Thousands of community members dotted the Martin Luther King Jr. parade route in downtown Las Vegas on Monday, waving, cheering and braving cold temperatures to honor the Civil Rights Movement icon on his birthday.
For more than four hours, bass booms, snare clacks and cymbal splashes echoed on Fourth Street near the Fremont Street Experience.
Dance troupes shimmied while high school bands, JROTC units and other participants marched alongside slow-moving floats.
For some, attending the 43rd annual parade transcends an annual celebration.
“Martin Luther King is my childhood here,” said Las Vegas businesswoman Paulette Earl, 66. “He’s still my hero. He’s been my hero for over 50 years.”
A large picture of King is displayed at her home.
She recalled participating in smaller Martin Luther King Jr. parades more than 50 years ago in the Historic Westside, where the processions would end in under an hour.
King’s message of peace has resonated with Earl since the time she came to understand as a young girl why police were breaking up racial justice protests with water from fire hydrants, she said.
“He was standing up for justice and what was right, and I really admire that,” Earl said.
Treva Townes credits King’s movement for her well being.
“He made my life better,” said Townes, adding that King made it easier to find work and attend a school of her choice.
Townes, who’s 61, said she tries to attend the parade every year, a feat made easier since she’s retired.
“He was just for unity and peace and harmony, and I think we really need that in America now a day,” Townes said. “We still have far to go, I think, in America without a doubt. But I believe in his philosophy more than I believe in some other fearmonger’s philosophy.”
Yearly tradition
The federal Martin Luther King Jr. holiday marks King’s Jan. 15 birthday every third Monday of January.
Had King not been assassinated in 1968, he would’ve turned 96 years old this year.
Las Vegas’ parade was founded by former Nevada Assemblyman Wendell Williams, who still organizes the event with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Committee.
The organization’s “King Week Las Vegas” puts together a series of events, such as church services and a scholarship luncheon, to honor the reverend.
The Metropolitan Police Department shut down roads connected to the parade route. Officers could be seen throughout downtown.
Personnel in fire trucks and police cruisers also participated in the procession, honking horns and flashing sirens. Las Vegas Mayor Shelley Berkley rode in a pink convertible like her predecessor Carolyn Goodman did for years.
Participants passed out goodies to children: plastic firefighter hats, stickers, coloring books and small plush toys.
‘It’s a beautiful parade’
Larry Edwards, a veteran performer at Las Vegas resorts, said he showed up early to secure a good viewing spot.
“I come every year,” he said. “I love it because the locals support it.”
Edwards said that as a Black man himself, King’s movement made it easy for him to thrive.
“Just having that freedom to be able to do my performances and to be able to entertain all diverse people,” he said. “It’s so amazing to be able to do that for 40 years.”
April Brown and her toddler daughter were waiting to see her freshman son march with Centennial High School’s JROTC.
While she was supporting her son Monday, she usually participates in the parade herself.
“It’s a beautiful parade,” Brown said. “It brings a lot of people out in support of Martin Luther King. It’s a beautiful thing.”
Asked what King’s legacy means to her, she added: “It means fighting the good fight. After all adversity and things that happen in your life, keep going.”
Jaimee Hannah and Damgin Millage brought along their 1-year-old daughter. The couple said they have been attending for years and intend for the parade to continue being a family tradition.
It’s a positive event “to celebrate our culture and our rights,” Hannah said.
Added her husband: “I think that (King) did everything the right way … instead of choosing violence, he chose books.”
Contact Ricardo Torres-Cortez at rtorres@reviewjournal.com.
