Nearly 70,000 marchers return to National Mall 57 years after MLK’s ‘I Have a Dream’ speech

Friday’s march themed ‘Get Your Knee Off Our Necks’

Fifty seven years ago Friday, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, and delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, pushing for racial justice.

In commemoration of King’s speech, around 70,000 marchers returned to the same location with the message that the dream has yet to be fully realized.

”We will fulfill my grandfather’s dream,” shouted Dr. King Jr.’s granddaughter from the podium on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Since the legendary moment in 1963, perceived racial injustices against people of color like George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and most recently Jacob Blake, have continued the cries for equity.

”If we look at all of the shootings that we have of African American males, we look at placing a knee on George Floyd’s neck. That was a lynching,” said President of the San Antonio chapter of the NAACP Dr. Gregory Hudspeth via Zoom. “We understand now as we see those same issues happening again today. But that is a dream that is deferred. That is, we’re not there yet.”

Under the theme “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks,” marchers traveled from the Lincoln Memorial to the Martin Luther King Jr. Monument, condemning ongoing racial injustices.

”That’s what we’re here for because we know if it doesn’t change now, when will it change?” one marcher said.

Notable figures like reverend Al Sharpton, and Martin Luther King Jr’s son, MLK III, also withstood the heat and put pandemic fears aside, speaking out at the demonstration.

The march was scheduled to wrap up around 3 p.m., but here in San Antonio, the NAACP is inviting everyone to continue the mission with their organization. To learn more, call 210 224-7636 or click here.

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About the Authors:

Luis Cienfuegos is a photographer at KSAT 12.