The 20th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace and Unity Parade will travel through Long Beach on Saturday, Jan. 19. The parade starts at 10:30 a.m. on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and proceeds north from Anaheim Street to turn east on 19th Street and north on Lemon Avenue.
This year’s grand marshals include a tribute to former Congresswoman Juanita Millender-McDonald and community activist Ernest Samuel McBride Sr. This year’s youth Honorary Grand Marshal is Disney’s own Mickey Mouse.
Parade parking is available at Long Beach City College, located at Orange Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway. Shuttle busses will transport participants and spectators to and from the parade route from 7:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
The parade is followed by a multi-cultural celebration at King Park, located at 1950 Lemon Avenue in Long Beach. The celebration begins at 12:30 p.m. and is expected to end at 5 p.m.
This year’s celebration is filled with entertainment and special interest groups that focus on King’s teachings. Events include “Forgotten Images,” a traveling educational exhibit and museum that features custom displays for King, African-American history and other civic celebrations, a reading of King’s honorary quotes and a tribute to the civil rights leader.
Along with the entertainment, visitors can take in an assortment of new attractions such as the “Health Pavilion,” which gives guests free blood pressure and diabetes screenings and also massages.
For those wanting to get involved in the community, the “nonprofit area” will provide visitors with information on an array of services being provided in Long Beach and many volunteer opportunities in the area. Other attractions include an assortment of specialty craft, merchandise, food and informational exhibits.
For additional information, call (562) 570-6816.
