Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

Brown on MLK March: "Treating Unequals Equally is Not Equality"

Dr. Martin Luther King giving his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington in Washington, D.C., on 28 August 1963.
National Archives and Records Administration
Dr. Martin Luther King giving his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington in Washington, D.C., on 28 August 1963.

The 50th anniversary commemorations of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington aren't limited to the nation's capital.

California Governor Jerry Brown and a large group of state lawmakers gathered Wednesday at the state capitol to remember the historic day as well.

The governor spent the bulk of his remarks touting his new school funding formula, which will send more money to districts with large numbers of low-income students and English language learners.

Advertisement

"That's the kind of unequal treatment that creates equality under the long term. Treating unequals equally is not equality, and it's not justice," Brown said.

Brown also recalled his visit to Mississippi in 1963. He said America's made "enormous progress" since then, but said there's still discrimination today based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation.