LAS VEGAS—Thousands of Las Vegans lined downtown streets yesterday to cheer on participants of the 36th annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade. For the eighth consecutive year, MGM Resorts International returned as the presenting sponsor of the parade, themed “Living the Dream—Building a Bridge to Unity.”
Hailed as one of the nation’s largest parades west of the Mississippi River celebrating the ideals and life of Dr. King, the parade kicked off at 10 a.m.
Wendell P. Williams, founder of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Committee, the nonprofit organization that plans and hosts the parade, said “As we all strive for a better world, the King parade is an excellent way to demonstrate our unified commitment to peace and brotherhood.”
MGM Resorts has participated in the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Parade since 2003. Hundreds of employee volunteers from the company turned out in full force to march in the parade with an MGM Resorts float created by the company’s special events department.
‘Honoring Dr. King’s Historic Legacy’
“Our company shares Dr. King’s vision of a world of universal respect for human dignity where every human being has equal freedom to pursue life, liberty and happiness,” said Phyllis A. James, Chief Diversity and Corporate Responsibility Officer for MGM Resorts International. “We are proud to join our community in honoring Dr. King’s historic legacy and marching a little closer toward an America that aligns with the highest ideals.”
Dozens of Las Vegas employees from MGM Resorts will also honor Dr. King’s legacy through participation in several service projects across the Las Vegas Valley starting January 12. Cleaning donated books, serving meals at local nonprofits and picking up trash in community parks are among the projects that volunteers plan to support.
Similar activities are planned across the company’s domestic regional operations, as well. In what has become a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day tradition, employees from Gold Strike Tunica in Mississippi volunteered by providing information and directional assistance to guests visiting the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tenn. The museum, located on the site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., chronicles the history of the American civil rights movement and draws thousands of visitors each year.
For more information, please visit www.kingweeklasvegas.com.
