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Volume 86 • Issue 4
50 Years Later the March Goes On Written by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder
Aug. 29 - Sept. 4, 2013 Fifty years ago, Dr. King shared his dream with the world and described his vision for a society that offered, and delivered, the promise of equal justice under the law. He assured his fellow citizens that this goal was within reach -- so long as they kept faith with one another, and maintained the courage and commitment to work toward it. And he urged them to do just that. By calling for no more -- and no less -- than equal justice. By standing up for the civil rights to which everyone is entitled. And by speaking out -- in the face of hatred and violence, in defiance of those who sought to turn them back with fire hoses, bullets and bombs -- for the dignity of a promise kept; the honor of a right redeemed; and the pursuit of a sacred truth that’s been woven through our history since this country’s earliest days: that all are created equal. Those who marched on Washington in 1963 had taken a long and difficult road -- from Montgomery, to Greensboro, to Birmingham; through Selma and Tuscaloosa. 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. Their focus, at that time, was the sacred and sadly unmet commitments of the American system as it applied to African Americans. As we gathered 50 years later, their march -- now our march -goes on. And our focus has broadened to include the cause of women, of Latinos, of Asian Americans, of lesbians, of gays, of people with disabilities and of countless others across this country who still yearn for equality, opportunity and fair treatment. We recognize that we are forever bound to one another and that we stand united by the work that lies ahead -- and by the journey that still stretches before us. We affirm that this struggle must, and will, go on in the cause of our nation’s quest for justice -- until every eligible American has the chance to exercise his or her right to vote, unencumbered by discriminatory or unnecessary procedures, rules or practices. It must go on until our criminal justice system can ensure that all are treated equally and fairly in the eyes of the law. And it must go on until every action we take reflects our values and that which is best about us. It must go on until those now living, and generations yet to be born, can be assured the rights and opportunities that have been too long denied to too many.
Civil Rights Leaders Lay out 21st Century Agenda By Suzanne Gamboa Associated Press
National Urban League CEO Marc Morial speaks during a series of programs featuring contemporary movement leaders discussing the legacy of the 1963 March on Washington in the new era of civil rights. The Rev. Al Shaprton (from left), president of the National Action Network, looks on with Melanie Campbell, president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, and Benjamin Todd Jealous, president and CEO of the NAACP, at the Aug. 23 event at the Grand Hyatt Hotel. A coalition of Black leaders issued what they said is the 21st century agenda for the nation on Aug. 23 as it marked the watershed civil rights event that helped bring about the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The 1963 march drew some 250,000 to the National Mall and ushered in the idea of massive, nonviolent demonstrations. The leaders -- including The National Urban League’s Marc Morial, the NAACP’s Benjamin Todd Jealous, the National Action Network’s Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation’s Melanie Campbell -- named economic parity, equity in education, voting rights, health care access and criminal justice reform as national policy priorities. On the day of the anniversary, President Barack Obama spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the same place King stood when he delivered his “I Have a Dream’’ speech. Obama was joined by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Churches and groups were asked to ring bells at 3 p.m. Aug. 28, marking the exact time King spoke. Organizers hoped this year’s event would serve to inspire people again to educate themselves about issues they see as making up the modern civil rights struggle. “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 Friday as she prepared to participate in the march. “Don’t wait until it’s at your front door. Don’t wait until something happens to your child. ... This is the time to act now. This is the time to get involved.’’