In a time of national divide and federal threats to civil rights, Sacramento recognized Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 19, with thousands marking from Sacramento City College to downtown to honor the legacy of the civil rights leader.
The Martin Luther King Jr. “March for a Dream” brought out marchers on a morning of cold, heavy fog that covered the 4-mile course, which went from City College, to downtown Sacramento, past the State Capital and finishing at the Safe Credit Union Convention Center.
Many of the marchers, of all ages and politics, fortified themselves with cups of coffees and bundled against the cold and wet, while speakers urged them to march.
The 44th MLK March for a Dream theme was “Honoring the Past, Impacting the Future.”
“Dr. King stood up during an unprecedented time in history, when racism, fear and division were used to hold people back,” said Sacramento Congresswoman Doris Matsui “Today, as our country once again faces uncertainty and Americans’ civil rights are under attack, we are called to meet this moment with the same courage, moral clarity and determination that defined his legacy.”
At the beginning of the march, organizers greeted the crowds and introduced local leaders, including Matsui, Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty and Elk Grove Mayor Bobbie Singh-Allen. Sacramento City College President Albert Garcia and the newly named Los Rios College District chancellor, Torence Powell, both welcomed the marchers and spoke on the importance of the King legacy for the colleges.
As Powell was leaving the stage after speaking to join the marchers, he stopped to make a point, “I love being here. Sacramento is my home with deep roots in the community. So it’s meaningful for me to be here, humbling to be here, stepping into this new role in the Los Rios Community College District. For me, it has been such a day that is just so monumentous, I think for all people, but especially African-American people it’s very powerful for me, very meaningful. I will be walking today.”
The long, and cold march to the Capitol took the marchers two hours, as they wound their way through Sacramento neighborhoods with chanting and cheers along the way. After reaching the Safe Credit Union Convention Center, they were greeted with warmth, and the MLK Diversity Expo provided music, local agencies and non-profit education tables.
On Oct. 16, 1967, just five months before his assassination on April 4, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, King spoke at Sacramento State College to a crowd of 6,000 in the campus stadium. His speech was seen as broadening King’s legacy to emphasize the need for economic equity and justice. Dr. King’s Poor People’s Campaign called out the importance of fair housing, better jobs, higher wages and called for lowering the poverty rate and closing the income gap for all Americans.
Torence Powell, the recently selected next chancellor of the Los Rios Community College District, addresses attendees at the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day March on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. In Sacramento, Calif. Thousands of marches gathered at the Sacramento City College campus and walked the four miles to the State Capitol in downtown Sacramento. (Bob Fredenburg/ Sac City College Express)