In the last two issues of this paper, we have talked about the reasons for the 1963 March on Washington, D.C., the sponsors and organizers of the March, the reasons for the March and the demands made by those who marched. As the organizing manual for the March stated “for more than a century we have written to Congressmen and visited Presidents. For more than a century our leaders have walked in the legislative halls bearing petitions and appeals. For more than a century our experts have drafted and proposed far-sighted remedies for the diseases that beset our society…. Now in keeping with the new and more profound concept of lobbying, we are inviting Congressmen and Senators to come to us to hear our demands for jobs and Freedom Now.”
In discussing who would march, the manual stated:
“All Americans of good will who will subscribe to the aims and purposes of the March; all Americans who demand an end to the twin evils of racism and economic degradation. Politically, the March is non-partisan. Neither funds nor sponsorship will be accepted from political parties. “Organizational sponsorship is invited only from the established Civil Rights organizations, from major religious and fraternal groups,and from labor unions. Other groups are invited to publicize the march.
Clearly a great deal of planning went into preparation for this March. Not everyone was in agreement on what became one of the greatest events in the history of this country. The sad reality is that the gains made from those efforts of 50 years ago are being lost or taken away. This Saturday when 750,000 people gather in Washington, D.C., they will not be commemorating a March, but continuing a struggle which has taken on new shapes and meaning. Today instead of asking the Congress of the United States for a Voting Rights Act, we have the U.S. Supreme Court gutting the very act we fought for and we have a host of southern states enacting Voting Identification Card laws that will reduce the number of African American and other minority voters because of their inability to provide the documentation needed for such state IDs. Poor Blacks who marched and fought for the right to vote will lose that right in their twilight year because they never had a need to acquire a state identification card.
This week we must march to continue the struggle. Here in San Diego, we will gather on Saturday morning at the John Kennedy Park off 47th and T Street, one block south of Ocean View Blvd and behind the Porter Elementary School from the hours of 10am to 12:00 noon for a local re-connect with the struggle that started 50 years ago. If you are not in Washington, D.C., then you should be at the Park.
