Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace & Unity Parade and Celebration 28th Annual

The City of Long Beach, Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrews, Long Beach Department of Parks, Recreation & Marine and the Residents of Long Beach are pleased to announce the Grand Marshals for the City of Long Beach 28th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Peace & Unity Parade and Celebration, “Infinite Hope”, on January 16, 2016.

This year’s parade Grand Marshals are the community leaders that have given whole-heartedly to the Long Beach community. “We are very fortunate to have individuals in our community that reach beyond the everyday challenges to include serving others in a way that uplifts the entire community. It is people like these individuals that keep hope alive in our neighborhoods”, said Councilman Dee Andrews. Honorees include: Former Senator Betty Karnette, Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe, The Jenni Rivera Family, John Molina, Lois Irving, Sharon Scott McLucas, Suely Saro, Wayne Chaney Sr., Minnie Mouse, and Marion & Dorothy Lee.

The parade will start on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, Saturday morning,
10:30 AM, January 16th, intersecting Anaheim Street. It will proceed North on Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue, turn right (East) on 19th Street, and turn left (North) on Lemon Avenue. There is free Parade and Celebration parking at Long Beach City College, located at Orange Avenue and Pacific Coast Hwy. Shuttle buses will be transporting participants and spectators to and from the parade route from the hours of 7:30 AM to 10:00 AM, at this same location. For more information contact the Office of Sixth District Councilman Dee Andrew (562) 570-6816 or log on to www.longbeach.gov/district6.

About the honorees:

Senator Betty Karnette

Senator Betty Karnette is a firm believer that when “someone opens a door you walk through it.” She entered the political door in 1992 when she was elected and served on term as a State Assemblymember. In 1996 she was ran for State Senate and was elected to serve two four-year terms representing Long Beach, San Pedro and Lakewood until she was termed out of office in 2004. Prior to her successful political career Mrs. Karnette was a Los Angeles Unified School teacher where she taught math and science. She received her elementary education teaching credential from California State Long Beach in 1961. Nine years later, she received a master’s degree in education and wrote her thesis on the history of education for Black Americans before the Civil War.

 

 

 

 

 

Supervisor Don Knabe

Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe was first elected to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in November of 1996 and was overwhelmingly re-elected in 2000, 2004, 2008, and 2012. He represents the Fourth District, which stretches from Marina del Rey to Long Beach and all the way out to Diamond Bar, with 2.2 million people living across 27 cities and numerous unincorporated communities in between. He has spent much of his political career working to protect the innocent and vulnerable children in Los Angeles County. He established the Safe Surrender program which allows someone to surrender an infant within 72 hours of birth, as long as, the infant shows no signs of abuse. Since 2001, 140 babies have been safely surrendered in Los Angeles County. He announced plans to launch a scholarship program to benefit children who have been safely surrendered. Supervisor Knabe and his wife Julie have been married for 47 years and have four incredible grandchildren.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Jenni Rivera Family

We are honoring the memory and family of the late Latin Grammy singer Jenni Rivera.
The family runs the Jenni Rivera Love Foundation, an international nonprofit organization whose goal is to help single mothers who have suffered illness, poverty, addictions, domestic violence and sexual abuse, to rise again. Their main goal is to help, alert, educate, and inspire communities.They have served at the 6th District Annual “Serving With A Thankful Heart” Thanksgiving Banquet; co-hosted Christmas Toy giveaways; and in July 2015 they attended and participated in the ribbon cutting/tree planting dedication for the Jenni Rivera Memorial Park. Jenni was an international Latin singing sensation singer, songwriter, actress, television producer, and entrepreneur. She was named the “Top Latin Artist of 2013” by Billboard Magazine, and her 20 million albums sold made her the highest-earning Banda singer of all time.

 

 

John Molina

John Molina
John C. Molina is the chief financial officer of Molina Healthcare, a company his father founded 35 years ago. As CFO, John oversees all financial and corporate development functions including accounting and finance, treasury, investor relations, marketing, human resources and market expansion. During his tenure as CFO, the company has gone public and more than doubled the number of Medicaid lives it covers, as well as tripled revenues. The company’s footprint has expanded from operations in four states to eleven states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico since the company’s IPO in July 2003. Molina received his bachelor’s degree in economics from California State University, Long Beach, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Academic Honor Society. He also earned a Juris Doctorate from the University of Southern California.

 

 

Suely Saro

Suely Saro is a public affairs and non-profit professional with a passion for social justice. Saro is currently a field representative in the Office of Senator Ricardo Lara. Meanwhile, she is the co-founder and board chair of Women for Women Foundation in Cambodia and the sole proprietor of Sudaya, which creates a market place in the US for handmade products by artisans in Cambodia. She became the first Cambodian American Executive Director of Khmer Girls in Action (KGA), which develops the leadership among Southeast Asian young women and men in Long Beach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lois Irving

Lois Irving’s reputation for constantly giving back to the Sixth District community is very well known. She has dedicated her life to improving literacy for children, as well as increasing education and academic opportunities for our youth in the Long Beach Sixth District community. She is also passionate about feeding the children and the hungry. Lois is one of the main organizers for the Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade & Celebration, Father’s Day Breakfast; Juneteenth Celebration and Thanksgiving Banquet.

 

 

 

 

Sharon Scott McLucas

Sharon Scott McLucas is the current president of the Long Beach Section of the National Council of Negro Women. Sharon has proven to be a strong community advocate through her long history of volunteer work with organizations like the Long Beach Poly Football and Track Teams, as well as, six years of Marin Luther King, Jr. Parade Coordination. Together with her husband David, she operates “Forgotten Images: A Traveling African American Museum Exhibit”. Along with her daughter Sheba, she has continued the long legacy of the annual community Easter Egg Hunt previously sponsored by the East Hill/Salt Lake Street Neighborhood Watch Club and established by her mother, Autrilla Scott. Sharon is the second person from her family to serve as a King Parade Grand Marshall.

 

 

 

Wayne Chaney, Sr.

Wayne Chaney, Sr. is a lifelong resident of Long Beach and a Firefighter with the Long Beach Fire Department. He attended Polytechnic (Poly) High School, Long Beach City College and California State University, Long Beach. He has been the proud recipient of the NAACP Community Award, Press Telegram Community Hero Award, Long Beach Fire Department Employee of the Year and the Rotary Club Community Service Award. He received State and Congressional recognition for outstanding services to the community. Wayne is happily married to his wife Debra and father of Pastor Wayne Chaney, Jr., Christopher, Joseph and Maya Chaney.

 

 

 

 

Marion and Dorothy Lee

Marion and Dorothy Lee have been long time residents of Long Beach since 1952. They have been a very happily married couple for 63 years! Marion worked for the City of Long Beach for 38 years as an auto mechanic and was the first African American to be hired in this position. Dorothy was a school teacher with Long Beach Unified School District for 28 years. They were the owners and operators of Lee’s Family BBQ for many years, where they continued to give back to the community. To continue to instill hope in their community, they are both longtime active members of Christ 2nd Baptist Church and lifetime members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Minnie

Minnie Mouse- The “Children’s Youth Grand Marshall”

Minnie Mouse is a funny animal cartoon character and is an anthropomorphic mouse created by Walt Disney. She is the girlfriend of Mickey Mouse, and first appeared alongside him in the short Plane Crazy. Minnie is sweet in nature and fun-loving. She is widely recognized by her large collection of big bows of different colors that sit atop her head.

Minnie is hosted by Disneyland Resorts. Located on approximately 500 acres in Anaheim, California, the Disneyland Resort features two spectacular theme parks, Disneyland (the original Disney theme park) and Disney California Adventure Park, plus the Downtown Disney District comprised of unique dining, entertainment and shopping experiences. The Resort’s three hotels are the 948-room Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, the 973-room Disneyland Hotel and the 481-room Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel. With 29,000 cast members, the Disneyland Resort is Orange County’s largest employer and generates $5.7 billion for the Southern California economy. The Resort has welcomed more than 750 million guests since opening on July 17, 1955.