Celebration of Dr. King’s Legacy: 2014 MLK Parade & All Peoples Celebration

EBGBA Members prepare to march in the annual Martin Luther King Day Parade

The Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association got back into the spirit of supporting the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by participating in the annual MLK Day Parade organized by Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc.  After several years of not participating in the event, the EBGBA came out to show support for this large local event in San Diego’s African-American community.  The parade, which closed down portions of Harbor Drive along the water, featured a wide range of organizations and stretched several blocks across the Embarcadero.

Among the many parade participants, there were

and

Lan Jefferson of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority helps get a parade float ready to go

and even the students of UCSD got involved with these smartly designed shirts

The event was well-attended and festive and although the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association’s numbers were limited this year, the event went well and there is hope for greater participation in the years to come.  On the morning of the King holiday, Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association Board members Aaron Dumas and Omar Passons joined a coalition of Bar Association leaders at Equality San Diego’s All Peoples Celebration.

EBGBA members Aaron Dumas and Omar Passons join Eric Ganci and SD La Raza Lawyers President Renee Galente in support of the legacy of Dr. King

The celebration, a breakfast event attended by nearly 700 people, featured performances and speeches by a range of local activists engaged in efforts to support the work Dr. King and his colleagues in the Civil Rights movement began.  The Bar Association leaders coalition included Renee Galente, President of San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association (joined by her husband and business partner Eric Ganci), Victor and Rudy Torres, Srinivas Hanumadass of South Asian Bar Association of San Diego, Marguerite Lieu Jonak, President-elect of Pan-Asian Lawyers of San Diego, Melissa DeLeon, President of Filipino American Lawyers of San Diego, Aaron Dumas and Omar Passons, Treasurer and President respectively of the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, and Bhashini Weerashinghe of Lawyers Club of San Diego.

Keynote speaker Alison Stewart

The weekend was a great opportunity to reflect on the many great steps forward the country has taken and the work of an important leader in our history.