CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARBULLETIN.COM
David Cassens was among those at yesterday's Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade at Ala Moana Beach Park.
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Keeping dreams alive
Daylong events in Waikiki honor Martin Luther King Jr.
Despite the state's reputation as America's "melting pot," Evon Futch said she had little opportunity to learn about her African-American heritage while growing up in Hawaii.
"In class you only get a snippet of black history," said Futch, 32, of Mililani. "So we try to teach our ninos (children) about our heritage through these types of events, which only come once or twice a year."
Futch and her family joined hundreds of others to help celebrate what would have been Martin Luther King Jr.'s 79th birthday yesterday at daylong events in Waikiki that included a parade along Kalakaua Avenue and speeches commemorating the historic leader.
From church groups to union workers, political parties and beauty queens, parade marchers carried signs honoring King and shouted their organization's dreams, as well. The parade ended with a unity rally in Kapiolani Park with food vendors and entertainment.
As her family set up a badminton net in Kapiolani Park with choirs singing in the background, Futch's relative Olivia Donnell looked around and said King would have been proud.
"His dream was all about seeing all these cultures get together," said Donnell, 60.
COURTESY PHOTO / DONNA EBBERSON
Maui ceremonies honoring King took place yesterday in front of the county building in Wailuku. Participating were Kahu Alalani Hill, left, Brooklynn Arnestad Billings, guest speaker Ayin Adams and Omar Camara.
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Yesterday also marked the 20th anniversary of Hawaii's recognition of the holiday. Jewel McDonald, a member of Hawaii's chapter of the Martin Luther King Jr. Coalition who helped organized the event, said it is important to carry on King's legacy.
"We want to keep his dream alive," said McDonald, who shares the same birthday as King. "I wish he were still here to see the impact he made, not just for African Americans, but for all races."
Mayor Mufi Hannemann spoke briefly at yesterday's rally, saying Hawaii residents need to continue King's fight and accept all cultures.
"What he stood for, what he fought for, his ideals embody what Hawaii is all about," Hannemann said. "We are people that represent almost every ethnic group under the sun, and we live together harmoniously, in peace, as he would have it."
