Hundreds of people from all over the valley marched in Downtown Fresno in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., his dream and his accomplishments.
“It's quite monumental seeing the amount of progress that's been made since the days he's been alive, the things that he fought for,” said volunteer, Sekani Radellant. He said the parade is more than a time to reflect, adding, “It allows people to come out and see the groups that are trying to continue the work that dr. King did. As far as volunteering and having your voice be heard without violence.”
The group marched from St. John's Cathedral to Fresno City Hall where local leaders addressed the crowd.
“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; those words are thought to maybe be the most potent words in the American language. It set the tone for what the country is supposed to be,” said Fresno councilmember, Oliver Baines.
The march ended at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium. John Sims took part in the march. He says he also took part in operation breadbasket with Dr. King and Jesse Jackson back in the 60's. It was an organization dedicated to improving the economic conditions of black communities in the U.S.
“The children need to see that this day is important in order to move forward to where we all want to be and that is, the team for this year is teamwork makes the dream work,” said Sims.
Alexis Madison, 8, says she heard the message loud and clear, “It means a lot. He was really young when he won the novel prize which means a lot. It means that he's willing to try.”
Dr. King would have been 84 on January 15th.
TXT 24
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