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King Day parade queen rises beyond racism
Brittany Wallace, the queen of the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Day parade in Los Angeles.
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Frank Stoltze/KPCC
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King Day parade queen rises beyond racism
King Day parade queen rises beyond racism
The queen of this year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day Parade in Los Angeles is Brittany Wallace.
For Brittany Wallace, this is a day to reflect on the stories of her grandmother, who grew up in Louisiana.
“She told me a story that they were throwing rocks at her one day when she was walking home from school," said Wallace. "They experienced a lot of racism. It’s rare for me.”
Rare, but it happens.
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On the job at Office Depot a few weeks ago, Wallace said a customer made some remarks to her.
“There was this older white gentlemen and he was like ‘oh you’re never going to do anything with your life," she recalled. "He was like ‘you young black people don’t know anything.’"
Wallace said she was offended, "but I didn’t let him affect my day.”
That may be because she has a plan for her life.
Wallace is a business major at Cal State Dominguez Hills. She wants to open a tutoring business for struggling students.
“Yeah, for underprivileged kids. ‘Cause that’s what I do on the side. I’m a tutor," said Wallace.
She makes sure to say one other thing — that her tutoring service will be for underprivileged kids of all races.
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It's a sentiment that would have sat well with Dr. King.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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