Commemorating the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington
WASHINGTON - Tens of thousands of people filled the steps with the Lincoln Memorial today, commemorating and honoring the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington.
Fox 5’s Ayesha Khan spent the day gathering the sights and sounds along with important moments marking the historic day, 60 years ago.
60 years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. offered a grand vision of racial harmony for America's future with his "I Have a Dream" speech—tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday at the same spot where he spoke.
People who gathered at the Lincoln Memorial listened to leaders tell them -that while much has been attained, much remains unfinished.
Orators speaking from the steps where King once stood —outlined what they believe were promises which remain unfulfilled. That includes preserving voting rights, putting a stop to gun violence and police brutality—reducing economic disparity and achieving equal protection under the law.
"We are all in the same boat, and the boat is sinking, and we all should be concerned and here we come to celebrate the diversity and at the same time to challenge America to what America is supposed to be," says Bishop Herbert Daughtry of Civil Rights Movement Leader.
Among the thousands were people from all walks of life including more women, leaders of mostly all faiths and more people representing sexual diversity. Many said, they felt an inspiring sense of unity while witnessing history.
"Women are standing as leaders we have a black woman who is in the White House we have a black woman on the Supreme Court, and we are seeing that there is a commitment this year to uniting around an agenda," says Shavon Arline-Bradley, President and CEO of the National Council of Negro Woman.
Organizers of this year’s commemoration don’t see the event as an occasion for kumbaya —rather they believe The issues today —appear eerily similar to the issues back in 1963.
"We have done a lot of marches we’ve marched around so many issues, but this is a very important moment because so much is at stake we have so many things that we have to continue to fight for that Dr. King fought for in 1963, but the dream is not realized," says Rachel Noerdlinger, Spokeswoman for National Action Network.
A dream that wasn’t a commemoration rather a continuation that served as a reminder that there are no limits on what is possible.