One of the nation's oldest Martin Luther King Jr. Day parades took place in Miami on Monday.
This year's 48th Annual MLK Parade in the neighborhood of Liberty City has a rich tradition that started just a few years after the assassination of the civil rights leader, making Miami the first city to create a parade in King's name.
Activist Leroy Jones has for decades been at the forefront of fighting for the rights of formerly incarcerated people, in addition to leading economic development in poor Black areas like Overtown and Liberty City. As the parade's co-Grand Marshal, he rode in a convertible Mustang with flowers and ribbons.
"I’m honored to be the Grand Marshal — but I’m also remembering to be humble because nobody can be successful alone and my success comes from the community," Jones said.
Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava also served as the parade's co-Grand Marshal.
Andy Cabrera is the district leader for the SEIU Local 32BJ, the labor union that represents security guards at government buildings across South Florida.
Cabrera noted that the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated while supporting union workers in Memphis — and so, Cabrera said, it only makes sense that workers fight for their rights on the holiday,
"He was walking with sanitation workers who were demanding fair rights on their job," He said. "Today we’re marching with security officers who are demanding holiday pay for Martin Luther King Day."
The security workers who did not receive pay today include those working at county courts, transit stations and other government offices in Miami-Dade and Broward.
The first MLK Jr. parade was organized in Miami and took place in 1977, which was nine years before it was first celebrated as a federal holiday. The holiday was written into law and signed in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan.
On the third Monday of January — close to King’s Jan. 15 birthday — federal, state and local governments, institutions and various industries recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
For some, the holiday is just that — time off from work or school. But, King’s family and others carrying on his legacy of equality, justice and non-violent protest want Americans to remember that this holiday is really about helping others.
While it is now a time-honored tradition, the establishment of the holiday had a prolonged, difficult path to acceptance.
Supporters knew it would not be easy.
King, who was 39 years old at the time, was a polarizing figure to half the country even before his death, said Lerone Martin, director of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. Polls conducted by the Washington Post and the New York Times indicated most Americans did not trust King or thought he was too radical because of his speeches on poverty, housing and against the Vietnam War.
READ MORE: Dr. King practiced his 'I Have a Dream' speech in Miami motel
“People say that King is moving too fast after 1965 and basically ‘Hey, you got the Voting Rights bill done. That’s enough,’” Martin said.
The Congressional Black Caucus tried to bring the legislation up for a vote for the next 15 years. Among the Republican rebuttals — public holidays don’t apply to private citizens, King was a communist or King was a womanizer. In the meantime, his widow, Coretta Scott King, kept lobbying for it.
Ladi Jenkins, the current president of the MLK Jr. parade & Festivities Committee, remembers going to Atlanta to ask Coretta Scott King to ask for her permission to form their own parade in Miami to honor her husband.
"After she said yes, we made arrangements to go and speak with her. And we asked her if we could form a Dr. Martin Luther King parade and she gave us permission. And we started from there," Jenkins said.
Co-founder of Miami's parade Ladi Jenkins said she saw the number of people attending balloon in size from 50 people to thousands.
"We have people coming from all over to this parade every year because it's like a family reunion. People get together once a year," Jenkins said. "The parade now is multi-generational."
"You have people now who are bringing their kids to the parade, who they themselves were kids and their parents brought them to the parade. So we have grandparents, parents, and children that are participating and coming to the parade," said Ed Haynes, the vice president of the Miami parade.
The parade features marching bands from local schools, drill teams, dance performances by community groups, floats and guests speakers and performances. This year, Haynes said they have now recently developed an app through which people can vote for their favorite band.
"The culture of marching bands, especially in the African-American community is one of which is only second to sports," Hayne said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
