Those local participants loaded a charter bus Thursday morning to make their way to Washington DC for a series of events that began Saturday with a commemorative march.
Everyone there is taking part in a historic moment 50 years in the making and remembering the time so many marched on Washington, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his moving "I Have a Dream" speech.
"We must remember generations who carried themselves on a day-to-day basis with great dignity in the face of unspeakable injustice, sacrificing their own ambitions so that the opportunities of future generations would be assured," Attorney General Eric Holder said. "But for them, I would not be Attorney General of the United States, and Barack Obama would not be President of the United States of America."
For those who couldn't make the trip, the "Houston Now Is The Time Coalition" hosted 50th Anniversary March on Washington festivities at a watch party at at SHAPE Community Center on Live Oak.
At the watch party, we talked to one man who calls Houston home -- and who was actually in Washington 50 years ago -- about his hopes for this anniversary.
"I believe that there will be a new momentum," Morris Fountain Said. "I believe that there will be motivation to actually do some things."
Those beliefs are the reason some gathered to watch, even from hundreds of miles away. They were unable to make it to DC, but they were there in spirit to honor the dream.
"If we know our history, know our past, we can empower the young people to make sure all of these gains are not dismantled," community activist Sister Mama Sonya said.
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