There are still two events remaining as part of the City of Long Beach’s Peace Week salute to civil-rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr.
On Saturday, Jan. 16 the 28th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace & Unity Parade and Celebration: “Infinite Hope” will take place. The parade will run from 10:30am to noon. The celebration, which will include two stages of entertainment, a health pavilion, a teen and youth area and free activities, international food and merchandise vendors will be held from noon to 5pm at Martin Luther King Jr. Park, 1950 Lemon Ave.
On Tuesday, Jan. 19 will be the Martin Luther King Jr. Presentation & Peace Maker Awards at 5pm at the Long Beach City Council meeting, City Hall, 333 West Ocean Blvd. The presentation will honor King and local community leaders who have continued the message of peace.
Betty Karnette entered the political door in 1992 when she was elected and served one term as a State Assemblymember. In 1996, she ran for State Senate and was elected to serve two four-year terms representing Long Beach, San Pedro and Lakewood until she was termed out of office in 2004. Prior to her political career, Karnette was a Los Angeles Unified School District teacher of math and science. She earned her elementary-education teaching credential from California State Long Beach in 1961. Nine years later, she received a master’s degree in education and wrote her thesis on the history of education for Black Americans before the Civil War.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe was first elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in November of 1996 and was re-elected in 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. He represents the 4th District, which stretches from Marina del Rey to Long Beach and all the way out to Diamond Bar, with 2.2 million people living across 27 cities and numerous unincorporated communities in between. He has spent much of his political career working to protect the innocent and vulnerable children in Los Angeles County. He established the Safe Surrender program, which allows someone to surrender an infant within 72 hours of birth, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse. Since 2001, 140 babies have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County. He recently announced plans to launch a scholarship program to benefit children who have been safely surrendered.
The family of the late Grammy-winning singer Jenni Rivera runs the Jenni Rivera Love Foundation, an international nonprofit organization whose goal is to help single mothers who have suffered illness, poverty, addictions, domestic violence and sexual abuse, to rise again. Their main goal is to help, alert, educate and inspire communities. They have served at the 6th District Annual “Serving With A Thankful Heart” Thanksgiving Banquet, co-hosted Christmas toy giveaways, and in July 2015 attended and participated in the ribbon-cutting/tree-planting dedication for the Jenni Rivera Memorial Park.
John C. Molina is the chief financial officer of Molina Healthcare, a company his father founded 35 years ago. As CFO, Molina oversees all financial and corporate development functions including accounting and finance, treasury, investor relations, marketing, human resources and market expansion. During his tenure as CFO, the company has gone public and more than doubled the number of Medicaid lives it covers, as well as tripled revenues. The company’s footprint has expanded from operations in four states to 11 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico since the company’s IPO in July 2003. Molina received his bachelor’s degree in economics from California State Long Beach, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honor Society. He also earned a juris doctorate from the University of Southern California.
Suely Saro is a public-affairs and nonprofit professional who currently serves as a field representative in the office of Senator Ricardo Lara. She is the co-founder and board chair of Women for Women Foundation in Cambodia and the sole proprietor of Sudaya, which creates a marketplace in the US for handmade products by artisans in Cambodia. She became the first Cambodian-American executive director of Khmer Girls in Action (KGA), which develops leadership among Southeast Asian young women and men in Long Beach.
Lois Irving has dedicated her life to improving literacy for children, as well as increasing education and academic opportunities for youth in the Long Beach 6th District community. Irving is one of the main organizers for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade & Celebration, Father’s Day breakfast, Juneteenth celebration and Thanksgiving banquet.
Sharon Scott McLucas is the current president of the Long Beach Section of the National Council of Negro Women and has a history of volunteer work with organizations like the Long Beach Poly Football and Track teams, as well as six years of Marin Luther King, Jr. Parade coordination. Together with her husband David, she operates “Forgotten Images: A Traveling African-American Museum Exhibit.” Along with her daughter Sheba, she has continued the tradition of the annual community Easter egg hunt previously sponsored by the East Hill/Salt Lake Street Neighborhood Watch Club and established by her mother, Autrilla Scott. McLucas is the second person from her family to serve as a King Parade grand marshall.
Wayne Chaney, Sr. is a lifelong resident of Long Beach and a firefighter with the Long Beach Fire Department. He attended Polytechnic High School, Long Beach City College and Cal State Long Beach. He has been the recipient of the NAACP Community Award, Press-Telegram Community Hero Award, Long Beach Fire Department Employee of the Year Award and the Rotary Club Community Service Award. He also received State and Congressional recognition for outstanding services to the community.
Marion and Dorothy Lee have been residents of Long Beach since 1952 and married for 63 years. Marion worked for the City of Long Beach for 38 years as an auto mechanic and was the first African-American to be hired in that position. Dorothy was a school teacher with Long Beach Unified School District for 28 years. They were the owners and operators of Lee’s Family BBQ for many years. They are both longtime active members of Christ 2nd Baptist Church and lifetime members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Minnie Mouse, who will serve as the Children’s Grand Marshal, made her debut in 1929, alongside her boyfriend Mickey Mouse, in the short Plane Crazy.
