50th Anniversary Of The March On Washington: President Obama’s Proclamation

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On Friday, President Obama presented this proclamation celebrating the 50th Anniversary of The March On Washington, which was held August 28th, 1963.

That event, which drew 250,000 people, was the place where one of the greatest speeches ever given was delivered by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This speech:

march_on_washington_2 The 50th Anniversary Of The March On Washington

On August 28th, 2013, there will be a new march on Washington to celebrate the one held 50 years ago. It will occur, starting with a new “March for Jobs and Justice” and culminate with President Obama’s speech, right at the place where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his great speech 50 years ago.

You can visit 50th Anniversary March Website to join us.

Here is President Obama’s proclamation:

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release August 23, 2013

50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON

FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM

– – – – – – –

BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

A PROCLAMATION

On August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands converged on the

National Mall to take part in what the Reverend Dr. Martin

Luther King, Jr., called “the greatest demonstration for freedom

in the history of our nation.” Demonstrators filled the

landscape — from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, alongside

the still waters of the reflecting pool, to the proud base of

the Washington Monument. They were men and women; young and

old; black, white, Latino, Asian, and Native American — woven

together like a great American tapestry, sharing in the dream

that our Nation would one day make real the promise of liberty,

equality, and justice for all.

The March on Washington capped off a summer of discontent,

a time when the clarion call for civil rights was met with

imprisonment, bomb threats, and base brutality. Many of the

marchers had endured the smack of a billy club or the blast of

a fire hose. Yet they chose to respond with nonviolent

resistance, with a fierce dignity that stirred our Nation’s

conscience and paved the way for two major victories of the

Civil Rights Movement — the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the

Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Today, we remember that the March on Washington was a

demonstration for jobs as well as freedom. The coalition that

brought about civil rights understood that racial equality and

fairness for workers are bound together; when one American gets

a raw deal, it jeopardizes justice for everyone. These are

lessons we carry forward — that we cannot march alone, that

America flourishes best when we acknowledge our common humanity,

that our future is linked to the destiny of every soul on earth.

It is not enough to reflect with pride on the victories of

the Civil Rights Movement. In honor of every man, woman, and

child who left footprints on the National Mall, we must make

progress in our time. Let us guard against prejudice — whether

at the polls or in the workplace, whether on our streets or in

our hearts — and let us pledge that, in the words of Dr. King,

“we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters

and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the

United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in

me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do

hereby proclaim August 28, 2013, as the 50th Anniversary of the

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March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. I call upon all

Americans to observe this day with appropriate programs,

ceremonies, and activities that celebrate the March on

Washington and advance the great causes of jobs and freedom.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this

twenty-third day of August, in the year of our Lord

two thousand thirteen, and of the Independence of the

United States of America the two hundred and thirty-eighth.

BARACK OBAMA

Stay tuned.

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