Thursday, October 1, 2026
The frigid, bone-chilling weather could not deter the vivacious spirits of more than 100 people who gathered on Monday at Laurelton Boulevard and Park Avenue to take part in the Martin Luther King Center’s annual parade commemorating the birthday of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Teenagers and adults waved miniature American flags and toted banners and cardboard cutouts of Dr. King and President Barack Obama as they marched to honor the life and legacy of one of the country’s most revered historical figures.
The march began at 11:30 a.m. and concluded at the Long Beach Martin Luther King Center. Tuskegee Airman and Grand Marshal Julius Freeman led the event, accompanied by City Council members Mike Fagen and Len Torres and Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford (R-Long Beach).
Participants marched along the same path that the civil rights leader took when he visited the city back in 1968 before his death.
Joanne Grant, of Ronkonkoma, like many others, said it was important to keep Dr. King’s memory alive. “We’re Americans,” Grant said. “We need to stand together no matter what, and this helps keep us unified.”
Freddie Harris and Alphonso Young, Long Beach residents and members of the Christian Light Missionary Baptist Church, who proudly displayed a banner representing their church, shared similar sentiments. “Today is an important day to keep the dream alive,” said Harris. “We should come together and be as one body.”
The procession, which included a police and fire truck escort, drew the attention of parade-goers, who could be seen smiling, cheering and shedding tears.
Freeman, a Tuskegee Airman from 1944 to 1948 who fought in World War II, was born in Kentucky and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He explained that the Tuskegee Airmen, affiliated with the United States Air Corps, were the “first organization for African American aviators.”
After the parade, Freeman — one of the few remaining Tuskegee Airmen who received the Congressional Gold Medal from President Bush in 2007 — smiled as he held his medal. “It represents what we did in World War II,” he said.
Freeman — who had met Dr. King — said serving as Grand Marshal in this year’s parade was a proud moment for him.
