Photo by Viola Gray
Wave Wire Services
SOUTH LOS ANGELES — The fire-delayed 40th Kingdom Day Parade was held Feb. 17 with the theme “Peace and Unity, Let it Start With Us” and noted civil rights attorney Ben Crump as the grand marshal.
The parade was originally scheduled for Jan. 18, two days before the national holiday honoring slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., but was postponed to ensure that emergency resources, including fire and law enforcement personnel, remained fully available to address the Palisades and Eaton fires, according to Adrian Dove, the parade’s chairman and executive producer.
The parade began at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Western Avenue, moved west on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Crenshaw Boulevard and then south to Vernon Avenue where a festival was held in Leimert Park
Crump’s “lifelong commitment to justice and advocacy embodies Dr. King’s dream,” Dove said in a statement. “In the wake of tragedy, our communities are proving that unity is our greatest strength. This parade will serve as a powerful reminder that together, we can overcome any challenge.”
Crump is representing the families of several people killed in the fires. He has filed multiple lawsuits against Southern California Edison over the Eaton fire.
Crump is best known for reaching a $27 million settlement for the family of George Floyd, who was murdered by a Minneapolis Police Department officer, and a $12 million settlement for the family of Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed while unarmed in her Louisville, Kentucky home by three Louisville Metro Police Department officers who entered under the auspices of a “no-knock” search warrant.
“As we honor Dr. King’s vision, we also recognize the unbreakable spirit of community in the face of adversity,” Crump said in a statement. “Los Angeles has shown extraordinary resilience, and I am humbled to stand alongside those who continue to push forward for justice, healing, and unity.”
Los Angeles County District Attorney Nathan Hochman, county Supervisors Holly Mitchell and Hilda Solis and U.S. Reps. Sydney Kamlager-Dove and Maxine Waters were among the elected officials who participated in the parade, which featured floats, bands, marching units and equestrians.
“Today, we celebrated the 40th Annual Kingdom Day Parade by honoring Dr. King’s legacy through service,” Mitchell said in a social media post after the event.
“I was proud to be joined on my float by county department leaders to help raise awareness of some of the many services and resources available to residents throughout our district. Thank you to the departments and commissions that joined us.”
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass attended a Kingdom Day Breakfast preceding the parade in the Lou Galen Club at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, said after the breakfast that “every day, we strive to uphold, honor, and make progress on the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.”
As it does every year, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s representation in the parade included its replica of the General Motors “old look” bus Rosa Parks was riding on in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat to white passengers, sparking the Montgomery bus boycott.
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation’s float featured the words “Racism is a Public Health Issue.” More than 50 volunteers from the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare nonprofit organization marched and rode the float including members of its Black Leadership AIDS Crisis Coalition affinity group.
Berenecea Johnson Eanes, Cal State LA’s first Black woman president, led a delegation of students, faculty and staff including Basketball Hall of Fame member Michael Cooper, an assistant men’s basketball coach for the Golden Eagles.
The parade is billed by organizers as the “world’s largest and longest-running life celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King.”
The parade was organized by the Congress of Racial Equality of California, a civil rights organization whose goals include combating the abuse of police authority, “education as a civil right for our youth” and seeking to eliminate tensions between Black and Hispanic youths.
