to get people off the streets, our homeless. So our work never ends. But we can celebrate the victories and that’s what today’s about — to rest, to celebrate and commemorate a great man.”
—City News Service