In commemoration of March on Washington, protesters rally in downtown Phoenix

PHOENIX - It wasn't a march on Washington, D.C., but a showing of solidarity on Washington Street, 2,300 miles away.

On the 57-year anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, many in attendance felt like what King wanted then is still only a dream today.

"It hasn't moved backwards, it just hasn't gone anywhere at all. The profession is slow, and until politicians take us seriously, we're going to keep doing this," said Warren Stewart, Jr., a pastor at the Church of the Remnant.

Organizers canceled a march earlier in the week because of threats. NAACP representative Armonee Jackson said the threats only make their message louder.

"Honestly, I think this is why I was put on this Earth. If I get hurt or anything, that's God's plan for this movement," Jackson said.

"You'd be willing to sacrifice yourself for this?" FOX 10's Matt Galka asked.

"Yes."

And for some of the older generations that have been fighting racial equality, it was another call to action for young people to step up to the plate.

"The protests I tell my young people, you can be out here in the streets that's fine, be visible, but you have to be willing to do the work. That means you got to vote, you got to register to vote, you got to show up at a city council meeting. You have to do your part," said Janell Wood of the Black Mother's Forum.