Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The nation recognizes the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who fought for civil rights for everyone as a national holiday.
By Brian W. Carter, Sentinel Staff Writer
“Working Together We Can Make The Dream Come True” is the theme of this year’s Kingdom Day Parade which takes place Monday, Jan. 17, from 11:00am to 1:00pm.
The Kingdom Day Parade is a day of celebration that remembers the life and legacy of civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King along with his wife, Coretta Scott King, who paved the way to establish equality, justice and social unity throughout this country.
Mr. Larry E. Grant is the founder of the Kingdom Day Parade and is proud of the event which celebrates it’s 31st birthday this year. “In 1980, in the city of San Diego, Calif., I started the first annual Dr. Martin Luther King Kingdom Day Parade,” said Grant. He had been organizing and planning the parade since 1980, and received permission to initiate the parade from Mrs. King and Christine King Farris, Dr. King’s sister.
Grant is one of the pioneer, Black bankers in the State of California. He was the president and CEO of Pacific Coast Bank in San Diego, Calif. “I started in the banking business in 1964 and I retired in 1984,” said Grant. He has served our country in the military from 1944 to 1964. He was a finance officer in the U.S. Army for 21 years.
In 1986, he brought the parade to Los Angeles, which will be its 26th year in L.A as a parade and national holiday. Together with Las Vegas, Assemblyman Wendell P. Williams, Grant helped establish the Kingdom Day Parade in Las Vegas in 1989.
This years King parade is sure to be an exciting one as celebrities, officials, and councilmen, both local and from around the world will be riding in the parade. And speaking of working together to make dreams come true, our new California Attorney General, Kamala Harris will ride in the parade.
Harris will be one of the Celebrity Grand Marshals meeting with the communities she will be working with in the future, to make California’s dreams come true. There is no doubt that Harris will be the grand attraction as the city of L.A. welcomes its new, all-star State Attorney General.
Other Kingdom Day Parade Marshals will be Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, John W. Mack, president of the L.A. Police Commission, Calif. Senate Assemblyman Curren Price, the honorable Jean Frantz Theodat, Mayor of Taberre, Haiti, Assemblyman of the 55th District Mr, Warren Furutani, comedian Michael Colyar, Miss Kayla Thomas-Cole, Queen for the 2011 Kingdom Day Parade, Miss Brittany Hicks, 1st Runner up Princess for the 2011 Kingdom Day Parade and many more guest, celebrities.
The parade will begin at the corner of Martin L. King Jr. Blvd and Western Ave. televised live by channel 7, ABC television, Los Angeles, CA. The Kingdom Day Parade is co-sponsored by Los Angeles Council Districts 8 & 10/ CORE-CA.
