The Dream Continues: The March on Washington 50 Years Later

Growing up in Washington, DC, I was always keenly aware of the history that flowed down our city streets and around every corner. Imagine opening up your social studies book and realizing that you had walked down the same street as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the thousands who gathered 50 years ago for the historic March on Washington. This past Saturday, the streets of DC were alive once again, with busloads of students, churchgoers, activists, and curious onlookers gathered to remember and recreate that March on Washington. There were the union members handing out signs calling for more jobs; advocacy groups such as the National Urban League and their Young Professionals shouting out fun chants that preached positivity. There were the college students - from the historically black colleges and universities as well as from Berkeley College, a career-driven college with a sharp focus on employment after graduation. The black sororities and fraternities were there, as were the black churches, like Alfred Street Baptist Church in Historic Old Town Alexandria, VA, and preachers, such as the Rev. Marina Skinner of North Carolina. The day had the feel of a massive family reunion, with groups of friends, old and new, meeting up under the bright blue skies. The World War II Memorial acted as meeting place where one could take a seat by the fountains and away from that persistent cloud of mosquitoes that greets you among the trees alongside the Reflecting Pool. It was a very good day with families bringing their small children to experience history, and as the day went on, watching these little people asleep in their strollers, I wondered what their dreams will be:)

Remembering Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the March on Washington

This weekend, Washington, DC is getting ready to commemorate the March on Washington. As we remember the March, I want to remember one of the men at the center of this gathering - the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I am an alumna of Boston University's Graduate School of Theology, and knowing that I walked on the same hollowed ground upon which he did when he earned his Ph.D. in systematic theology from Boston University is humbling, yet energizing. And it makes me wonder if there is some current Boston University student who will be inspired to work for social justice.

Photograph by Shannon Finney, August 24, 2011, Washington, DC

Photograph by Shannon Finney, August 24, 2011, Washington, DC

Photograph by Shannon Finney, August 24, 2011, Washington, DC

Photograph by Shannon Finney, August 24, 2011, Washington, DC