Long Beach, CA – Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn will serve as the 2023 Grand Marshal of the 2023 Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade and Celebration this Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, in Central Long Beach.
Hahn, who represents Long Beach, was chosen by Councilwoman Dr. Suely Saro and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Advisory Committee for her continued leadership in addressing current and historical racial injustice in her district and across Los Angeles County, including returning Bruce’s Beach to the descendants of Willa and Charles Bruce nearly a century after it was taken from the Black couple by Manhattan Beach, and for her encouragement of other governments across the nation to follow this model of restitution for passed injustice.
Supervisor Hahn has described spearheading the return of Bruce’s Beach as the most meaningful effort in her career. When Los Angeles County transferred the property in July 2022 to Marcus and Derrick Bruce, Willa and Charles Bruce’s great-grandsons, it marked the first time in our nation’s history that a government returned property unjustly taken from Black residents. The Bruce family recently announced their decision to sell the property back to the County of Los Angeles for close to $20 million.
The event will commence at 10 a.m. with a celebratory parade led by 2023 Grand Marshal Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn as well as 2022 Grand Marshals Assistant City Manager Linda Tatum, City Health Officer Dr. Anissa Davis and the Long Beach Section National Council of Negro Women. (Note: the 2022 parade was cancelled last year.) The parade will also feature Honorees Mayor Rex Richardson, the first Black Mayor for Long Beach who in 2014 became the youngest person in history elected to the Long Beach City Council, and Honoree Dr. Naomi Pearson-Rainy, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People’s Long Beach Branch, who has dedicated her life serving as a social justice advocate and educator and was recently awarded a key to the City from Former Mayor Robert Garcia.
The parade will step off at the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and Anaheim Street, then travel northbound up Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and conclude at 19th Street. Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue will be closed from 7th Street to Anaheim Street beginning at 5 a.m. on Jan. 14 and will close from Anaheim Street to 19th Street at 9 a.m. to accommodate the parade route and staging areas. Vehicles will be allowed to cross intermittently at the intersection of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.