50th Anniversary March on Washington: Full Coverage

By FinalCall.com News | Last updated: Aug 28, 2013 - 9:21:39 AM

(FinalCall.com) - As America marked the 50th Year Anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, many perspectives were voiced and reflections given. The Final Call provides full coverage and highlights.

Unfinished business in America
WASHINGTON - Everything has changed and nothing has changed in the 50 years since the March on Washington in 1963.

And tens of thousands left the 2013 March on Washington hearing vows to push Congress to restore voting rights gutted by the Supreme Court and plans to lobby Congress for passage of a jobs bill.

But while the celebration and commemoration were spirited and filled with moving symbolism, there were also questions about its tone, agenda, destination and shut out of some voices. Read full article...

Farrakhan asks: 'What is the best way forward?'
Dr. King was so much more than what has been portrayed in the media, and through historical revisionism, said Min. Farrakhan during his weekly address on Aug. 24, 2013.

“Fifty years ago, when the historic March on Washington took place, the cry at that time was for jobs and justice,” said the Minister. “Fifty years later, we are now at nearly fifty million Black people in America in a completely dependent condition at a time when the economy of America and the world is in a steady decline,” he said. Read full article...

We shall overcome— but when and how?
Civil rights leaders, politicians, educators and citizens from various walks of life are returning to their cities, many renewed by the 50th Anniversary March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom under the historic Civil Rights refrain, “We shall overcome.” But when and how are questions still lingering since the first March in 1963. Read full article...

Dr. Boyce Watkins offers candid view on 2013 March on Washington
Dr. Boyce Watkins, writer, organizer and academic says, it’s difficult to watch the 2013 commemoration of the March on Washington because it was disrespectful to Dr. King, Malcolm X and others who struggled hard for justice.

Most leaders of this march would have disinvited Dr. King today because of his message, said Dr. Watkins, in an exclusive interview the morning after the Aug. 24 march in Washington, D.C. Read full article...

Finding the path to unity
When the conveners of the gathering to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington released a five-point agenda, the overarching message was, it’s time for a change.

Holding a copy of the “21st Century Agenda for Jobs and Freedom,” National Urban League CEO Marc Morial spoke not only of a new plan for meeting Black needs but of using a new weapon—unity. Read full article...

Talk of unity and a common agenda
WASHINGTON - Conveners of a gathering to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington released a five-point agenda as a first step toward a public policy list for Black America.

The agenda offers a foundation and statement of principle that hopefully others will embrace and help craft strategies to accomplish the goals, said the Urban League CEO. Read full article...

'It's like we knew racism existed but we forgot'
WASHINGTON (FinalCall.com) - The 50th anniversary for the March on Washington inspired many groups to come together and discuss what has changed since the historic 1963 march and how much more work needs to be done to change the plight of Black America.

In northwest D.C., the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation, NAACP and other groups hosted a civic and Black youth leadership conference. There were several workshops Aug. 23 where participants discussed varied topics and issues impacting young people and what can be done to improve American society. Read full article...

Latino leader: King's vision is ours, too
WASHINGTON - Year 2013 marks the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.’s widely referenced “I Have a Dream” speech. In true commemoration, we must not simply recite, march, and reenact the physical rituals that symbolize the great efforts our predecessors did to create a new reality; we must strive to invoke the self-less spirit that led to the march. Read full article...

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