San Diego State community members came together for the 35th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade last weekend.
On Sunday, Jan. 18 approximately 350 SDSU students, faculty, and alumni joined hundreds of San Diegans in marching along the streets of downtown to honor Martin Luther King Jr.
“For the parade today we are going to walk in front of the car and represent school spirit, last year was our first time so we are trying to make it an annual thing now,” SDSU Diamonds member Natasha Dunham said. “It brings the community together and it gives us a reminder of what we fight for everyday in a sense.”
Aside from the drill team Diamonds, the parade included other college groups, such as floats, marching bands and church organizations.
“Martin Luther King day is a big event that we should be celebrating and we have been doing it annually,” Martin Luther King Jr. committee member Shareka Kennedy said. “It is especially important this year with everything going on, it’s a big deal for us to represent SDSU and go down and show that we are definitely a community.”
Students of the SDSU community joined the parade for varying reasons. For social work senior Jennie Buss-Gregory, it was a day to raise awareness.
“I think we’re still working on the things that MLK was talking about and I think that with all the events that have been in the media it’s important to raise awareness,” Buss-Gregory said. “People are paying more attention to it this year so I think it’s important to come together as a community and be a part of it.”
One SDSU Community coordinated the SDSU delegation’s participation in the parade. The organization aims to allow student to experience a variety of perspectives regarding heritage, ultimately embracing diversity.
San Diego City College President Anthony Beebe served as grand marshal for this year’s parad. The previous year’s grand marshal was District Chancellor Constance Carroll.
