Friend — More than half a century ago, organizers, labor leaders, and social justice activists, including A. Philip Randolph, Daisy Bates, Roy Wilkins, Anna Arnold Hedgeman, John Lewis, Dorothy Height, Whitney Young, Josephine Baker, Myrlie Evers, Bayard Rustin, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., among others, led the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
The date was August 28, 1963, over a century after emancipation. More than 250,000 people gathered in the nation’s capital to protest deep-seated racial discrimination and segregation, and to demand economic justice, voting rights, and civil rights protections.
Now, 60 years later, democracy is facing its greatest threat in years. Hate crimes, racial violence, the erasure of Black history, and extremism are on the rise. The courts, Congress, and state governments across the country are becoming emboldened to overturn hard-won civil rights victories and attack our fundamental freedoms. The moment calls for us all to speak out and fight for our civil rights.
I am deeply honored to be joining and speaking at the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington on August 26 at our nation’s capital, proudly standing alongside many fearless leaders in the movement for racial justice and civil rights. I hope you can join us too, friend.
If you're in the area, please consider participating in the March on Washington next Saturday, August 26, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. to demonstrate our tireless commitment for justice and equality.
When I think about where we are today in the fight for immigrants’ rights and basic human dignity, I am reminded of the civil rights movement.
In the 1950s and 60s, Black communities experienced unimaginable suffering due to the worst excesses of white supremacy manifesting across the country. Fire hoses, lynchings, and police dogs were turned on them. Men, women and children were savagely beaten, maimed, and murdered out in the open. It's no surprise that it’s in those same states today that immigrants and communities of color are being targeted for who we are and what we look like.
In the wake of continuing injustices and incursions on our human rights, do I feel despair sometimes? Yes. Do I feel that this fight is taking too long? Yes. But as I have those thoughts, I also find myself reflecting on past social justice movements, like the March on Washington in 1963. What allowed us to move forward and make progress then was the fight for justice — a fight led by the people most impacted.
That’s why we are calling on you to join arm in arm with us in this fight for humanity, equality, and freedom on August 26 in Washington, D.C. to show Congress, state governments, and the courts that we will not stand for injustices or ever back down from attacks on our communities.
Giving up is not an option. We will eventually win because we have to. Our ancestors and the brave freedom fighters who came before us achieved victory, and we will too.
As Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Together, we can bend that arc toward justice.
We look forward to seeing you on August 26.
Kica Matos
President
National Immigration Law Center
P.S. Can’t join the March in Washington in person? Help us spread word about the event on social media.
