Thousands Mark 60th Anniversary of March on Washington

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Facts

  • On Saturday, thousands of Americans gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to mark the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington — a key event in the 1960s civil rights movement at which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his seminal 'I Have a Dream' speech.1
  • Hosted by a number of organizations, including Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network and the Drum Major Institute, the event was billed as a 'continuation, not a commemoration' of the parade held on Aug. 28, 1963.2
  • The five-hour program featured high-profile speakers, including several members of the King family, many of whom alleged that recent SCOTUS rulings and national legislation have rolled back racial progress, harmed civil rights, and amplified hate crimes.3
  • Saturday's rally contrasted the historic demonstration, as it featured several female speakers and supporters of LGBTQ+ and Asian Americans rights. It also had a more modest turnout, compared to the 250K attendees in 1963.4
  • Pres. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are expected to meet organizers of the March and King's relatives on Monday — on the anniversary of an Oval Office meeting between King and then-President John F. Kennedy — to commemorate the event at the White House.5
  • Earlier, a Pew Research Center survey found that 47% of Americans say that King has had a very positive impact on the US, while 60% said they have heard or read at least a fair amount of his 'I Have a Dream' speech.6

Sources: 1Reuters, 2NBC, 3NPR Online News, 4Associated Press, 5Roll Call and 6Pew Research Center.

Narratives

  • Right narrative, as provided by FOX News. As a patriot who loved America, Martin Luther King Jr. urged the nation to live up to its foundational creed — the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equals. While not ignoring color, he advocated that unity and justice should prevail without violence for the good of all mankind.
  • Left narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Martin Luther King Jr. certainly dreamed that racial inequality would dissipate in the US and that people would be judged exclusively by their character. However, a drive toward oneness is as harmful to achieving his dream as exaggerating the importance of social identities. People can accept one another for who they are when willing to engage their differences — such differences do not need to be erased.