The first day of the 2025 spring semester at Sacramento City College was filled with people from all walks of life who gathered to honor the legacy of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The nonprofit MLK365 hosted the 43rd annual March for the Dream on Monday, Jan. 20, which drew crowds to the west parking lot of campus.
An early morning walk called the extra mile started from Oak Park Community Center to City College, and a second 4.3 mile walk proceeded after a program concluded at City College.
The program on the steps of the college campus store included the speeches of community leaders and important officials who spoke about King’s dream of unity and peace.
City College President Albert Garcia welcomed everyone to City College, stating, “We are the people’s college, and I believe that Dr. King would want me to welcome each and every person in the audience with equal enthusiasm.”
Garcia quoted a line from King’s “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech delivered in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 3, 1968. “Now we’re going to march again, and we’ve got to march again in order to put the issue where it is supposed to be.”
Contemporary gospel vocalist and singer-songwriter Samona Whiteside, who sang the Black National Anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson, said she felt blessed to be asked to participate and serve at this awesome and impactful event.
After the program came to a conclusion, the second 4.3-mile loop began as it made its way out of the City College parking lot, starting at Sutterville Road to Freeport Boulevard through Land Park and Broadway and back to Freeport at Sacramento City College.
The march was peaceful as many different signs and banners were held to remember King and the work that still needs to be done in this nation.
CEO of Rose Family Creative Empowerment Center, Jackie Rose, said, “I come every year to celebrate King and to make sure we fulfill his dream and legacy, to stay focused on what he stood for during the march and throughout our community.