DONATE LIFE KINGDOM DAY PARADE FLOAT
Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

"The Gift of Life Around the World"
January 21, 2008

For more than 20 years, thousands of people of various ethnic and racial backgrounds line the streets of South Los Angeles in tribute to the slain civil rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. for the “Kingdom Day Parade.” Televised locally on NBC4, the parade showcases more than 150 floats, 20 drill teams, ten dance groups, celebrities aplenty and the bombastic tunes of a military marching band.

The parade begins on Martin Luther King Boulevard and Western, proceeds westbound to Crenshaw Avenue, turns south and concludes at Vernon Avenue in front of Leimert Park. Dozens of elected officials participate in the parade, and past grand marshals include Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown.

The annual Donate Life Kingdom Day Parade Float campaign inspires people of various ethnic backgrounds to donate life by presenting a positive image for organ and tissue donation and transplantation on an authentic community stage; presenting the “Faces of Donation and Transplantation” to a diverse audience numbering in the tens of thousands; and positioning the Donate Life message alongside respected community organizations and influential public officials.

The 2008 Donate Life Kingdom Day Parade Float entry, "The Gift of Life Around the World", features 14 float riders aboard a 30-foot-long, 14-foot-high float that carries “Donate Life” and “Done Vida” logo identification to communicate a bilingual call to action.

For more information about the Donate Life Kingdom Day Parade Float, please contact Ralph Sutton, African American Community Development Coordinator at (213) 229-5672 or rsutton@onelegacy.org.