Courtesy of The Grio
When Dr. King spoke to the hundreds of thousands of Americans gathered at the National Mall fifty years ago, he declared that “1963 is not an end, but a beginning.” So as we commemorate the momentous occasion of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, we don’t look just to the past; we also look to the future.
If 1963 was a beginning, where does American stand a half century along the journey?
Certainly, America has come a long way. On Wednesday, fifty years to the day after Dr. King spoke on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, America’s first black president will address the crowd that gathers. And all Americans recognize the incredible significance.
But there’s still work to be done. Marchers came to Washington in 1963 to claim their right to the American Dream. We can’t rest until that dream is in reach for every American.
On Monday, at an RNC luncheon commemorating the March, we heard from many individuals who had witnessed history and made history, among them Robert J. Brown, who worked alongside Dr. King, advised a president, and became a successful businessman; Bob Woodson, who has dedicated his life to building communities and transforming lives, schools, and neighborhoods through the Center for Neighborhood Enterprise; and T.W. Shannon, the first black Speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.
Each had their own story to tell, but in their own ways each echoed a common theme: we’ve made progress, but there’s work to be done.
