The Martin Luther King Kingdom Day Parade is over 20 years old and has evolved into the largest Martin Luther King celebration in the United States. My fist experience of the MLK Kingdom Parade was with my, then, new roommate and her boyfriend. We set out at 10 a.m., a bit late. And they streets we packed.
On our bus ride over, my roommate's boyfriend started up a conversation with a man who offered to show us around. It was a hot day, but we began optimistic as we perused one of his favorite music and video stores. It was awesomely difficult to know how to act as he flirted with his friend who worked there. We were in the store a long time and began to realize what we had committed to; it was pretty heavy. Over a million people gathered along the route from Martin Luther King Blvd. and Crenshaw and until Western. It included more than 150 floats, 20 drill teams, ten dance groups, and local vendors and restaurants spilled out onto the street. We followed him into shops and organizations; he introduced us to all these important people in his life.
We said our goodbyes around 3 or 4 p.m. at the Leimert Park Festival; there was no good way to thank him for the journey. We were so tired at this point, and confused, and grateful. The whole experience was like a vortex.
Later that year, my roommate and I ran into him on our late night walks down Wilshire Blvd. He gave us very long hugs.