MARKING KING'S ACCOMPLISHMENTS SOUTH L.A. PARADE IS A MARCH OF PRAISE.Byline: Dana Bartholomew Staff Writer It was a two-mile course in freedom - the nation's longest parade tribute to the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Only Monday's ``Kingdom Day Parade'' trumpeted more than King's dream to shatter America's racial shackles. For many, it meant the promise of a better life. ``Look at that, that'll make you shout, right there,'' exclaimed Charles McCoy, 25, of Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. , who is African-American, as an Inglewood High School Inglewood High School can refer to:
``That's what it's all about - a new generation. The parade represents me being here and doing the things I do: going to college, running the marathon, being all that you can be. That we've definitely come a long way.'' The South Los Angeles South Los Angeles is the official name for a large geographic and cultural area lying to the southwest and southeast of downtown Los Angeles, California. The area was formerly called South Central Los Angeles, and is still sometimes called South Central. parade, hosted by the Congress for Racial Equality and sponsored by the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor, drew an estimated 10,000 people, mostly African-Americans, to what many consider to be the nation's largest King Day celebration. It also brought a bandwagon of city and state leaders who called for better higher education higher education Study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. , wages and health care for a new generation of American workers. ``I know, if he was here, (King) would admonish us: Don't just march for me, don't just honor me, but get to work,'' said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa Antonio Ramon Villaraigosa (born Antonio (Tony) Ramon Villar, Jr. on January 23, 1953) is the mayor of Los Angeles, California. He is the first Latino mayor of Los Angeles since Cristobal Aguilar in 1872. , the parade's grand marshal Grand Marshal is a ceremonial, military, or political office of very high rank. The term has its origins with the word "Marshal" with the first usage of the term "Grand Marshal" as a ceremonial title for certain religious orders. , who decried the 50 percent dropout (1) On magnetic media, a bit that has lost its strength due to a surface defect or recording malfunction. If the bit is in an audio or video file, it might be detected by the error correction circuitry and either corrected or not, but if not, it is often not noticed by the human rate of Latino and African-American students before actually sprinting down a portion of the parade route. ``Those kids deserve a better life. And that's why we're here today.'' Elsewhere in the city, residents celebrated with prayer breakfasts, panel discussions, artwork and documentaries dedicated to the minister who championed nonviolent protests against racial segregation Noun 1. racial segregation - segregation by race petty apartheid - racial segregation enforced primarily in public transportation and hotels and restaurants and other public places and laws barring blacks from voting. In the glare of a hot morning sun, the Kingdom Day parade kicked off with bands, drill teams, floats and dignitaries who headed west from Western Avenue down Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard before hooking south on Crenshaw cren·shaw also cran·shaw n. A variety of winter melon (Cucumis melo var. inodorus) having a greenish-yellow rind and sweet, usually salmon-pink flesh. [Origin unknown.] Avenue toward Leimert Park. While vendors sold T-shirts commemorating King's ``I have a dream'' speech, homeowners hawked hot links from front-lawn barbecues as parents lined up with their children along the route. Few could imagine that America would not only herald its 20th holiday for the civil-rights leader, but that in Los Angeles a street bearing his name would court a cavalcade cav·al·cade n. 1. A procession of riders or horse-drawn carriages. 2. A ceremonial procession or display. 3. A succession or series: starred in a cavalcade of Broadway hits. of politicians - including state Controller Steve Wesley, Assembly Speaker Fabio Nuez and Attorney General Bill Lockyer - in his honor. Among the throng were church groups seeking better care for women with HIV/AIDS HIV/AIDS Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome , parents of slain children and those demanding an end to state-sponsored executions. ``I never would have dreamed that this could happen,'' said Beatrice Wallace, 65, of Los Angeles, clapping her hands to a New Orleans Dixieland Band playing ``Down by the Riverside.'' A Mardi Gras theme paid tribute to survivors of Hurricane Katrina. But for many, the parade was about pride in being black. ``Proud, very proud,'' said LaTonya Solomon, 41, of Montclair during her first visit to the 21-year-old parade, accompanied by her two teenage sons. ``Martin Luther King - he paved the way for a lot of African-Americans. We have freedom. Equality.'' ``But we have a long way to go,'' Wayne Byrd noted. ``We've been a little removed from (King's) dream,'' said the 65-year-old health clinic administrator, who called for more blacks in law enforcement and political office as Sheriff Lee Baca and Los Angeles police Chief William Bratton marched by. Dana Bartholomew, (818) 713-3730 dana.bartholomew(at)dailynews.com CAPTION(S): 2 photos Photo: (1) Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa waves to the crowd lined up to watch the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade - dubbed the ``Kingdom Day'' parade - Monday in Los Angeles. (2) Tahiana Bonner, 10, gets her little sister, Aaliyah Jackson, 2, to wave to passers-by at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade Monday. Tina Burch/Staff Photographer |
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