Kwanzaa Parade and Festival Celebrates Heritage, Pride
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The annual Kwanzaa parade and festival begins at 10 a.m. today in the Crenshaw District. The events are a highlight of the holiday season in the black community.
Kwanzaa is a seven-day cultural festival celebrated by blacks in the United States and the Caribbean. It includes family gatherings, community events and feasts celebrating African heritage and community pride.
More than 60 units are expected in the Kwanzaa parade, says Shelia Ward, parade spokesperson. They will include African dance and drum groups, youth drill teams, equestrian units and high school and community bands.
Stars Esther Rolle, Marla Gibbs and Roger Moseley will be in parade units, Ward says. Parade oba (king) is civil rights veteran Celes King III, and the iyaba (queen) is community activist Lillian Moody.
The parade starts at Crenshaw and Exposition boulevards and heads south to Leimert Park at Crenshaw Boulevard and 43rd Street.
The festival, in and around Leimert Park, begins at 10 a.m. Booths will offer international foods, books, African clothes and jewelry and T-shirts. Stage performances include jazz, reggae and Brazilian music and a children’s recitation program, Ward says. The festival continues until dusk.
All events are free.
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