Washington D.C.–Just this past Saturday, our Nation’s Capital acknowledged the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom”. People of all ethnicity, ages and nationalities marched across the city to the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool, the site of the 1963 Rally.
There was an air of tension between some of the participants but all in all, the rally had a positive message. Students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities such as Howard University (Washington, D.C.), Bowie State (Bowie, MD) and Morgan State (Baltimore, MD) comprised a large number of the participants, wearing matching shirts and hats.
Despite the passage of many important pieces of legislation in the fifty years since Martin Luther King Jr. gave his historic “I Have A Dream Speech” on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial – many of the participants at the rally were there to protest issues such as discriminatory voter registration practices, and the ostensible miscarriage of justice surrounding the slaying of Florida teenager Trayvon Martin.
“My grandparents attended the original March on Washington in the [1960’s]; I feel like I have a legacy to uphold here,” commented Scott Fritz, Washington, D.C. native and Junior at Bowie State University. “We all came out here today to commemorate the progress and highlight what needs to change in this country, to achieve Dr. King’s vision.”
Dr. King’s vision seems to be in reach; the participants in Saturdays rally proved that it is possible to hold an open forum of discourse for racial harmony and equality on a large scale.
Tomorrow, August 28 – President Barack Obama will address the nation on the precise 50th Anniversary of the “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial – stay tuned. The Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (www.WMATA.com) urges participants to use metro rail, as streets will be congested and closed.
