Marching For Martin Luther King Jr's Dream -The Task Is Not Yet Done

Crowds surrounding the Reflecting Pool, during...
Crowds surrounding the Reflecting Pool, during the 1963 March on Washington. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Tens of thousands of people marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and down the National Mall on Saturday, commemorating the 50th anniversary of King's famous speech and pledging that his dream includes equality for gays, Latinos, the poor and the disabled.
The event was an homage to a generation of activists that endured fire hoses, police abuse and indignities to demand equality for African Americans. But there was a strong theme of unfinished business.
- See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/marching-kings-dream-task-not-done#sthash.cD4oJ9yo.dpuf

Tens of thousands of people marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and down the National Mall on Saturday, commemorating the 50th anniversary of King's famous speech and pledging that his dream includes equality for gays, Latinos, the poor and the disabled.
The event was an homage to a generation of activists that endured fire hoses, police abuse and indignities to demand equality for African Americans. But there was a strong theme of unfinished business.
"This is not the time for nostalgic commemoration," said Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of the slain civil rights leader. "Nor is this the time for self-congratulatory celebration. The task is not done. The journey is not complete. We can and we must do more."
Eric Holder, the nation's first black attorney general, said he would not be in office, nor would Barack Obama be president, without those who marched.
"They marched in spite of animosity, oppression and brutality because they believed in the greatness of what this nation could become and despaired of the founding promises not kept," Holder said.
- See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/marching-kings-dream-task-not-done#sthash.cD4oJ9yo.dpuf
Tens of thousands of people marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and down the National Mall on Saturday, commemorating the 50th anniversary of King's famous speech and pledging that his dream includes equality for gays, Latinos, the poor and the disabled.
The event was an homage to a generation of activists that endured fire hoses, police abuse and indignities to demand equality for African Americans. But there was a strong theme of unfinished business.
- See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/marching-kings-dream-task-not-done#sthash.cD4oJ9yo.dpuf
Yesterday, tens of thousands of marchers kicked off the commemorations in Washington of Martin Luther King's "I have a dream'' speech.

The original March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was held on August 28, 1963. Participants walked the half-mile from the Lincoln Memorial to the 2-year-old Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.

The event on Saturday was the precursor to the actual anniversary of the march. On Wednesday, President Barack Obama will speak from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the same place King stood when he delivered his speech. On Saturday, Eric Holder, the nation's first black Attorney General, thanked those who marched a half century earlier and said he would not be in office, nor would Obama be president, without them.

Image source

"They marched in spite of animosity, oppression and brutality because they believed in the greatness of what this nation could become and despaired of the founding promises not kept,'' Holder said.

 






 Click here for my 2011 post which contains the video and full transcript of Martin Luther King Jr's 1963 speech.

Click here for my previous post earlier this year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Image source
Image source


Originally, King was quoted as saying “If you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice, say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter.”

Holder said the spirit of the 1963 march now demands equality for gays, Latinos, women, the disabled and others. Keeping with that theme, those in attendance represented a number of causes advocating gay rights, organised labour, voting rights, and even access to local post offices.

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Click here for scenes and videos from yesterdays speeches, including one by
Martin Luther King III, who said he could hear his father humming, “People get ready, there’s a train a-coming.”“This is not the time for nostalgic commemoration,” said Mr. King, the civil rights leader’s oldest son. “Nor is this the time for self-congratulatory celebration. The task is not done. The journey is not complete. We can and we must do more.”

Many speakers cited persistent unemployment among African-Americans, which is about double that of white Americans.

Others spoke of the Florida shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of his killer, George Zimmerman, who argued self-defence.
"It's very difficult to stomach the fact that Trayvon wasn't committing any crime. He was on his way home from the store,'' Sybrina Fulton, Trayvon's mother, said as she prepared to participate in the march. 

On the day of the anniversary, Obama will be joined by former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Churches and groups have been asked to ring bells at 3pm, marking the exact time King spoke.

On Friday, a coalition of black leaders issued what they said is the 21st century agenda for the nation. They named economic parity, equity in education, voting rights, health care access and criminal justice reform as national policy priorities.

Joseph Lowery, who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference along with King, urged the crowd to continue working for King's ideals.
"We've come to Washington to commemorate," the 92-year-old civil rights leader said, "and we're going home to agitate."
- See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/marching-kings-dream-task-not-done#sthash.BVfsvglu.dpuf
Joseph Lowery, who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference along with King, urged the crowd to continue working for King's ideals.
"We've come to Washington to commemorate," the 92-year-old civil rights leader said, "and we're going home to agitate."
- See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/marching-kings-dream-task-not-done#sthash.BVfsvglu.dpuf
Joseph Lowery, who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference along with King, urged the crowd to continue working for King's ideals.
"We've come to Washington to commemorate," the 92-year-old civil rights leader said, "and we're going home to agitate."
- See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/marching-kings-dream-task-not-done#sthash.BVfsvglu.dpuf

Joseph Lowery, who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference along with King, urged the crowd to continue working for King's ideals.
"We've come to Washington to commemorate," the 92-year-old civil rights leader said, "and we're going home to agitate."
- See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/marching-kings-dream-task-not-done#sthash.BVfsvglu.dpuf

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