In less than 24 hours, tens of thousands of people will converge on the National Mall in Washington to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington.
Crews spent Tuesday preparing the area for the tens of thousands of people expected to show for tomorrow's anniversary. Visitors to The Mall offered their memories of the original march and their hopes for what will happen tomorrow.
"I did follow a lot of (the 1963 march) and I saw what happened and what transpired," said Landjur Abukusumo. "I see that we're trying to do the same thing now."
Abukusumo and his wife, Astuti Abukusumo, couldn't be in Washington in person for the 1963 march, but traveled from New Mexico to be here for the anniversary.
"I'm hoping we experience that same peace together, that same coming together as Americans," Astuti Abukusumo said.
For many, tomorrow's march goes beyond a call for racial equality. Zach Ruhl traveled from Oregon to be part of tomorrow's historic anniversary march. He's says the United States still needs to fight for the rights of voters and gay people.
"We've been talking about it for months now; looking forward to it," Ruhl said. "We've obviously made progress. Even now, there's a long ways to go."
An interfaith service is scheduled for 9 a.m. (ET) tomorrow at the King Memorial site. At 9:30 a.m., a march will commence through downtown Washington D.C. The commemoration is planned for 1 p.m. with President Barack Obama scheduled to speak at 3 p.m.
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