Peace, Unity and Dr. King's Legacy
Several events around Los Angeles remember Dr. King and his work.
By ALYSIA GRAY PAINTER

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day became a federal holiday in 1983. In the nearly three decades since the third Monday in January, chosen because it falls near Dr. King's birthday, has become a day of parades and comings-together across the country, and certainly in Los Angeles, which has hosted several major events in honor of the holiday. You can find one nearby this weekend including:

The Peace & Unity Celebration: The Long Beach parade and party happens on Saturday, Jan. 15. If you want to see the parade, it starts on the corner of Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue and Anaheim Street. There's a family festival after at Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. The fest'll start up at 12:30 p.m., the parade steps off at 10:30 a.m.

Kingdom Day Parade: Monday, Jan. 17 is the date for this major occasion, which, as in years past, will begin at Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard and Western Avenue. "Working Together We Can Make The Dream Come True" is the moving motto at the heart of the 2011 celebration. There's also a festival at Leimert Park Village following the event, complete with DJs, a gospel choir, eats, arts, and more. Leimert Park Beat has the info.

Donate Life California will be participating in the Kingdom Day Parade with a double decker bus with transplant physicians, transplant recipients, donor family members and community leaders to inspire parade attendees to register as an organ, eye and tissue donor 

Day of Service: There's a garden clean-up planned at the Crenshaw High School Garden in honor of the day. It's happening on Monday, Jan. 17, from 8 a.m. through noon, and volunteers are welcome. Read more about the garden, and the Mother of Many's Change What You Eat, Change How You Feel initiative that the green space supports. There's also a way to donate to the program, too.

MLK Service Day: CityYear will once again be heading up a volunteer effort, this time at Thomas Edison Middle School. The garden is a focus, like Crenshaw High, but mural care and other work will be done. This is also on Monday and also in the earlier part of the day; get details at the CityYear site.