Thousands call for racial justice at march tribute
WASHINGTON — Capping a week of protests and outrage over the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin, civil rights advocates on Friday denounced police and vigilante violence against Black Americans at a commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Thousands gathered near the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his historic, “I Have a Dream” address, a vision of racial equality that remains elusive for millions of Americans.
The event came on the heels of yet another shooting by a white police officer of a Black man — 29yearold Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis. — that sparked days of protests and violence that left two dead.
“I want to give space for Black people in the crowd to say they are not OK,” said Jumaane Williams, New York City’s public advocate, who addressed march attendees shortly after the program began.
“We are like the nameless grandmothers who got in the streets and said, ‘We will make you live up to what America says she is,’ ” Williams said.
Activist Frank Nitty, who said he walked 750 miles in 24 days from Milwaukee to Washington for Friday’s march, spoke to the audience about persistence in the fight for justice.
“Are y’all tired? Because I’m tired,” Nitty said. “They think this is a negotiation, but I came here to demand change. My grandson ain’t gonna march for the same things that my granddaddy marched for. This is a revolution.”
The march was shaping up to be one of the largest political gatherings in Washington since the coronavirus pandemic began. Many attendees showed up wearing Tshirts bearing the image and words of the late Rep. John Lewis who, until his death last month, was the last living speaker at the original March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which drew more than 200,000 people advocating for social change.
Participants streaming in for the march on Friday stood in lines that stretched for several blocks, as organizers insisted on taking temperatures as part of coronavirus protocols. Organizers reminded attendees to practice social distancing and wear masks throughout the program.
Martin Luther King III, a son of the late civil rights icon, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, whose civil rights organization, the National Action Network, planned Friday’s event, decried racial violence and demanded voting rights protections ahead of the November general election.
“We’ve come to bear witness, to remain awake, to remember from where we’ve come and to carefully consider where we’re going,” King said. “Whether you’re here in person or watching on (television networks), thank you for joining us for this March on Washington.”