2009 PARADE "LARGEST EVER"
Review and 2009 Parade Photos Link Below
Yes We Can!
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." August, 1963
ABOUT THE 2009 PARADE AND RELATED EVENTS
By January of 2009, it was no news to anyone that our world had changed dramatically since MLK Day in 2008. Many of us were already frightened about our jobs, savings, homes and retirement -- indeed
frieghtened about our very futures. In researching a theme for the 2009 events, we revisited the speech delivered by Dr. King on April 4th, 1967, at a meeting of
Clergy and Laity Concerned at the Riverside Church in New York City; Beyond Vietnam -- A Time to Break Silence
and the following statement by Dr. King seemed to resonate with us as the 2009 theme:
If we do not act, we shall surely be dragged down the long, dark, and shameful corridors of time reserved for those who possess power
without compassion, might without morality, and strength without sight. The entire
speech is HERE
With this mandate to act, the MLK Coalition-Hawai`i was again honored to extend its invitation to the community and its many organizations and individuals to
participate in the 21st Annual MLK Parade & Celebration which was held on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday on Monday, January 19, 2009. And the community responded.
The 2009 event was by-far the largest in our 21-year history!
Our parade began at Magic Island and moved thru Waikiki to Kapiolani Park and the Unity Celebration, with its exciting program of live music and dance, ethnic & local food, community organization booths -- and much camaraderie.
We commend the many who helped make our 2009 parade & rally events the great success
they indeed were
(view 2009 images here).
The Hawai`i MLK Day parade is truly "the people's parade". We have no staff and only a small group of volunteers working with little budget and
our growth and achievements through the years are entirely because of the combined volunteer support of our local community and its rainbow of organizations and
individuals. A sincere mahalo to you! In 2009, over 50 units and some 2000 people marched or rode in the parade, many thousands watched from the sidewalks and
buildings in Waikiki, and an estimated 3000 attended
the 2008 post-parade Rally.
MLK-Hawai`i
590 Farrington Highway #210
P.O. 163
Kapolei, Hawai`i 96707