50 Years Later: DC Events Honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s Legacy
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In the wake of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, riots rocked Washington, D.C. Fifty years later, demonstrators marched for peace, equality and justice. News4’s Mark Segraves reports.
The A.C.T to End Racism Rallybegan at 7 a.m. with an hour-long silent march from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial to the National Mall, followed by an interfaith service. Then, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., a rally and call to commitment on the Mall featured speakers such as Danny Glover, DeRay Mckesson, Louis Gossett, Jr., Yolanda Adams and more.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser laid a wreath at the MLK Memorial at 11 a.m.; D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton also attended.
The Initiative to Observe the 50th Anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Assassination started at 3 p.m. at Shepherd Park at the intersection of Martin Luther King Jr. Ave and Malcolm X Avenue SE. Speakers will include Parkland High School survivor Demitri Hoth, local gun violence activist Zion Kelly, D.C. Councilmember Trayon White and more. The event included musical performances and a 39-second moment of silence to remember King at 6:05 p.m.
Drummers for Justice held a drumming circle in memory of King at the Reeves Center at 14th and U streets NW from 5 to 7 p.m.
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As we celebrate Martin Luther King's birth on January 20, we take a look back at the landmark march and his speech Aug. 28, 1963. An estimated 200,000 to 300,000 people from across the country gathered at the Lincoln Memorial for the March on Washington on that day.
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Dotted lines locate the assembly area of the March on Washington. Marchers gathered near the Washington Monument and paraded down Constitution and Independence avenues to converge on the Lincoln Memorial.
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President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson met with civil rights leaders at the White House following the March on Washington to talk about bi-partisan support for civil rights legislation, though not all marchers were in support of the administration's legislation.
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John Lewis, center, national chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, explains protective measures to two white students participating in the civil rights movement on July 18, 1963.
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Workmen install a telephone junction box near the Washington Monument, Aug. 25, 1963, to provide a general communications system at the Monument grounds.
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Stacks of signs asking for civil rights action were placed at the Washington Monument grounds the day before the march by volunteers.
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The marble statue of Abraham Lincoln illuminated during the march as civil rights leaders spoke.
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The top of the Washington Monument and part of a U.S. flag are reflected in the sunglasses of Austin Clinton Brown, 9, of Gainesville, Ga., as he poses at the Capitol where he joined others in the March on Washington.
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Two young men sit under a piece of cardboard to shield themselves from the sun. By the days' end, 35 Red Cross stations had treated 1,335 people for heat exhaustion at the March on Washington.
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Young white demonstrators with painted equal signs on their forehead walk to the March on Washington.
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Folk singers Joan Baez and Bob Dylan were among the artists who performed at the March on Washington.
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The "Peace, Jobs and Freedom" march commemorated the 1963 civil rights demonstration led by Martin Luther King Jr.
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Many newspapers, signs and placards were handed out at the Lincoln Memorial as March on Washington demonstrators heard speeches by prominent civil rights leaders.
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Army military policemen line up at Washington Monument grounds for duty during the March on Washington.
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A group of less than 100 Americans living in Israel followed an appeal to support the anti-segregation march in Washington.
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Young women sing sit-in songs at the New Haven bus terminal on August 28, 1963 just before their departure for Washington, D.C. to take part in the March on Washington.
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An aerial view shows the shadow of the Washington Monument as it points toward the spot where line forms for the March on Washington parade.The photo was made a by camera which was mounted on a pole and held out of window at top of monument. (AP Photo)
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Workers at the Washington Monument headquarters at the March on Washington help pin armbands on each other. (AP Photo)
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Kathleen Johnson of Newark, N.J. gets help from marchers assembled near the Lincoln Memorial as part of the March On Washington.. Mrs. Johnson fell into the reflecting pool near the memorial while trying to take a photograph of the area. (AP Photo)
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Members of the Savannah, Ga., NAACP delegation arrive in Washington D.C., to join the March On Washington demonstration. They are shown leaving Union Station. (AP Photo)
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Martin Luther King, Jr., Roy Wilkins, Whitney H. Young, and other civil rights leaders pose below the Lincoln Statue at the Lincoln Memorial.
Courtesy of Ginnel Real Estate
In this Aug. 28, 1963 photo, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, gestures during his "I Have a Dream" speech as he addresses thousands of civil rights supporters gathered in Washington, D.C.
The People's March For Justice, Equality and Peace held a candlelight vigil, and a march will travel from Howard University to Ben's Chili Bowl at 1213 U St. NW. Organizers said the march was in solidarity with Black Lives Matter, immigrant rights, LGBTQ rights and more. The march ended outside Ben's Chili Bowl with speeches and music.
Bishop Michael Kelsey, the New Samaritan Baptist Church choir, the Duke Ellington School of the Arts and dignitaries and leaders gathered to honor King's legacy at The Memorial Foundation (633 Pennsylvania Ave. NW) at 6:30 p.m.
The Washington National Cathedral will hold a special service Wednesday to honor Martin Luther King Jr. on the 50th anniversary of his death. News4's Shomari Stone reports.
