The setting for San Diego’s 43rd Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Parade could not have been more picturesque: a sapphire sky dotted with a few wispy clouds, the Star of India and Waterfront Park framing the parade route and the soft January sun warming people as they marched for the kind of America the civil rights leader and Nobel laureate had worked for. The mood was just as bright. Around 90 community groups participated in the parade, put on by the San Diego Alpha Foundation and the Zeta Sigma Lambda chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity — King’s own fraternity while a doctoral student at Boston University. Whether they walked or watched, people shared similar dreams and hopes. They spoke of a San Diego with no homelessness, with access to quality health care and education for all. They wished for a nation more united and a society where racism is erased. They said it felt good to come together and celebrate King’s legacy. Kailani Segrest, 17, dances as she and fellow Morse High School Tigerettes dance team members take turns dancing to the drum beat of the Morse High School Drum Corps just before the start of the 43rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade on Harbor Drive in San Diego. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune) Johnnie Welborne, 39, the vice president of the San Diego alumni chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, said the parade “represents everything he stood for: basic equality for all humans, making sure that everybody has access to good healthcare” and other values. The event incorporated a 5K and health festival with booths from sports teams, clinics and wellness organizations. Some parade walkers held posters or wore T-shirts with proverbs by King, who was assassinated in 1968. One such quote: “The time is always right to do right.” Still hopeful Andrea Smith, 61, of Valencia Park, has been coming to the annual event since she was a girl. In 1987 the parade moved downtown from southeastern San Diego, and later to Harbor Drive. But the event’s meaning has not changed, she said. “We’re still fighting for equality for everyone. It seems like we take a step forward and then two steps back,” she said. She alluded to King’s hope that people be judged “by the content of their character and not the color of their skin,” drawing on his “I Have A Dream” speech. “I see that there is hope that we can have a brighter day,” she added. “Right now it’s a dark spot because everyone doesn’t agree politically, but we all have to still do our part.” Blending dreams with action Keyna Taylor, the president of the NAACP San Diego Branch, reflected on what the parade means to her. “We must keep dreaming,” she said. “And we need dreams with action.” She pointed to a “number of disparities” that persist. Homelessness, she said, is at an all-time high. “We still want people to have quality access to education, quality access to healthcare. We need to make sure that San Diego is truly America’s finest city. … We want everybody to live the American dream. We want everybody to have an opportunity to succeed.” Taylor said it is imperative to come together. “It’s time for us to bridge the gaps, come closer together and just live a life with a servant’s heart. Be a good person. Be out there to be supportive of others and make sure that we all live the dream,” she said. Ava Shelton, 8, uses her bubble machine to fill the air around her with bubbles during the 43rd Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parade on Harbor Drive in San Diego. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune) Safe haven in San Diego To Marcell Montgomery, 39, the parade “means a celebration of pride” and a chance to reflect on Black culture and strides that have been made. He still smarts from an encounter, years ago. He was in Illinois as a boy, on his way to school one day and he had missed his train, when “10 cops just pulled into the train station, locked the door and were like ‘What are you doing?’ “I’m a young kid. I don’t know anything about racism or anything… They ripped through my bag. I’m like, ‘Did I do something?’ I was freaked out. Now, looking back, I realize, ‘Oh, that was an experience of racism.’ I didn’t know.” Even today, he said, “a lot of America, you can’t go as a Black person, definitely.” He recently moved to San Diego and is loving it here, he said. “It’s just nice to be places where you know you can get a job, and do whatever you want to do and be successful. San Diego is definitely one of those places, absolutely!” Extending King’s legacy Aria Simuel, 32, of southeastern San Diego, first attended the parade as a child. Sunday she brought her sons, ages 8 and 6. “Now that my kids are older and they kind of understand the significance of MLK, and what he has done for us, it’s important to showcase that to them as well,” Simuel said. She is teaching them about King’s impacts on their lives, including how they can go to school and live in a diverse community. “They have friends of other races, and that possibly wouldn’t have been possible if Dr. King hadn’t done what he did,” she said. She hopes they will one day teach their own children about King’s importance.