The 60th anniversary of the March on Washington took place in Washington, D.C. Organizers of the march included Martin Luther King III, his wife and Drum Major Institue President Arndrea Waters King, daughter Yolanda (or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s granddaughter), and National Action Network leader Rev. Al Sharpton. We see a right-wing backlash so vicious that far-right MAGA extremists want to revert to the 1950's instead of going forward in the 21st century. Jealous people in Georgia desire to target Fulton DA Fani Willis because she is fulfilling her duty to make sure that Trump and 18 other indicted people face accountability. The 60th anniversary is a continuation, not a commemoration. Many of the speakers in the rally spoke up for justice and equality for all people in the human race. They spoke out against gun violence, against racism, against sexism, and against anti-Semitsm. It's our duty to not only speak up against evil. We have to be active in constructive actions in helping society to grow. We have to expose liars like Ramaswamy who called Presley and Kendi as the "Modern KKK." The KKK murdered people, raped people, and burned down black churches to the ground. This stuff from Ramaswamy shows his racism and ignorance of history. Constructive actions must be done by us. These actions can be going on in city councils, working in the school system, registering people to vote, running for office, volunteering, mentoring kids, defending democratic rights, building up communities, working in STEM to help humanity, and being a light of wisdom for people. Each of us has a gift, and it is very important to be inspired by our audacious ancestors in making sure that the Dream in the future will develop into total fruition.
A lot has changed since August 28, 1963, when the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom began. Technology has massively evolved to include iPhones, Netflix, Meta, and artificial intelligence. Yet, victory for liberty and justice is not a reality yet. When voting rights are less now in 2023 than in 1965, then we have a serious problem. Our outrage at the status quo is justified. Many human beings today face police brutality, poverty, sexism, poverty (and other forms of economic oppression), xenophobia, and other forms of bigotry. The 1963 March on Washington and the overall civil rights movement was about bringing diverse people together in order to bring the federal government to fulfill its responsibilities to the people. The federal government has the responsibility to ensure the general welfare and promote justice for all in an indivisible fashion. That is not our reality now when states ban books, restrict voting rights, and seek to harm the free speech rights of peaceful protesters.
The criminal justice system, the wealth gap, and health care disparities will not be solved by moderate prescriptions or MAGA rhetoric. These evils can only be solved by structural and revolutionary change among all levels of government. The deaths of Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the 3 black people in Jacksonville, Florida show the epidemic of hate crimes in America. It shows that racism is a reality that seeks to destroy black lives literally. It's our just right to stand up for black lives from the poor and the homeless to others of every background. It is important to realize that the 1963 March on Washington (which was organized by tons of people like John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Cleveland Robinson, Bayard Rusin, Daisy Bates, Ann Arnold Hedgeman, A. Philip Randolph, etc.) wasn't just about the fight to end legalized Jim Crow apartheid. The march was about ending poverty, advancing a living wage, developing workers' rights, having fair education, developing housing, ending police brutality, and desiring full citizenship among black people.
Grassroots organizing is one major avenue where solutions are enacted, and the black freedom struggle overall has been always inspirational. Reactionary politicians like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (who advanced a shoot-on-sight policy against undocumented immigrants which is abhorrent) and four times indictment Donald Trump may want to have a vendetta against progressives, but we seek the opposite in promoting progressive values. It is not enough to end Jim Crow apartheid which should be gone. We have to also promote egalitarianism in making sure that economic and racial equality is real via a radical redistribution of economic and political power. It's the reality that when Dr. King promoted these aims including opposing imperialism (and the Vietnam War) via his Poor People's Campaign, that he would be assassinated in 1968. So, we have to be clear to unite with like-minded people to defend democratic freedoms wholeheartedly.
By Timothy
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