On August 28, 1963, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood at the Lincoln Memorial and delivered the iconic “I Have A Dream” speech. This past Saturday, civil rights leaders, politicians and everyday citizens marked the 50th anniversary of the occasion.
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William Griffin, 88, who also attended the original march in 1963, was proud to be present once again 50 years later. “At the time, you wondered whether it was going to do any good, whether it was going to have any results,” he said, while marveling at the advances made over the past half century.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who happens to be the first African American to hold the position, was also on hand.
“Our focus has broadened to include the cause of women, of Latinos, of Asian Americans, of lesbians, of gays, of people with disabilities. And of countless others across this great country who still yearn for equality,” Holder said. “I know that in the 21st century we will see an America that is more perfect and more fair.”
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“Me and my generation cannot now afford to sit back consuming all of our blessings, getting dumb, fat and happy thinking we have achieved our freedoms,” said Cory Booker, the 44-year-old mayor of Newark, N.J., who is a Democratic candidate for Senate.
Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, the only surviving speaker from the original 1963 event, said the most brutal days of the civil rights struggle “for the most part are gone.” But he said the struggle for a more perfect America goes on.
“We cannot give up. We cannot give out. And we cannot give in,” Lewis said.
