The Crenshaw High School Mighty Marching Cougar Band has been in the Martin Luther King Day Parade in South LA for decades, and this year is no different, even after production team changes led to a scaled-down parade lineup.
Crenshaw High will be of nine bands selected to march in this year’s parade, with the parade route located less than 2 miles from the school’s campus.
Deborah Gallego, the band’s director, said being in the parade every year is a deep source of pride for students, staff and the South LA community.
“The Crenshaw High School Marching Band has historically been in this parade for a very long time and I know that this is one of those events that we have to do every single year,” Gallego told The LA Local during the band’s practice session Thursday.
Gallego, who grew up in South LA, told The LA Local that 40 students will march in the parade on Monday. Band member Vanessa Chavez Torres joined the band last semester and has been playing the clarinet since first grade. She said being in the MLK Day Parade feels like a big accomplishment.
“My mom is super excited. She’s so proud of me because I get to be a part of something that’s so big,” Chavez Torres said.
Gallego said the band starts preparing at least a month before the parade. Their performance style is high energy and modeled after bands at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, or HBCUs, that have performed on national stages like the Macy’s Parade.
Kennedy Ilion-Brown is one of two drum majors who’ll direct the band during Monday’s performance. She said because she’s in her last year of high school, marching in the MLK Day Parade will be bittersweet.
“We just get to see so many wonderful people who love what we do and how we do it. Some of the alumni will come out to see us and it’s great to see them as well,” Ilion-Brown said. “Considering they did this at one point and they were exactly where we are, it’s nice to see somebody who was exactly like us.”
Veteran band member Sean Battle is a tuba player who considers the band his family. He graduated from Crenshaw High last year but continues to perform as a band member with the principal’s permission. He said marching in the MLK Day Parade is the parade he enjoys the most.
“I feel very proud when I tell people I attended Crenshaw High School. I’m still a part of the band because I know their reputation for sports and music is so high in LA and is really well known,” Battle said.
Knowing that millions of people in LA may be watching, Gallego also said she wants her students to remain focused because they’re representing South LA.
“I like to remind my students how impactful and how deep it is that we are doing this parade in our community, on a street with the same name as our school,” Gallego said. “I want them to recognize that you’re not just representing Crenshaw High School but you’re representing the community and the Crenshaw District.”
Attending the parade Monday? Watching it on TV? Or do you live in the area? Read this story for all the information you need to enjoy it.
