As thousands of Americans marched through Washington to commemorate the 50-year anniversary of the famous “I Have a Dream” speech, the Ball State Black Student Association president said the country has evolved, but there is more work to be done.
“We are actually coming together, as a nation, as a globe,” said Dairick Wade, BSA president.
Wade said he didn’t realize until Wednesday that it was the anniversary of the speech, so BSA did not have an event planned.
“It actually means a lot to me,” he said. “When I heard that it really has been 50 years since [the speech] was delivered, you have to sit back and think about what that means.”
Marchers in Washington Wednesday began their walk behind a replica of the bus Rosa Parks was on when she refused to give up her seat to a white person, according to the Associated Press.
Afterward, President Barack Obama gave a speech on the exact location King gave his speech 50 years ago.
Wade said the fact that there is a black man as president points to how far the nation has come in such a short time.
Obama said Tuesday in an interview that there is still a lot of work to be done to ensure all people are equal.
“When it comes to the economy, when it comes to inequality, when it comes to wealth, when it comes to the challenges that inner cities experience, [Dr. King] would say that we have not made as much progress as the civil and social progress that we’ve made,” Obama said.
Wade agrees that while great strides have been made for African-Americans and minorities, there is always work to be done.
“We need to not forget where we have come from. As much progress as we have made, nothing is perfect,” he said.
Wade said remembering important events of the past like freedom from slavery, Rosa Parks and the Civil Rights Movement are key to moving forward within the black community and the nation.
“We kind of become comfortable and we lose sight that we are still fighting; we are still trying to make strides to become something better,” he said.
Wade said he has high hopes for the future, and sees the way America has changed as the beginning of a more inclusive, accepting world for the next 50 years.
“Racism still exists in the world, but it has gotten better. [People] look past a person’s race and background,“ Wade said. “Everybody of any color can just come together and make a change.”
