Keeping the Dream Alive
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A little bit of water falling from the sky didn’t deter members of the UC San Diego community from gathering to recognize one of history’s most influential civil rights leaders—Martin Luther King Jr. Born Jan. 15, 1929, King was a Baptist minister and activist who promoted change through peaceful protest and key values such as unity, selflessness, hope and love. Two annual events were organized by the Center for Student Involvement, a day to serve and a day to celebrate.
On Saturday, more than 200 UC San Diego students, staff and alumni volunteers assembled at Mission Bay High School to volunteer their time and talents. Participants painted a portrait of the late associate justice of the Supreme Court Ruth Bader Ginsburg, helped create the foundation for a sensory garden that will serve students with disabilities, built hydroponic plant systems in the science lab and fanned out across the school to search for debris that could be collected.
The following morning, four buses of UC San Diego scholar-athletes, cheerleaders, Pep Band performers and more caravanned to downtown San Diego to join in the 41st annual Martin Luther King Jr. parade. After being on hiatus for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event resumed at the Embarcadero with vigor—even as rain clouds hovered precariously above. Students, staff and faculty cheered as they marched alongside the university’s float, waving bright yellow flags and passing out souvenirs to spectators.
See the impact Tritons made at Mission Bay High School and get a glimpse of the energy from this year’s parade in the photos below.
![More than 200 students, staff and alumni from UC San Diego pose together in the cafeteria at Mission Bay High School on the day of service.](https://today.ucsd.edu/news_uploads/mlk-service-group-2023.jpg)
![Two students sit on a scaffold holding paint brushes as they work on a mural depicting the late supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.](https://today.ucsd.edu/news_uploads/mlk-paint-2023.jpg)
![Two UC San Diego students who are part of the Sigma Kappa sorority dust book shelves at Mission Bay High School during the day of service.](https://today.ucsd.edu/news_uploads/mlk-service-library-2023.jpg)
![Three students use shovels to move around mulch that surrounds a sensory garden designed for students with disabilities.](https://today.ucsd.edu/news_uploads/mlk-nora-service-2023.jpg)
![A UC San Diego staff member holds a bucket of plants that were pulled from the ground to clear space for students with wheelchairs to enter the garden.](https://today.ucsd.edu/news_uploads/mlk-changemaker-2023.jpg)
![A group of students smile and wave small yellow pennants from the UC San Diego float in the Martin Luther King Jr Parade.](https://today.ucsd.edu/news_uploads/mlk-float-2023.jpg)
![UC San Diego's mascot King Triton gives a high five to a young spectator.](https://today.ucsd.edu/news_uploads/mlk-triton-parade-2023.jpg)
![A group of students wave small pennants as they walk in the parade.](https://today.ucsd.edu/news_uploads/mlk-students-parade-2023.jpg)
![UC San Diego's Powwow Princess hands a small banner to a young spectator during the parade.](https://today.ucsd.edu/news_uploads/mlk-powwow-princess-2023.jpg)
![A woman from UC San Diego's Pep Band plays a large drum while marching in the parade.](https://today.ucsd.edu/news_uploads/mlk-pep-band-2023.jpg)
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