Community leaders, local organizations and residents gathered Jan. 19 at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., marking roughly a decade of annual celebrations in the city.
The ceremony, held at 10 a.m., emphasized unity, service and the continued pursuit of equality.
Members of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., played a central role in organizing the event.
“The event is important in Cerritos because it shows solidarity, not just for our organization, but across with our Delta sisters,” said Shante Lane, chairman of Uplift Our Local Community for the Pi Sigma Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha. “It shows that we’re still committed to Dr. King’s dream of peace, freedom and equality for all.”
Lane later said that the celebration has been held in Cerritos for about 10 years and continues to bring different organizations together to uplift the residents of Cerritos.
Mayor Frank Aurelio Yokoyama opened the event with a welcome, followed by a prayer led by Elder Ron Tatum, pastor of Inglewood Southside Christian Church.
The Gahr High School Theatre Ensemble performed the national anthem, and the Cerritos Area Alumni of Delta Sigma Theta Chapter Choir performed “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”
Guest speaker Yolando Williams, president of Pi Sigma Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., reflected on the significance of the music performed and the broader meaning of the day.
“These songs performed are not just music, but memory,” Williams said, “that reminds us that before MLK stepped to the microphone, the March of equality had already begun.”
She added that the event offers a moment for the community to unite across racial and cultural lines.
“Its an opportunity for us to come together with all of the brothers and sisters in the city of Cerritos and celebrate a man whose dream was not just for African Americans, not just for Latinos, not just for our white brothers and sisters, nor Asian brothers and sisters, but for everybody,” Williams said. “The dream was for everybody.”
Williams later added that the event is a reminder to keep pushing forward, even with the current state of the country and how communities need to come together to make a big difference.
The annual celebration remains an important cornerstone of Cerritos’ culture, honoring King’s role as a central leader of the Civil Rights Movement and reaffirming the city’s commitment to equality and justice.
