![\"three](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771778231_944_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nWalt Butler has no plans to slow down.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you rest too much, you just become lethargic,\u201d the Pasadena sports icon said while handing out custom T-shirts to kids at his booth at the 2026 Black History Festival on Saturday. And the 84-year-old has so much more he wants to do.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just need to do more for others,\u201d Butler said. \u201cSome of the things that I want to do is try to help little kids to become more economically inclined to manage their own money. Stop wasting it all and look for the future. These knucklehead kids, they are our future, you know.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Filicia Flot, left, and her husband Derrick with grandson RJ Silva at the 44th Black History Month Festival in Pasadena. <\/p>\n
(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n
The grand marshal of the festival, Butler, who lost his longtime home in Altadena<\/a> in last year\u2019s Eaton fire<\/a>, embodies the event\u2019s theme of passing the baton to the next generation. He\u2019s known in the community both for his high school and college track-and-field career, as well as his work advocating for learning and helping those in need. In between chatting up attendees who\u2019d alternately rib him for his age and call him \u201ca perfect role model,\u201d Butler spoke about his hope of getting more kids to attend church regularly and to help the local unhoused community.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople need … a chance to give [themselves] a fair chance,\u201d Butler said. \u201cAnd if we give ourselves a fair chance, we have less time to mistreat others.\u201d<\/p>\n Held at Robinson Park in Pasadena, the 44th Black History Festival was a celebration of community and resilience as people continue to recover and move forward in the aftermath of last year\u2019s Eaton fire<\/a>, according to the city\u2019s announcement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Musical performances on the entertainment stage kept things lively. There were also moments of recognition for figures such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and his civil rights advocacy, including his push to integrate the leadership of the Tournament of Roses. Jackson died<\/a> Feb. 17 at age 84.<\/p>\n Candace Lacy, with Victory Bible Church, sings at the 2026 Black History Festival in in Pasadena. <\/p>\n (Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n![\"a](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1771778231_332_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n