About 400 people gathered together yesterday in Ft. Myers for the annual march in memory of Doctor Martin Luther King Junior. We asked some people at the march if children today recognize the sacrifice King and others made to secure their rights. Here’s some of what we heard.

The state Clemency Board posthumously pardoned singer Jim Morrison of the Doors on Thursday for his 1969 indecent exposure conviction. But the ACLU of Florida wants the board to take action on the huge backlog of non-violent ex-cons looking to have their civil rights restored. WGCU’s John Davis has more.

Local health agencies and other community partners are kicking off a campaign to combat HIV infection rates among African-Americans.  It’s in conjunction with National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day on Sunday.  WGCU’s John Davis reports.

Sanibel
poet Joe Pacheco has written another topical poem for us.  Today he
shares his thoughts on the confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the
U.S. Supreme Court.  The 76-year-old retired New York City school
superintendent says this monumental moment allows him to show off what
he calls his “Nuyorican” pride.  Nuyorican’s are Americans of Puerto
Rican descent, born in New York City.

Minority
groups such as African Americans and Hispanics make up more than half
the people on the national organ transplant waiting list.  Yet, the
same minority groups make up a small percentage of organ donors. 
Health officials have some ideas why.  WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

Governor Charlie Crist was in Ft. Myers Friday for a
bill signing.  “Florida’s Equal Opportunity in Education Act” is now
law.  WGCU’s Valerie Alker has more.

National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is this Saturday. Florida has the nation’s third highest AIDS rates for blacks. Local health departments and HIV support organizations are using the day to target high risk groups. WGCU’s John Davis has more.

There was dancing and singing in the streets in Ft. Myers Monday as hundreds of people turned out for the annual freedom march commemorating the life of the late civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Junior. And of course this year’s march was on the eve of Barack Obama’s swearing in as the nation’s first African American president. So, the question WGCU’s Valerie Alker asked was “has Martin Luther King’s dream been realized”

We heard from: Deacon Elijah Brown, Evelyn Foster, Father Robert Browning, March organizers Jonathan Elliot and Reginald Billips– and from Terry Stark.

Organizers are expecting a crowd of about ten thousand people in downtown Ft. Myers Monday for the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Junior Commemorative March and Celebration.  WGCU’s Valerie Alker has more.

The Rosewood incident was one of the worst race riots in American history. Hundreds of angry whites killed an undetermined number of blacks and burned down their Florida community. Descendants of victims and survivors of Rosewood recently gathered in Miami for a family reunion. Leah Fleming takes a closer look at how they are keeping the legacy alive.