Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebrated in Los Angeles with Plenty of Sun and Blue Skies

The third Monday in January is known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day- a day to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on a Federal holiday.

By Ricky Richardson | Contributing Writer

(Los Angeles, CA) – The third Monday in January is known as Martin Luther King, Jr. Day- a day to celebrate and honor the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on a Federal holiday.

Marches, parades, Prayer breakfast, speeches and Day of Service were some of the ways Dr. King’s life was celebrated throughout the nation this past weekend, culminating with festivities on Monday.

Locally, the City of Los Angeles honored Dr. King’s legacy at the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade. The Kingdom Day Parade is America’s biggest and oldest birthday celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. A large diverse, multicultural crowd lined the parade route. The crowd grew as the day progressed.

This year’s theme “Making America the Last Best Hope of the World.” The grand marshal is Attorney George C. Fatheree III; leader of a team of attorneys who helped secured the return of Bruce’s Beach to its rightful owners.

It is amazing that the skies cleared up hours before the start of the parade. The 3-mile parade started at 10:00am at Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Western Avenue, traveled west to Crenshaw Boulevard, South of Vernon Avenue, and concluded at Leimert Plaza Park.

The parade featured a variety of floats, local elected officials (City, County, State and Federal level), popular radio personalities from Radio Free KJLH, and Real 92.3, and from television stations ABC7, NBC Channel 4, and T52 (TeleMundo), equestrian units, marching bands, community organizations, labor unions, youth groups and dance ensembles, to name a few.

Participants in the parade consisted of Adrian Dove, Chairman, Kingdom Day Parade, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, Los Angeles City Councilmembers, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles Chief of Police Michael Moore, Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna, Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin M. Crowley, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager, State Senator Steven Bradford, LAUSD Superintendent Albert M. Carvalho, and LAUSD Board Members, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, and the 2023 Kingdom Day Queen Jahmea Bent and Her Court.

A great time was had by all in attendance, glad that the Kingdom Day Parade is back after a two-year hiatus from the COVID-19 pandemic in honor of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.