Thousands commemorate 1963 March on Washington
Capping a week of protests and outrage over the police shooting of a Black man in Wisconsin, civil rights advocates began highlighting the scourge of police and vigilante violence against Black Americans at a commemoration of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
An estimated thousands have gathered Friday 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.
And they were gathering on the heels of yet another shooting by a white police officer of a Black man, 29-year-old Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., last Sunday,sparking 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. “We are here. We’re not going anywhere.”
‘This is a revolution’
Activist Frank Nitty, who said he walked 750 miles for 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 going to march for the same things that my granddaddy marched for. This is a revolution.”
March attendee Jerome Butler, 33, of D.C., echoed Nitty’s sentiment.
“My hope is that my son doesn’t have to be out here in another 50 years protesting the same thing,” Butler said.
The march was shaping up to be the largest political gathering in Washington since the coronavirus pandemic began. Many attendees showed up wearing T-shirts 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 went on to become one of the most famous political rallies in U.S. history, and one of the largest gatherings at the nation’s capital, with over 200,000 people advocating for social change.
Participants streaming in for the march late Friday morning 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, delivered keynote addresses depicting the urgency for federal policing reforms, to decry racial violence, and to demand 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. We’re taking a step forward on America’s rocky but righteous journey toward justice.”
Legislation sought
“We didn’t just come out here to have a show,” Sharpton said. “Demonstration without legislation will not lead to change.”
To underscore the urgency, Sharpton assembled the families of the expanding roll call of victims: Blake, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, Ahmaud Arbery, Trayvon Martin and Eric Garner, among others.
Arbery and Martin both were killed by white men who pursued them with guns.
Following the commemorative rally, participants planned to march to the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial in West Potomac Park, next to the National Mall, then disperse.
Turnout in Washington was expected to be lighter than initially intended due to city-imposed coronavirus pandemic restrictions that limit out-of-state visitors to the nation’s capital.