“The first generation of immigrants who lived through the LA riots on April 29, 1992, are retiring at an older age. Wouldn’t it be important for the next generation to remember the hardships and history of how they built a new Koreatown from the ashes?”
To mark the 32nd anniversary of the 1992 Los Angeles riots, this year’s Peace Parade will take place at the site where the looting and fires first began during the riots.
The Peace Parade has been organized by the World Special Federation. The organization’s president, John Kim, who has taught martial arts such as taekwondo, kendo, and kickboxing in South LA, announced the return of the parade after more than two years.
“It’s been 32 years since the 1992 LA riots, and many people say it will not happen again,” Kim said. “But four years ago, when George Floyd was killed, West L.A. businesses were looted and set on fire. National Guard troops were deployed in Koreatown,” he said.
“We can’t sweep the past just because we want to forget about it. We need to teach younger generations about what exactly happened, and we need to keep the different communities connected and understanding.”
This year’s Peace Parade will take place at 11 a.m. on April 27. It will begin in the parking lot of a mall at 1355 W. Florence Avenue, where looting and arson first began during the 1992 riots.
The event will begin at the center stage with a prayer by the pastor of the Council of Korean Churches in Southern California, the candle lighting for the unity of the Korean-American and black communities, the KCBC Christian Choir, the Arirang Peace and Unification Dance, and a taekwondo demonstration. Afterward, participants will march together for the Peace Parade.
The organizers will also present the 3rd Koreatown Protection Award to those who took the lead in protecting Koreatown during the LA riots.
The event will feature black community figures and organizations. The organizers emphasized the importance of Korean American residents and organizations’ participation.
“The saying that ‘South LA is further away than out of state’ is just one reflection of the Korean American community,” Kim said. “Even now, there are second-generation Korean Americans in South LA who have taken over the businesses of the first generation. We need to tell the next generation about the hardships we went through and our efforts to rebuild.”
The organizers also welcomed inquiries from Korean-American organizations to join the parade. “If Korean American youth service organizations participate in the parade, it will have a great educational effect, as an opportunity to teach the history of the first generation,” Kim said.
For more information about the parade, call 213-503-2007.
BY HYOUNGJAE KIM, HOONSIK WOO [kim.ian@koreadaily.com]
