Today Matters: Connect With The March On Washington

Laura’s Team Pick:

Fifty years ago today, an estimated quarter-million people gathered in the nation’s capitol for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Today, crowds return to remember the landmark protest and the anniversary of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr‘s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Rev. King delivers his speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963. via History.com.

Rev. King delivers his speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963. via History.com.

This morning, the commemorative march began at 9 a.m. and traveled 1.6 miles before ending it the same place Rev. King gave his monumental speech 50 years ago.

According to the schedule, there are some pretty awesome presentations planned for the rest of the afternoon, including speeches from Oprah, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, Martin L. King III. If you’re only going to watch one, though, your best bet is probably President Obama at 3:05. (Live stream available via WPTV.)

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Today’s crowd outside the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 2013.

If you prefer to go old school, NPR’s @Todayin1963 Twitter account is another great way to get connected. Run by Kat Chow of NPR’s Code Switch, the account is “live tweeting” the March as it happened 50 years ago. (Again, you want to keep an eye out for the 3:05 speech; that’s when Rev. King delivered “I Have a Dream.”)

How are you connecting with the march’s anniversary?

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Laura Mandanas

Laura Mandanas is a Filipina American living in Boston. By day, she works as an industrial engineer. By night, she is beautiful and terrible as the morn, treacherous as the seas, stronger than the foundations of the Earth. All shall love her and despair. Follow her: @LauraMWrites.

Laura has written 210 articles for us.

4 Comments

  1. I work at a library, a lot of people have been asking for the transcript of the speech today. We’ve printed out copies for anyone who wants to take them. So far, pretty popular and easy way to show some respect.

  2. Thanks for covering this Laura! It’s REALLY sad to see commenters on articles about the 50th anniversary complaining about why the nation continues to bring up Martin Luther King Jr, his speech, and how it isn’t necessary anymore. >_< I wish I could have been there in person! Sadly, watching the recorded speeches will have to do.

  3. Obama’s speech was one of the best that he has had in his entire presidency. Youtube it people!

  4. it’s been hard to think about (for me at least) because of news that Obama’s administration is weighing air strikes in Syria. Dr. King was a critic of the Cold War and Vietnam and our national security state has become such a Frankenstein since his death, I can only imagine what he would say of things now.

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