Martin Luther King Jr. Day was marked today by the 38th Kingdom Day Parade in Leimert Park.
Hundreds of people lined the parade route, with days of rain finally letting up and the skies clearing for the procession.
The grand marshal was George C. Fatheree III, the leader of a team of attorneys who secured the return of Bruce’s Beach to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce nearly a century after it had been taken by Manhattan Beach.
This was the first time the parade will be on Martin Luther King Jr. Day since 2020. The 2021 parade was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 parade was initially canceled due to the severity of serious surges in COVID-19 hospitalizations, then rescheduled on June 20, the day the federal Juneteenth holiday was observed.
Jovian Zayne, center, dances along with participants in the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade in Leimert Park.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
From left, Moiya-Marie Callahan, 13, Narnia Blackwell, 15, and Laila Kane, 11, cheer on a friend participating in the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade in Leimert Park.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Korean Dance Company, presented by Kim Eung Hwa, participates in the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade in Leimert Park.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
April Tardy with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department gets a hug from 3-year-old Illy, a paradegoer from Inglewood, while participating in the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade in Leimert Park.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Parade participants with the League of Clowns in the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade in Leimert Park.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Paradegoers including Judson Howard, with his nieces Luna Edwards, 6, right, and Stella Edwards, 3, in his arms, watch participants in the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade in Leimert Park.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Radio station Real 92.3 participates in the 38th Annual Kingdom Day Parade in Leimert Park.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
