60th March on Washington event merges Black America's current concerns with history
NBCSep 01, 2023
The Facts
On Saturday, thousands of Americans gathered at the Lincoln Memorial to mark the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington — a key event in the 1960s civil rights movement at which Martin Luther King Jr. gave his seminal "I Have a Dream" speech.
Hosted by a number of organizations, including Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network and the Drum Major Institute, the event was billed as a "continuation, not a commemoration" of the parade held on Aug. 28, 1963.
The Spin
Right narrative
As a patriot who loved America, Martin Luther King Jr. urged the nation to live up to its foundational creed — the self-evident truth that all human beings are created equals. While not ignoring color, he advocated that unity and justice should prevail without violence for the good of all mankind.
Left narrative
Martin Luther King Jr. certainly dreamed that racial inequality would dissipate in the US and that people would be judged exclusively by their character. However, a drive toward oneness is as harmful to achieving his dream as exaggerating the importance of social identities. People can accept one another for who they are when willing to engage their differences — such differences do not need to be erased.
