LADERA HEIGHTS, Calif. - It was a ceremony fit for a king, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as hundreds of people from the community, civil rights and community leaders marched to the top of Kenneth Hahn Park to dedicate a memorial tree grove for Dr. King.
“This is our way of paying tribute to America’s most prominent drum major for peace,” said Mark Ridley Thomas, the Los Angeles County Supervisor.
Thomas marched alongside a pioneer in the civil rights movement, Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. “For me to be here and see this happening, trying to set a high mark, our standard ought to be high,” Lawson Jr. said.
“It means a lot, we come up here, this is our neighborhood park and its great to have a reminder of the work and the message of Dr. King,” said Shani Byard.
Now, 50 years later the memorial tree grove overlooking downtown Los Angeles seeks to remember the legacy, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.