Long Beach’s 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade brought laughter, smiles and a spirit of purpose to the Long Beach area on Saturday, even amid devastation in other parts of Los Angeles County.

While the 40th annual Los Angeles Annual Kingdom Day Parade was postponed due to the wildfires in Los Angeles, people flocked to Long Beach to help commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 18.

“We were supposed to step in the LA King parade and they postponed it, and as a result, our frat brothers asked us to step in this parade,” said Vernon Jackson of Alpha Phi Alpha, the Black fraternity of which King was a member.

“We’re all one and everybody matters,” Jackson said. “We all should have equal rights and stand for something. He [Martin Luther King Jr.] wanted us to be unified as well.”

High schools all across Long Beach from Poly, Wilson and Cabrillo showed their school spirit as well as their support throughout the parade.

Pastor of the Grace Memorial Baptist Church, William McIntyre (left), rode shotgun as he enjoyed the 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Long Beach, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Photo by Samuel Chacko.
Cabrillo High School cheerleaders practice their dances at around 9:30 a.m. as they prepare for the 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Long Beach, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Photo by Samuel Chacko.

“I think it’s a great experience, just seeing the people in Long Beach supporting everyone here,” Oscar Mendoza, a Long Beach Poly student, said. “There’s always a lot of people here supporting programs, schools and its good representation. Thank you for showing support for not just my school but for everyone at the parade.”

But not everyone was united behind the celebration Saturday.

Long Beach resident Sheba Gillis and a group of several hundred other community members were upset by this year’s grand marshal selection process.

People at the 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade brought signs quoting him in Long Beach, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Long Beach attendees wave on the sidewalk as parade participants walk with smiles on their faces. Photo by Samuel Chacko.
Long Beach’s Martin Luther King Jr. Park was filled with around 100 people as volunteers and attendees celebrated in Long Beach, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Photo by Samuel Chacko.

The parade’s planning process overall was “disjointed,” Gillis said, and the result “doesn’t match the wants or needs of the community.”

The final list of grand marshals ignored feedback that residents had provided in two meetings leading up to the parade, Gillis said.

Gaby Hernandez, one of the Peace Maker honorees for this year’s parade, declined the award “in solidarity” with demands outlined in a letter and online petition, she said in a statement posted to social media.

The Long Beach Fire Department was one of many organizations that showed up during the Martin Luther King Jr. Parade. The 1897 patch calls back to the formation of the Volunteer Fire Department on March 16, 1897. Photo by Samuel Chacko.
Vernon Jackson, a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, dances along Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue alongside members of his fraternity in Long Beach, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Photo by Samuel Chacko.

In a social media post Friday, Councilmember Suely Saro vowed to improve the planning process and work with city staff to meet with “members of the Black community in Long Beach to discuss the future management, planning, fundraising and execution of the 2026 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade and Celebration.”

The parade nevertheless drew crowds of people watching in the stands as well as on the sidewalks, cheering on the dancing and music as they marched closer to Martin Luther King Jr. Park.

Member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity Vernon Jackson shows his excitement as he does multiple dances with his fraternity during the 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade in Long Beach, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Photo by Samuel Chacko.
A contingent from the Port of Long Beach rides a crate-covered float during the 37th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade as they smile and wave to the excited audience in Long Beach, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2024. Photo by Samuel Chacko.

Music from Snoop Dogg and Kendrick Lamar played on Anaheim Street with people dancing, celebrating and laughing with one another. They held up signs with quotes from King: “The time is always right to do what’s right,” one said.

It wasn’t just adults leading the celebration. Kids from high school and below brought the energy with dances, laughter with one another and chants throughout the parade.

“The youth is the most important movement in the future because we have to be good role models and examples to our kids so we can have a better future,” Jackson said.

Attendees who brought posters quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. march during the 37th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade in Long Beach Saturday Jan. 18, 2024. Photo by Samuel Chacko.