[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 129 (Friday, September 2, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1537]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RECOGNIZING THE 48TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON

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                         HON. LAURA RICHARDSON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 2, 2011

  Ms. RICHARDSON. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, August 28, was the 48th 
anniversary of the historic March on Washington, the most famous act of 
peaceful protest in our nation's history. I rise to pay tribute to the 
great Americans who conceived, organized, executed and participated in 
the March for Jobs and Freedom. That march was a seminal event in our 
nation's history and awakened Americans of goodwill to the urgent need 
to rededicate ourselves to the great unfinished task of making real the 
promise of America for all Americans, especially African Americans.
  The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was a nonviolent, 
political demonstration that advocated for civil rights and economic 
justice for African Americans. The march and rally took place on the 
National Mall in Washington DC on August 28, 1963, the 100th 
anniversary of the issuance of President Lincoln's Emancipation 
Proclamation.
  Mr. Speaker, 1963 was a year of racial strife and unrest, preceded by 
centuries of legalized discrimination and inequality against African 
Americans, who faced higher levels of unemployment, lower wages, 
substandard housing and inferior educational opportunities.
  The march was organized by a coalition of religious, labor and civil 
rights organizations, including the ``Big Six'': Congress of Racial 
Equality (CORE), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), 
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); National Association 
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP); the National Urban 
League; and the International Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters.
  In May 1963, A. Phillip Randolph, President of the International 
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, wrote to Interior Secretary 
Stewart Udall requesting a permit for a march culminating at the 
Lincoln Memorial that fall. As preparations for the march on the mall 
went underway, the list of organizations participating in and 
sponsoring the event expanded significantly.
  On the day of the march, a quarter of a million people from all over 
the nation gathered at the Washington Monument and marched together to 
Lincoln's Memorial, where the crowd listened to musical performances, 
engaged in prayer and listened to inspirational speeches encouraging 
the crowd to stand up for their civil rights.
  The diversity of those in attendance was reflected in the event's 
speakers and performers including singers such as Bob Dylan and Marian 
Anderson and actors Harry Belafonte, Ossie Davis, and Ruby Dee. 
Attendees included people of all genders, races, religions, and 
nationalities. Among the luminaries who addressed the gathering was 
John Lewis, who was then the 23-year-old Chairman of the Student Non-
Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and now one of the most beloved 
members of the U.S. House of Representatives.
  It was at the March on Washington that the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr. delivered his famous, ``I Have a Dream'' speech which is 
universally considered by historians and scholars as one of the 
greatest speeches in American history. Beneath the gaze of President 
Lincoln, Dr. King challenged the Nation to make real the promise of 
America for all Americans and shared his dream that his ``four little 
children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by 
the color of their skin but by the content of their character.''
  The March on Washington was a defining moment of the rapidly 
expanding Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and is credited with 
galvanizing the federal government to enact the Civil Rights Act of 
1964.
  The March on Washington demonstrated the power of non violent direct 
action to effect social and political change. An enduring legacy of the 
March on Washington is that it was the model and inspiration for future 
social movements around the world, from Eastern Europe to South Africa 
to the Arab Spring uprisings witnessed earlier this year.
  Therefore, I rise with pride and gratitude for the brave and 
courageous men and women who worked to organize the March on 
Washington. They fought, struggled and risked their lives in order to 
ensure a better nation for future generations. The leaders of the Civil 
Rights Movement and the March on Washington will be forever remembered 
for their courageous leadership and sacrifices that made our country 
better.
  But, the best way to pay tribute to these heroes is to continue the 
fight for jobs and freedom. With the national unemployment rate above 9 
percent--and 15.9 percent for African Americans--joblessness in America 
has reached crisis proportions requiring dramatic action to put people 
back to work. Making sure that all Americans can find jobs that pay 
enough to raise a family, own a home, educate their children, and care 
for their parents is the pressing challenge of our time and is the 
unfinished work to which we must rededicate ourselves today.

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