Southland events to honor Martin Luther King
Here is a sampling of events and volunteer projects Monday honoring the civil rights work of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership Long Beach Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service:
The group presents its 15th annual event that kicks off with a pancake breakfast, 8 a.m. Sign up in advance, online, for a project of your choice. Activities include a beach cleanup, tree planting, assembling care packages and helping older adults. Long Beach City College, 1305 E. Pacific Coast Highway, Long Beach. 562-9979194 or leadershiplb.org/mlk City of Palmdale's Season of Service 2024: Two volunteer activities for Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service: “Desert Clean-up,” 8:30 a.m.-noon (minimum age, 10;
participants ages 10-15 must be accompanied by an adult; location to be given upon sign-up), and also, “Assemble Organic Waste Containers,” 9 a.m.-noon (participants 15 and younger must be accompanied by an adult; 38256 Sierra Highway). Details, what to wear suggestions and to sign up to volunteer: tinyurl.com/4s36zwma Martin Luther King Jr. Day Unity
Walk: The city of Santa Clarita presents the event with this year's program theme “It Starts With
Me: Shifting the Cultural Climate Through the Study and Practice of `Kingian' Nonviolence,” at 9 a.m. Santa Clarita Mayor Cameron Smyth leads the program that includes guest speakers from the Santa Clarita community and musical performances. The program is followed by a quarter-mile walk in the park. No registration is required to attend. Participants may donate nonperishable food items (requested items: canned fruit, canned meats, canned tuna, canned tomatoes), dried pasta/ noodles, and also hygiene products that will be donated to the Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry. Meet at the flagpole at Central Park, 27150 Bouquet Canyon Road, Santa Clarita. 661-2554965 or facebook.com/cityofsantaclarita/ Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration: The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Westside Coalition presents its 39th annual event with the theme “Stop the Hate, Start the Healing” with keynote
speaker Lisa Holder, a civil right attorney and president of Equal Justice Society, at 9 a.m. Admission is free, but register to attend on the Eventbrite link: tinyurl.com/spz934yb. Event will be livestreamed and recorded. Location, SGI-USA World Peace Ikeda Auditorium, 525 Wilshire Blvd., Santa Monica. Flyer and details: mlkjrwestside.org/ Let Freedom Ring 2024 — A Day of Readings from Dr. King: All Saints Church holds it 8th annual community reading of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s sermons, speeches and writings 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The program is streamed live (use the link on the website). Location, 132 N. Euclid Ave., Pasadena. allsaints-pas.org/let-freedomring-2024-a-day-of-readingsfrom-dr-king/ Big Sunday's 12th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day New Clothing Drive and Community Breakfast: Variety of ways to help with the “day of service,” 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Register in advance for how you want to help (tinyurl.com/ mvhu6zv2). Also, “Shop the Registry” for the 2024 event: tinyurl.com/49sd2xdh. All ages. Event is held outdoors. Event location, 24th Street Elementary School, 2055 W. 24th St., Los Angeles. 323549-9944.
Email: info@bigsunday.org. Information about the Big Sunday organization: bigsunday.org/about-us/whatis-big-sunday. Details about the 2024 event: bigsunday.org/ get-involved/mlkday2024/
Kingdom Day Parade: The 39th annual parade celebrates the work of civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and his birthday at 10 a.m. The parade, with the 2024 theme “Can't Stop, Won't Stop, Going to the Promised Land,” is presented by the Congress of Racial Equality of California. The 2024 Grand Marshal is Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly Mitchell (Mitchell represents the county's Second District; mitchell.lacounty. gov/). The 2024 Honorary grand marshal is actress-singer Anika Noni Rose (the voice of Tiana in “The Princess and the Frog,” 2009). The parade's royal court: Queen Maleeyah Frazier; King Dorhean Gaffney; Princess Jada Chambers; Prince Michael Stallworth. The parade is televised live at 11 a.m. on KABC-7. Route: Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at St. Andrews Place, west on MLK
Jr. to Crenshaw Boulevard, south on Crenshaw to Vernon Avenue (parade route map on the website). 844-454-6432, 323-350-2667 or 818-6057405. kingdomdayparade. org. Updates on the parade: facebook.com/officialkingdomdayparade/
SGV Tribute to MLK Day: The San Gabriel Valley NAACP and
the city of West Covina present the 25th annual event, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday. The 2024 theme is “Together We Thrive” and local youth, citizens, community groups, service providers and local businesses will be honored. Free admission. West Covina Civic Center, Courtyard, 1444 S. Garvey Ave. West, West Covina. 323-427-7148 or sgvnaacp.net/ L.A. Works' Martin Luther King Day Volunteer Festival: The 2024 event includes hands-on volunteer “action zones” and speakers noon4 p.m. Register in advance, on the website, for a free admission ticket. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 3911 S. Figueroa St. (Exposition Park), Los Angeles. Details on the activities and also, how to donate to L.A. Works if you can't attend the event: laworks.com/ mlk. Updates: facebook.com/ laworks Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Skirball Cultural Center:
The event includes the exhibit “This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement,” docent tours of special exhibits, a cooking demonstration and a screening of a short documentary “The March” (1964), noon-3 p.m. Free to attend with a reservation. Location, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. 310-440-4500 or skirball.org/programs/mlk-dayskirball