More than 200,000 people were expected to line Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard Monday for the Kingdom Day Parade in honor of the civil rights leader.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Los Angeles, served as grand marshal for the 32nd annual Kingdom Day Parade. Waters' House colleagues were set to join her in the parade include Reps. Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, and Nanette Barragan, D-San Pedro, according to organizers.
What organizers bill as the nation's biggest celebration of the life and legacy of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. began at 10 a.m. at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Western Avenue, headed west on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard to Crenshaw Boulevard, then proceeded south, concluding at Vernon Avenue.
The theme is "Now More Than Ever, We All Must Work Together."
Floats, bands, equestrian units and dance and martial arts groups were part of the celebration. Groups marching in the parade include the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, seeking to promote the messages that AIDS is a civil rights issue and access to care and treatment for people with HIV and AIDS should be a universal human right.
Metro's entry in the parade is a replica of the bus Rosa Parks was riding in when she was arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white rider in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955.
Other elected officials set to participate include state Treasurer John Chiang; Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones; City Attorney Mike Feuer; City Controller Ron Galperin; Los Angeles County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas, state Sens. Steven Bradford, D-Gardena, and Holly J. Mitchell, D-Los Angeles; Assemblymen Mike A. Gipson, D-Carson; Reggie Jones-Sawyer, D-Los Angeles and Sebastian Ridley-Thomas, D-Los Angeles; and Assemblywoman Autumn Burke, D- Inglewood.
