Thousands Arrive for New March on Washington
Tens of thousands gathered early Saturday on the nation’s “front yard,” the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial, yearning for a bit of that transcendent sense of racial unity heralded on this spot by the Rev. Martin Luther King 50 years ago in his “I Have a Dream” speech.
With a message that the nation’s racial tension remains unfinished to this day, aging veterans of the original March on Washington gathered with younger generations, amassing a crowd that in contrast is more female, more Hispanic, more diverse by sexual orientation and far more tech-savvy than 50 years ago.
Rumbling into the city on a bus this morning from Asbury Park, N.J., was 16-year-old Qion Nicholson, whose only knowledge of the original event were things gained from studies. He says he now feels like part of an historical addendum.
“I’m grateful to be living in today’s era,” says Nicholson, of Sayreville. “The (original) march meant so much for our country.”