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Thousands
Expected for March on Washington Anniversary |
Posted:
08.20.03
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On Aug. 23, political and religious leaders will gather to celebrate
the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington, an event led
by Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders that
changed the course of the civil rights movement.
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The anniversary celebration,
expected to draw thousands, will remind the nation of the goals
of those first civil rights activists.  More
than 100 groups will participate, including the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Organization
for Women, and the Arab American Institute. Led by Martin Luther
King III, organizers also hope to register voters for the 2004
presidential election.
Roughly 250,000 people marched through Washington, D.C., on Aug.
28, 1963. Called "The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,"
the event called the nation's attention to the injustice and inequalities
that black Americans faced because of the color of their skin.
In support of civil rights for all Americans, the demonstrators
made their way from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial,
where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his memorable and moving "I
Have A Dream" speech.
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History |
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The Declaration of Independence
states that "all men are created equal." But even after
the Civil War and the end of slavery, people of color found themselves
treated unfairly. They weren't allowed in many public schools,
they had to eat at separate restaurants and use separate bathrooms,
and they had  to
pay taxes and pass literacy tests to vote. The idea was too keep
blacks "separate but equal."
By the late 1950s a movement had started. People were demanding
laws to protect their civil rights - rights that all free Americans
are guaranteed as citizens of this country. One was Thurgood Marshall,
a lawyer who went on to become the first black justice on the
Supreme Court. Another was Rosa Parks, who refused to give up
her bus seat to white passengers. One particularly influential
speaker and activist was Martin Luther King Jr.
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A
Man with a Dream |
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King was a minister from
Alabama who became one of the leading voices of the civil rights
movement. One of his first successes was the Montgomery Bus Boycott
- a 382-day operation that led to the desegregation of bussing.
King was  threatened
with violence and jail, and his house was even bombed, but this
did little to stop him.
From then on King was at the forefront of the civil rights movement.
He traveled across the country, organizing protests and marches
to call attention to the struggle of black Americans. Though on
several occasions King was thrown in jail, he maintained a philosophy
of nonviolence. King believed that fighting back would only make
things worse, and the true path to victory could be achieved through
preaching truth and acceptance.
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The
March |
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In late 1962, civil rights activists started to organize what
would become the largest civil rights demonstration in the history
of the United States. It took awhile, but by June of 1963, they
had put together an impressive group of leaders and speakers -
including King - to help them. They would need it.
The organizers of the march had to make sure people had a way
of getting into the city. They had to make sure marchers knew
where to go and what to do once they got there. They had to have
doctors and nurses in case anyone needed first aid. They had to
provide water, security, and be ready for any emergency. And they
needed some way to pay for all of it. It was going to take fund
raising, planning and lots of work.
On Aug. 28, the city swelled with marchers. They drove in. They
bussed in. They took trains. Three student marchers walked and
 hitchhiked
700 miles to get there. A quarter million people waved signs and
cheered and listened to speakers address the civil rights problems
challenging America. The last speaker was Martin Luther King Jr.
"I am happy to join with you today in what will go down
in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history
of our nation," King began. His ensuing speech is remembered
as one of the corner stones of the civil rights movement.
A year later, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which
made segregation in public places illegal, required employers
to provide equal employment opportunities, and protected the right
to vote of every American, black and white.
--
Chris Nammour, Online NewsHour
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It makes me want to come to school every day, and it has given me something that I’m really good at.
