Washington's Lincoln Memorial and the National Mall will be active this week as the nation marks a half century since the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. declared "I Have A Dream" in a pivotal moment of the fight against racial discrimination.
The observances begin Saturday, Aug. 24, with a march from the Lincoln Memorial to the King Memorial, led by the Rev. Al Sharpton and King's son, Martin Luther King III. They will be joined by the parents of Trayvon Martin, and family members of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old boy who was kidnapped, beaten and shot in the head in 1955 after he was accused of flirting with a white woman.
President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak at the "Let Freedom Ring" ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 28, the anniversary of King's speech on Aug. 28, 1963. He will be joined by former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Along with their speeches, there will be a nationwide bell ringing at 3 p.m. EDT to mark the exact time King delivered his "I Have A Dream" speech, with which the march is most associated. The events were organized by The King Center in Atlanta and a coalition of civil rights groups.
Separately, a smaller march, led by people who participated in the 1963 event and young scholars and athletes, will make its way from Georgetown Law School in Washington to the Department of Labor, then the Justice Department and finally the National Mall. The group plans to march behind a replica of the bus that Rosa Parks was riding in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger.
To see more event details, visit the #mlkdream50 website at officialmlkdream50.com/
