Larry T. Grant came up with the idea for a parade to recognize and remember Martin Luther King, Jr., three years before President Ronald Reagan signed the bill creating a federal holiday to honor the slain civil rights leader.
"I always admired what he (King) stood for," said Grant, founder of the Kingdom Day Parade, which has been an annual event in Los Angeles since 1986. "He is someone I adored and respected for what he did for us."
This year's parade takes place Jan. 18, starting at 11 a.m., and will be headed by KABC-TV Channel 7 News anchorman Marc Brown, who will serve as the grand marshal, along with newly appointed Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck, one of this year's celebrity grand marshals.
One of the largest celebrations of the King holiday in Southern California, the procession begins at Western Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, proceeds west to Crenshaw Boulevard, and turns south on Crenshaw to Vernon Avenue in Leimert Park.
There will be a gospel festival at Leimert Park, presented by the City of Los Angeles departments of Cultural Affairs and Recreation and Parks.
All of the activity traces its roots to San Diego, where Grant, a former president and chief operating officer for Pacific Coast Bank, started the Kingdom Day Parade.
"I had a meeting with members of the ministerial alliance in San Diego. I told them I never had the opportunity to meet Dr. King but I always admired him and what he stood for," Grant said. "While he was doing all of this (fighting for civil rights), I was offering my life for the country (in war), which didn't treat me like a number-one citizen. I told them I had this goal that I wanted to do a parade in his honor."
With donations from then-Pacific Southwest Airlines, a San Diego credit union and others, Grant, in 1980, launched the first parade, which was televised by the local ABC affiliate.
In order to gain more prominence for the parade, Grant moved it to Los Angeles, in 1986.
Due to budget constraints, the city of Los Angeles has scaled back its funding for the event this year.
"Because of the (city) budget, we have a new special event policy where the city cannot any longer pay for the entire event," said Bernard Parks Jr., chief deputy for Eight District Councilman Bernard Parks Sr. "They are asking for 50 percent from organizers."
According to Parks, parade organizers were notified about the reduced funding last summer.
Parks added that, despite the reduction in funding, the councilman thinks the parade is important and is continuing to provide staff to support the event.
"We dedicate a huge number of staff hours, man and woman hours, to make sure the parade, as well as the gospel fest, go off without a hitch," Parks Jr. said. "There is a huge commitment from him (Parks Sr.), as well as everyone in the office, to ensure it goes off swimmingly. That shows more than anything else how he feels about it."
Rounding out the parade hierarchy are songstress Chaka Khan; Niecy Nash, who will share celebrity grand marshal duties with Beck; Tatyana Ali, who will ride in the Founder's Car; and several others.
Other celebrity guests include "Princess and the Frog" star Michael Colyar and humorist and motivational speaker Mother Love.
Elected officials participating include Los Angeles City Council members Bernard Parks Sr., Herb Wesson, Jan Perry and Janice Hahn; Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas; Carson Mayor Jim Dear and members of the Carson City Council; Congresswoman Maxine Waters; and State Sen. Gloria Romero.
Carrying a theme of "Yesterday's Dream Is Today's Reality," the parade's royalty includes Queen Brittni Wallace of California State University, Dominguez Hills, and princesses Carla Banks (first runner up) from the University of California, Berkeley, and Adrianne St. Clair (second runner up) of Frederick Douglass Academy.
The parade will include 15 marching bands, 20 drill teams, 10 dance groups and 16 floats. It will air on KABC Channel 7 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Chico Norwood is a writer for the L.A. Watts Times.
Photo of Martin Luther King, Jr. from the U.S. Library of Congress and available at Wikimedia Commons; photo of Martin Luther King Parade royalty by John Harrington.
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