Remembering The Dream

August 28, 2013 was the 50^th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The March was historic for many reasons. 

First, it was the largest peaceful gathering in an American city in the history of our nation.  Both the federal government and the government of Washington, DC were braced for the worse, as federal 

Dr. King delivers the "I Have A Dream Speech." Wikipedia

The 1963 view from the Lincoln Memorial.
Wikipedia 

troops were placed on stand-by. Never before had such large numbers of protesters descended on our nation's capital. The city was under siege and the nervous fears of potential violence ran deep.

Second, it was a demonstration which reflected all the colors and races that make up America.  People of all colors, ethnicity and religious backgrounds had joined together. Only a few years earlier, segregation was both the norm and the rule.  Here hundreds of thousands had all joined together in the spirit of cooperation and brotherhood.

  Third, for all the great accomplishments Dr. King achieved, this event firmly established him as a fixture in American History. It was during this event, staged on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, that Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. delivered his riveting “I have a Dream Speech.”  Surely, both the March and the speech equate to pivotal events in American History and particularly, the history of the American Civil Rights Movement.

To commemorate this historic milestone, a multitude of programs and events were scheduled and filled the week.  We recognize two of the most prominent of those events here.

On Saturday, August 24, 2013, marchers gathered again around the National Mall’s Reflecting Pool. Numerous speeches were presented including Martin Luther King III, Al Sharpton, the family of Trayvon Martin and many other notable celebrities and personalities.  Thousands of people had traveled from all over the country to honor this moment in history.  

Following the speeches, an honorary march from the Lincoln Memorial to the King Monument concluded Saturday's event.

On Monday, August 28, 2013, the actual anniversary of the original March, a separate ceremony aptly named “Let Freedom Ring Ceremony,” was conducted under drizzling skies.  Celebrities that addressed the moderate crowds included Jamie Fox, Forrest Whitaker, and Oprah Winfrey.  Among the many musical selections were presentations by Wintley Phipps, Shirley Caesar, the Winans and “Identity 4 Pop,” who provided a very stirring rendition of the National Anthem.

The King Family in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Theroot.com

The speakers included Georgia Congressman John Lewis, who as the National Chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, was also a presenter in 1963.  Several members of Dr. King’s family also addressed the crowd.

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton also addressed the crowd. President Carter credited Dr. King and his voter’s rights efforts for getting the three presidents on the platform elected.  President Clinton acknowledged, Dr. King’s Dream was not only a dream for African-Americans. It was a dream for all Americans.

President Obama and 16th Street Bptiast Church's Bell
Theroot.com

At 3:00 p.m., the hour at which Dr. King spoke in 1963, the bell from the bombed 16^th Street Baptist Church of Birmingham, Mississippi was rung to symbolically acknowledge that freedom continues to ring, and that Dr. King’s dream, although unrealized, lives on.

The “Let Freedom Ring” ceremony ended with President Barack Obama offering closing remarks.

The President reminded us the likes of Medgar Evers, Martin Luther King, Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman, and James Chaney did not die in vain. Dr. King and the March on Washington taught us all we don’t have to accept the status quo.  We can change things; every American has a choice in the path for our nation’s future.  We can continue on our current path, where the wheels of progression have grinded to a screeching halt, or we can learn from Dr. King. 

We can make a change for a better America,.  if like Dr. King, we put our differences aside, recognize and we embrace our similarities. As Dr. King said, "We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.  Whatever affect one directly, affects all indirectly." We can march toward a better day; we can march for a better economy; we can march for a better America; if we all can march for liberty and justice for all.

   

President Obama visits the MLK Monument.
DSCC.org

The one point that was continuously repeated in both ceremonies resonates in my mind.  It is the fact that although much has been accomplished since 1963, Dr. King’s Dream has not been achieved. Much more work is needed and is waiting to be done.

Myrlie Evers-Williams, wife of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers said it best-- that America had fallen asleep and; that we as a whole had forgotten about the movement.  But recent events have proven the struggle continues.  The events are stirring us to awaken and we see a need to pick up the torch and carry it forward.

The fight for equality, the right to vote, the need for jobs, fair wages, and access to adequate health care for all Americans must continue. The need and ability to pursue life, liberty and justice is just as important today as it was fifty years ago.

Remember the dream; pursue the dream. Make the dream a reality.