Is MLK's 'dream' still alive?
Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom brought together a legion of speakers pivotal to the Civil Rights Movement. A quarter of a million people were there on Aug. 28, 1963 — 60 years ago on Monday. The four words “I have a dream" stand out from King's speech that touched economics, police brutality, peaceful protests, voting and, of course, an end to racism.
King's oration would become one of the most famous speeches in American history. But it was also part of a much larger strategy to address an array of racial and economic injustices, many of which still resonate today – in education, housing and criminal justice reform. The anniversary of this iconic speech begs the question: 60 years after King's speech, where does the Civil Rights Movement stand in the United States?
Hi, I'm Nicole, and welcome to This is America, a Paste BN newsletter about social justice. This week we're diving into an exclusive Paste BN series that examines whether the United States has made sufficient progress since the 1963 March on Washington.
But first, check out these stories about race, gender and other social justice topics from our newsroom (and keep scrolling for more headlines below!):
- A California store owner was killed over a Pride flag. These are the consequences of hate.
- Black elementary school students are often singled out for assemblies about improving low test scores.
- In a state with high maternal mortality, Indiana's new abortion ban puts more women at risk.
- Move over David Copperfield. New magicians bring diversity to magic.
- ''Old Enough'' is the "Big Bisexual Book" of the summer. Here’s why bi representation matters.
What is the state of the Civil Rights Movement today?
To kick off the MLK series, Paste BN National Correspondent Marc Ramirez wanted to focus on similarities and differences between today's social justice movements and the causes of its predecessor:
"I was struck by historians’ observations that while today’s movement has learned and evolved from those of past decades, so too has its opposition, particularly in the absence of a rival power like the Soviet Union to ensure commitment to democratic principles," Ramirez said. "Hopefully that will be the takeaway for readers – that the struggle for equality and the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. continues and requires ongoing vigilance and effort from its advocates."
Listen to voices from history: Check out this special Paste BN docu-podcast featuring audio from witnesses who vividly recall what it was like to be there.
In another addition to the project, Paste BN Breaking News Reporter N'dea Yancey-Bragg examined how women — particularly Black women — played a role in the planning of the 1963 March on Washington, despite being mostly unable to share the spotlight with the prominent male leaders of the Civil Rights Movement. What surprised Yancey-Bragg Paste BN the most was that even women we now consider icons of the movement, like Rosa Parks, weren’t able to address the crowd that day.
"I can't help but wonder what they would've said if given the chance," she said. "I hope this series will help readers understand what a massive undertaking this event was and what a broad cultural impact it had, beyond the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.’s speech."
Wanna dive deeper? Here are a few more highlights from the series:
- Memories from the crowd at MLK’s March on Washington: An estimated quarter of a million people flocked to the National Mall that day in what would become the largest civil rights demonstration at the time.
- Where do MLK’s hopes for Black homeownership stand? One of the biggest roadblocks to building wealth for Black Americans is still in place: The housing gap has widened from the time it was legal to discriminate based on race.
- Black history is under attack: Opportunities to learn a more inclusive version of the country’s history are becoming more common in the nation’s public schools. And already, they’re being stamped out.
That's it for now, but I have a quick ask for you. We want to make this newsletter a space for dialogue and discussion. If you have ideas for topics you'd like to see in "This is America" feel free to email me nfallert@usatoday.com with comments and/or questions about content for this column. And, as always, take care — and keep scrolling for more social justice headlines from Paste BN.