Honoring Martin Luther King Jr.

As waving politicians and marching bands paraded in Los Angeles on Monday in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, spectators who lined the streets said the recent presidential election underscored the importance of remembering the slain civil rights leader’s message against being complacent.

“I’m out here today because he was a great man,” Margaret Hughes, 61, said while watching the parade with her grandchildren. “If he was here today and saw the mess that went on in Florida, and what’s going on in Washington, he would be greatly disappointed.”

Hughes and dozens of parade watchers carried signs saying, “Justice Yes! Ashcroft No!” in reference to President-elect George W. Bush’s nomination of former Missouri Sen. John Ashcroft as the attorney general.

Ashcroft is a conservative who has been criticized by Democrats for his stance on abortion and civil rights. He also is blamed for scuttling the nomination of an African American judge, who sits on the Supreme Court in Missouri, to the federal bench.

Ashcroft’s nomination comes as national civil rights leaders call on the U.S. Justice Department to investigate allegations that voting officials in Florida systematically interfered with minority voters’ access to the polls, a charge that Florida officials have denied. The charges resonate strongly among many African Americans after an election in which 90% of the black vote went to Vice President Al Gore, and they were the dominant undercurrent at Monday’s parade, where viewers were virtually all African American.

“First, they don’t count our votes and then the first thing [Bush] does is try to give us a man like that,” said Ruby Ramsey, who came to the 16th annual Martin Luther King Parade with her mother-in-law, Rose.

“We’re going to try and keep him out,” Rose Ramsey said of Ashcroft. “He might get it, but it’s not going to be easy.”

The 16th Annual Kingdom Day Parade began about 11 a.m. near Crenshaw and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards and moved east to Western Avenue.

As thousands watched the parade, vendors sold hot dogs, cotton candy and silly string. Others passed out anti-Ashcroft signs and registered people to vote.

The parade was one of several events held in the Los Angeles area in honor of King’s birthday. The Orans Pan African Black Facts and Wax Museum unveiled a wax figure of King in Santa Barbara Plaza. There were prayer services at several churches, and in Pasadena there was a special video presentation of the “Freedom March,” followed by music and dance. The conservative Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny, meanwhile, held the second annual National Day of Repudiation of Jesse Jackson.

For those at the parade, the day was a chance to spend time with family and focus on King’s life. Several said they have been coming to the event since it began.

Yahya Rahman brought his 10-year-old son, Davion.

Rahman said he started bringing Davion to the parade before he could walk. Back then, he said, Davion would sit on his shoulders and watch the parade go by.

“It’s black history,” Rahman said of his son. “It’s something he needs to know.”

Julian Graham, 62, who is retired, said he started coming before Martin Luther King Day was recognized as a paid holiday by some private employers. He said he and some of his co-workers at Hughes Aircraft used to save a vacation day just to watch the parade. Graham, who lives in Long Beach, said he wouldn’t miss it.

“I see a lot of good things taking place,” Graham said, explaining that he has watched as more and more blacks are getting better educations, including graduating from law school. But “we still have a long way to go until we reach Dr. King’s goals,” he said.

Graham said the Ashcroft nomination and the conservative-dominated U.S. Supreme Court reflect the political imbalance that blacks must battle. The U.S. Supreme Court halted the recount of ballots in Florida, effectively declaring Bush the winner over Gore.

“All we’re looking for is a little fair play and honesty,” Graham said. “But why make the effort if they’re pushing you back?”

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Other stories: A10, A11.