Many things have changed across 6 decades, and today we remember the day 60 years ago when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the base of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. and delivered what's widely known as the "I Have A Dream" speech. A few years prior to the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, in February of 1960, Dr. King led a peaceful march from Lowell Park to Harvey Auditorium at Bakersfield High where he was scheduled to speak. Though the history of that day may be fading, King's message has not. 23ABC's Sam Hoyle spoke with Black leaders and educators in Bakersfield to gain their perspective on the progress won and the progress to come.
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00:00 There are several days in history where Martin Luther King Jr. made his mark.
00:03 That said, today marks the 60th anniversary of his now widely known "I Have a Dream" speech.
00:09 23 ABC's Sam Hoyle spoke with Kern County community members to get the history behind
00:14 the speech and thoughts on the progress still needed today.
00:19 So many things have changed across the last six decades and today is in memory of that.
00:23 60 years ago to the day Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the base of the Lincoln Memorial
00:28 Hill and delivered what's widely known as the "I Have a Dream" speech.
00:32 But just a few years prior in February of 1960, Dr. King delivered a speech right here
00:36 in the heart of the Central Valley.
00:38 Dr. King led a peaceful march from Lowell Park to Harvey Auditorium at Bakersfield High
00:42 where he was scheduled to speak.
00:44 Though while the history of that day may be fading, King's message has not.
00:48 Dr. King's speech is considered and I would say is pretty much confirmed the greatest
00:53 and the most important speech of the 20th century.
00:56 It still resonates into the 21st century because of the message.
01:00 Wherever King spoke and wherever he went, the message was the same.
01:03 It was non-violence.
01:04 They wanted equality for all.
01:07 The message is that to be a successful country, we have to be a country that works together.
01:14 Now 60 years removed from Dr. King's speech and nearly 60 years removed from the passing
01:18 of the Civil Rights Act, a lot has changed for the black community right here in Bakersfield.
01:23 We put men on the moon that are African American.
01:25 We've had an African American president.
01:28 Women who couldn't speak before are now CEOs of corporate boardrooms and they are running
01:34 businesses and they are the mayors of Bakersfield now and also they are the district attorneys
01:39 of Bakersfield.
01:40 And so we have made some strides in moving forward.
01:43 And though there has been progress, many say there is still progress to be made.
01:47 I think that we need to understand that we are all humans.
01:50 Dr. King's dream wasn't that black people could rise above, but black people could be
01:55 equal.
01:57 We simply want a shot, a shot, a chance to say that we can.
02:03 And those that can't or don't want to, that's on them.
02:07 But everybody is not able to pull themselves up by their bootstraps because everybody don't
02:11 have boots.
02:12 In Bakersfield, Sam Hoyle, 23 ABC News, connecting you.