50 Years Later Following the March On Washington

This past week was a big anniversary when it came to the fight for justice here in the United States. For it was 50 years ago on August 28, 1963, that the Civil Rights March on Washington took place.

 Photo from Hulton Archive

The March on Washington represented a crescendo in the movement for racial equality in America. It wasn't just that people were marching either. They were voicing their opinions, participating in sit-ins and boycotts, being beaten and even killed for challenging the law of the land in which they were not merely seen as unequal, but forever subjugated to a second class existence.

Martin Luther King typically gets most of the credit and acclaim when we look back on the March on Washington, but there were a bevy of people who also made the moment so special. People such as: Fannie Lou Hamer, Medgar Evers, Bayard Rustin, Dorothy Height, Rosa Parks, and countless other young people as well who took part in the movement. Their sacrifices are ultimately what lead the groundwork for the U.S. finally beginning to live up to its creed nearly 200 years after the signing of the Constitution. As great and symbolic as the March on Washington was in 1963, we can't stop there. We must keep moving forward everyday.

Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King and His Enduring Legacy 45 Years Later

April 4th, 1968, is a day that many people of an older generation will never forget. Neither should any of us.

For that was the day of Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination in Memphis,Tennessee. Following his assassination, President Lyndon Johnson announced a day of mourning for the man who was instrumental in the struggle for racial equality in the United States. In the aftermath of King's death, there was grief, despair, anger, rage, and sadly, riots. Despite this however, King's legacy in the 45 years proceeding his death, has only become more emblazoned in our national consciousness.