The Story Behind the March

More Than a March.
A Movement With a Mission.

Every January, hundreds of thousands of people gather on San Antonio's East Side for what has become the nation's largest annual Martin Luther King Jr. March.

But the story did not begin with hundreds of thousands of people.

It began with Rev. Dr. Raymond A. Callies, Sr., a small group of community members and a belief that honoring Dr. King's legacy also meant confronting the conditions affecting Black communities in San Antonio.

What began in 1968 grew through years of community organizing, protest, remembrance and persistence before becoming an official City-supported tradition in 1987.

We Are the Dream is helping to tell that story — the people who built it, the conditions that gave it purpose and the generations that carried it forward.

Because understanding the march means understanding why people marched in the first place.

The Man Behind the March

Rev. Dr. Raymond A. Callies, Sr.
San Antonio Legend

On April 6, 1968 — just two days after Dr. King's assassination — Rev. Raymond Aaron Callies, Sr. turned grief into action. He led a small group of neighbors and family members through San Antonio's East Side in an act of mourning turned into movement. That walk was the seed of what would become the largest annual MLK march in the United States.

Rev. Callies was a teacher, pastor, builder, and community organizer. He advocated before the City Council for jobs, safer intersections, street lighting, and better drainage on the East Side. He built the MLK statue at Houston and New Braunfels by organizing his young people to collect donations across the city. He was a man who did not wait for permission.

The bridge over the drainage infrastructure on San Antonio's East Side — the very conditions Rev. Callies marched to change — was named the R.A. Callies, Sr. Freedom Bridge, later renamed the Martin Luther King Freedom Bridge. Rev. Dr. R.A. Callies, Sr. passed away in 2011 at the age of 82.

Essential Reading

The Man Behind the March

The Life and Legacy of Rev. Dr. R.A. Callies, Sr.  ·  Written by Arlington R. Callies

This is the definitive account of the man who built the San Antonio MLK March. Written by his son, Arlington R. Callies, the book documents the full arc of Rev. Callies' life — from his early activism and community organizing, to his fight for the MLK statue, to the founding of the march itself, and the decades of advocacy for San Antonio's East Side that followed.

Arlington Callies, who marched alongside his father as a young boy, has helped preserve this history for future generations. His firsthand memories and extensive interviews are an important part of the historical foundation of We Are the Dream.

Published 2020  ·  Copyright Arlington R. Callies  ·  ISBN: 978-1-63752-298-1

January 18, 2027 · San Antonio, Texas

40 Years of the
City-Supported March

In January 2027, San Antonio marks 40 years since the City formally joined and supported a community tradition that had already been growing for nearly two decades.

The anniversary provides an opportunity not only to participate in the march, but to understand the people, struggles and community organizing that made its growth possible.

We Are the Dream will document and commemorate this historic milestone while helping introduce the story of the march to audiences well beyond San Antonio.

About the Film

The Making of the Nation's Largest March

We Are the Dream is a feature documentary exploring the origins, people and community struggles behind San Antonio's MLK March — from the early work of Rev. R.A. Callies and East Side residents to the growth of the nation's largest annual MLK gathering.

Through firsthand accounts, historical photographs, archival material and conversations with people who helped build and document the tradition, the film preserves a story that extends far beyond one day in January.

At its center is a larger question: What does it mean to inherit a movement — and how do we preserve the history behind it for the generations that follow?

A Documentary Project Led by Filmmaker Born Logic Allah

Behind the Scenes · Production Underway

Born Logic Allah

Filmmaker · Historian · Educator

San Antonio, Texas

About the Filmmaker

Born Logic Allah

Born Logic Allah is a San Antonio-based filmmaker, historian and educator whose work focuses on documenting Black history, culture and community stories often overlooked in traditional historical narratives.

As co-founder of Melaneyes Media, Logic has spent years producing independent documentary films, educational programs, historical tours and public presentations focused on Black history in San Antonio and beyond.

His documentary work includes Walk on the River: A Black History of the Alamo City, Walk on the River 2.0: The African Influence in San Antonio, High Risk: Black Mothers Protecting Themselves and Their Babies, and Denver Heights: The Heart of the Eastside.

We Are the Dream continues that work by preserving the history behind one of San Antonio's most recognizable cultural traditions and ensuring that the people who built it remain part of the story.