SAN ANTONIO — Monday marks 60 years since a watershed moment in the story of American progress.
Thousands converged on the National Mall in D.C. to unite in a fundamental call for the humanity of Black people to be fully recognized and respected in the U.S., voiced by Martin Luther King Jr. in his iconic "I Have A Dream" speech.
Here in San Antonio, local and state leaders, as well as members of the community, came together for an event Monday featuring a speech from Alveda Celeste King.
Alveda Celeste King is an American activist, author, and former state representative for the 28th District in the Georgia House of Representatives. She is a niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. and daughter of civil rights activist A. D. King and his wife, Naomi Barber King.
"I want you to think, how do we connect 1963 to today? It has already been said, we need to reach out to the young people. Because if truth is not told in every generation, in every decade, on every platform, people will forget," King said at the event.
King recalled the story of how her uncle's iconic speech came to be, saying he had a different planned speech that he threw out that day.
"He traveled across the nation, to Virginia and different states on the way to D.C. and he kept having this dream. 'I have a dream, y'all.' So when he got there, I think they were staying in the Willard Hotel in D.C., he called Mahalia Jackson and said 'sing that song, Mahalia' and she said, 'Tell them about that dream, Martin!' and he did."
Meanwhile, the King Center in Atlanta is marking the anniversary on Monday by calling for people to join in the legacy of MLK's famous speech, "by committing to consistently doing one thing differently to make our world more just and humane."
Also, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will meet with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s family Monday at the Lincoln Memorial. All of King's children have been invited, White House officials have said.
In an opinion piece for the Washington Post, Biden said the administration is working to advance King's dream of a society in which a person's character outweighs their skin color.