Thousands gather for 60th anniversary of March on Washington

Monday is the 60th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington and the famous “I have a Dream” speech by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. On Saturday, thousands of people gathered on the National Mall to hear speeches by King’s son and other civil rights leaders who said the country remains riven by racial inequality and violence. “If I could speak to my grandfather today, I would say I’m sorry we still have to be here to rededicate ourselves to finishing your work and ultimately realizing your dream,” said Yolanda King, 15.

Class discussion: What civil rights progress followed the King’s March on Washington? What recent setbacks has the movement suffered? Do you think we are moving forward or backward in achieving the racial and economic equality that those 250,000 marchers were seeking 60 years ago? Does increased white supremacist and anti-Semitic rhetoric and violence worry you? Can we achieve King’s dream “that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal?”