‘March on Washington’ draws tens of thousands
Tens of thousands of people arrived on the National Mall in Washington, DC, beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday under mostly sunny skies, to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the historic Civil Rights event – “The March on Washington.”
The meeting spot in the morning for the huge crowd was the famed Lincoln Memorial, where many of the speeches for the day took place. The gathering planned in the early afternoon moved over to the Martin Luther King Memorial, also on the Mall.
Heading up the festivities was the Rev. Al Sharpton, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and Martin Luther King III. In addition, a wide coalition of nationally-based Civil Rights and Peace & Justice groups, Labor organizations, Immigrant Rights advocates, Postal and Hotel Workers and Gay & Lesbian supporters, among others, showed up to champion this important demonstration as part of the ongoing struggle for justice.
The major theme for the spirited happening was: “Realize the Dream!” At around 4 p.m., the closing speech for the day was scheduled to be made. See for a partial listing of sponsoring groups here.
To learn more details about the 2013 March on Washington, including the latest estimate on the attendance figures, please visit the National Action Network.
Bill Hughes is an attorney, author, actor and photographer. His latest book is “Byline Baltimore.” It can be found at: https://www.amazon.com/William-Hughes/e/B00N7MGPXO/ref=dp_byline_cont_book_1
Nice to know John Lewis is still with us.