Hundreds March To Top Of Kenneth Hahn Park In Dedication To Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
LADERA HEIGHTS (CBSLA) — Hundreds of civil rights and community leaders marched to the top of Kenneth Hahn Park to dedicate a memorial tree grove to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Saturday.
L.A. County Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas marched alongside a pioneer in the civil rights movement, Reverend James M. Lawson, Jr. Lawson was a friend and teacher of Dr. King who was with him the day before he was assassinated.
"This is our way of paying tribute to America's most prominent drum major for peace," Ridley-Thomas said.
Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968 but his message of freedom, equality and non-violence lives on.
"For me to be here and see this happening, trying to set a high mark, our standard ought to be high," Lawson said.
Now, 50 years later, the memorial tree grove overlooking downtown Los Angeles, seeks to remember the legacy of a leader.