courtesy of celesking.com
Please note that this article is about the 2009 festivities. Information for MLK 2010 can be found here.
Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.!
Next week people all over America will be celebrating just how far we’ve come as a nation. Not ones to waste a 3-day weekend, Americans will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday (which is today) on Monday, January 19th. The inauguration of President Barack Obama takes place the next day.
In Los Angeles there is a 20-plus year tradition of people dancing in the streets for MLK day. While celebratory and reflective events will take place all weekend all over the area, the big main parade happens on the official holiday in Los Angeles. Although King’s birthday was officially designated a national holiday in 1983, this is only the 24th year of the parade.
courtesy of celesking.com
This year the parade will begin at 10:30 AM at the corner of Western Ave. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd in Los Angeles. The route goes west to Crenshaw and south to Vernon, and depending where you are on the route, the entire processional should last about two and a half hours. This year’s parade will feature 18 marching bands, floats, and celebrity guests including Tyler Perry, Tony Grant, and Orlando Brown.
Celesking Bail Bonds, sponsor of the parade this year, says that a visitor’s best bet for parking will be at the parade’s end near Leimert Park, where an all-day “Presidential Dreams” Fest and Gospel Celebration will be taking place with live music and food vendors. One great intention of the parade’s organizers that I hope will actually come true is the ban on vendors on the parade route between Degnan and Crenshaw. That’s the TV and judging area, so one might have to get there early for a spot on those two blocks, but it might be worth it. Anyone who’s ever taken a kid to a parade learns to dread those guys selling cheap trinkets on their rolling carts who seem to exist solely to block your view of the parade, start your children whining, and add to your collection of useless clutter.
Most people use this holiday to go on a short vacation. Why not join a celebration that actually has something to do with this special day, which is one of only three national holidays that celebrates an individual person. What a remarkable person, indeed.
- If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
- Share
- Prev/Next
6 Responses
[...] Angeles hosts its 24th Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade. More L.A. area events can be found [...]
[...] Angeles hosts its 24th Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade. More L.A. area events can be found [...]
You can’t have a great King parade without a great King flyer. Download, copy and hand-out this free 2-sided inspirational King flyer. One of King’s most central legacies often lost in holiday remembrances is his stance against global poverty and his encouragement for all Americans to learn about and combat it.
Download the free 2-page inspirational flyer about Martin Luther King Jr. and what he fought for in this exact regard here:
http://tinyurl.com/KingFlyer
Think about the global poverty statistics mentioned therein – comparing those in King’s time – to those in the present and then pass it on! This would certainly be an excellent way at both honoring King’s vision, and opening your own and others’ eyes to the currently still dreadful state of humanity.
Can you take to heart the words King spoke just 4 days before he was gunned down? That’s what this flyer will ask you. Take the King Challenge – in his own words – and see.
You can also get the flyer by emailing the author at Angie@WhatNewsShouldBe.org
http://www.WhatNewsShouldBe.org
These next few days, is to me is the greatest moments in (black)history.
I agree….History is in the making…..Obama has made being BiRacial cool!!
I am a 44yr old black woman and it’s a wonderful feeling to live to see the 1st black man as president of the united states of america and oh yeah the 1st black woman of the united states of america it’s incredible I have a 16 yr old son and he was excited about the election I also have a 5yr old daughter ther is hope for the future. “I have a dream” !!!!!!!