STOCKTON, Calif. — On a bright, chilly morning, about 100 people marched several blocks from Stockton's Memorial Civic Auditorium Downtown before circling back to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza across City Hall.
"He's a reminder to every single American, no matter who you are or where you're living that you can stand-up, you can stand for righteousness, you can stand for justice," said Evan Wade, who is a history professor at San Joaquin Delta College.
Singing the emblematic gospel song associated with the Civil Rights movement, "We Shall Overcome," marchers carried signs to honor and remember Dr. King's legacy.
"We like to commemorate service in the name of Dr. King," said Monica Brooks, one of the marchers. "We appreciate what he has done for us and we realize we still have more to go. So, there is still more of the dream left to fulfill."
Today's MLK Day in Stockton was sponsored by "Ministers and Community United, Inc." whose mission is to "improve the quality of life through programs" in the community.
Rev. Dennis Moore is the organization's president.
He says, while progress has been made in the black community, more work needs to be done.
And, he says, that also means from within the black community itself- especially when it comes to the younger generation.
"I feel like sometimes there's a disconnect between the generations that we fought for a lot and my generation along with Dr. King," said Moore. "And now, I can see some progress, but I don't see that some of our youth that are coming-up see that same progress and see how important it is for them to take the next step."
Moore says his generation helped fight for the right to an education, but not all youth are taking advantage of it.
He says some choose to get involved in gangs and/or drop out of school, instead of going to college or learning a trade.
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"It starts here with us," said high school sophomore Sophia Warren. "With kids and teenagers like us because we're the next generation to have a say in all this stuff. We can't vote yet, but we're going to and so if we have any influence at all, that's amazing."