WALK THE TALK 2026

Get Ready to Walk the Talk!

Our joyous Walk The Talk parade/performance will take place on Saturday, May 23. The festivities begin at 12PM at the Skid Row History Museum & Archive, 250 S. Broadway.

The parade route is determined by the 9 people being honored for their community-building work. The Walk the Talk brass band will lead the way and magnificent portraits of each honoree, by painter Van Hanos, will be held high–using specially designed rigs by sculptor Jory Rabinowitz. After 4 hours of non-stop fun, the parade will arrive at its last stop in Gladys/General Jeff Park.

LA Poverty Department has been creating this parade biannually since 2012. All performances are drawn from community-conducted interviews with the honorees, and their interviews go into the Archive, creating a living record of the on-the-ground history of the neighborhood.

This year, the honorees are:
1. Iron Donato
2. Stephanie Bell
3. Al Ballesteros, CEO of Wesley Health Centers
4. Pastor Blue and Amelia Rayno, of Blue Hollywood Street Sanctuary
5. Tom Grode, Skid Row Action Plan
6. Sean Gregory, LA Community Action Network
7. Soma Snakeoil, Co-Founder and ED, Sidewalk Project
8. Anthony Ruffin, Staff Analyst, Harm Reduction Division, DHS at the Skid Row Care Campus

This event only happens once every two years–it is not to be missed!