SAN DIEGO — The 42nd annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Parade rolled through Downtown San Diego on Sunday and the theme was “A Healthy Community is a Thriving Community."
This year the fun was bigger than ever with a new 5K and a Harmony Health Festival after the parade.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane.”
MLK Parade organizers said that's why they chose this year's theme.
Back in 2009, Selena Marie Harris Jordan was the Grand Marshall of the MLK parade in San Diego. Harris Jordan has sickle cell disease, an inherited blood cell disorder that can cause a lot of pain and other serious health issues, but she's a fighter.
"She gets five bags blood once a month," her mom Yolanda says. "She used to do blood transfusions. She had Moyamoya disease, I believe when she was 10. She had her first head surgery when on her left side, then just two years ago, she had a second surgery on the right side."
Yolanda says they're thankful for every good day.
"Day to day, you just never know with sickle cell disease. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's bad. You don't know."
That's why Yolanda says they understand this year's parade theme.
"Without medical care, she wouldn't have good days and without people donating the blood they donate to the blood bank and the Red Cross, the leader wouldn't have no good days."
Dr. Robert Walker is the president of the San Diego Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. They're in charge of the MLK parade.
“Because we suffered with the pandemic for two or three years, and people were getting fatigued with vaccines and masking and all those different things, we want our community to be healthy again," Walker said. "Part of being a healthy community is having access to health care. And we know in San Diego County, there's still a disparity between white and black people."
In 2022, San Diego County released their health equity report that noted disturbing information. Black people had the lowest life expectancy, maternal and child health outcomes compared to the rest of people living in San Diego County during 2017.
Andre Mitchell is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha who says the MLK 5K and Harmony Health Festival are just the beginning to bridging the gap to a healthier community. Mitchell said it’s important to arm the public with information when it comes to healthcare.
"Advocate for yourself, know that when you go to the hospital," Mitchell said. "You need to be paying attention to what you have to get what you're medicated on how you react to those medications. Even just finding a doctor that you can fill is a safe space to go in and say, his is what's going on with me Doctor, how can I be more healthy or healthier?"
That's why Yolanda encourages everyone to at least make an appointment for a checkup with a doctor.
"If you’re nervous, just choose your doctors. And then ask questions. Continue to go to the doctor, continue to get your checkups, continue to do the stuff you need to."
WATCH RELATED: MLK Jr. Parade | History and the San Diego Alpha Foundation