Peace Activists Commemorate 50th Anniversary of March on Washington with Vigil and Procession from Vietnam Veterans Memorial to MLK Memorial
On August 23rd and 24th peace and anti-war activists will commemorate the historic March on Washington 50 years ago and give voice to Dr. Martin Luther King’s call to end racism, poverty and war.
On Friday night, August 23rd at 8pm United for Peace & Justice UFPJ, will Shine the Light of Peace in a candlelight procession, beginning with commemorative words and a wreath laying ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial followed by NYC Light Brigade offering visual messages at the Reflecting Pool (see examples at Facebook) on our way to the MLK Memorial for a closing ceremony.
On Saturday, August 24th, UFPJ and other peace and anti-war groups will also be participating in the March on Saturday. UFPJ will be distributing posters at 14th and Constitution to bring the message of peace to the streets.
Michael McPhearson, National Coordinator for United for Peace and Justice and 1st Gulf War Army veteran said, “I believe it is important for activists of all economic and social justice struggles to gather in Washington for this march because it is an essential part of our common history of struggle. As Martin Luther King Jr. said in his 1964 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, ‘All that I have said boils down to the point of affirming that mankind's survival is dependent upon man's ability to solve the problems of racial injustice, poverty, and war; the solution of these problems is in turn dependent upon man squaring his moral progress with his scientific progress, and learning the practical art of living in harmony.’”
“Many of the injustices facing the nation today mirror the issues of 1963 and in 1988. ” said UFPJ National Chair Lisa Fithian, who also took part in the 25th Anniversary commemorations of the March on Washington. “The attacks on working people, the voting rights act and now on women’s reproductive healthcare choices are only going to mobilize us more. Many people compare the killing of Trayvon Martin to the murder of Emmitt Till and the wars of today are against weaker and poorer nations resulting in the death of innocent people just like 50 years ago in Vietnam. With millions facing poverty and unemployment and the biggest wealth gap in history, it is time to heed the words of Dr. King and take action like never before, I look forward to seeing thousands in the streets”
For more information, visit United for Peace
On August 23rd and 24th peace and anti-war activists will commemorate the historic March on Washington 50 years ago and give voice to Dr. Martin Luther King’s call to end racism, poverty and war.
On Friday night, August 23rd at 8pm United for Peace & Justice UFPJ, will Shine the Light of Peace in a candlelight procession, beginning with commemorative words and a wreath laying ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial followed by NYC Light Brigade offering visual messages at the Reflecting Pool (see examples at Facebook) on our way to the MLK Memorial for a closing ceremony.
On Saturday, August 24th, UFPJ and other peace and anti-war groups will also be participating in the March on Saturday. UFPJ will be distributing posters at 14th and Constitution to bring the message of peace to the streets.
Michael McPhearson, National Coordinator for United for Peace and Justice and 1st Gulf War Army veteran said, “I believe it is important for activists of all economic and social justice struggles to gather in Washington for this march because it is an essential part of our common history of struggle. As Martin Luther King Jr. said in his 1964 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, ‘All that I have said boils down to the point of affirming that mankind's survival is dependent upon man's ability to solve the problems of racial injustice, poverty, and war; the solution of these problems is in turn dependent upon man squaring his moral progress with his scientific progress, and learning the practical art of living in harmony.’”
“Many of the injustices facing the nation today mirror the issues of 1963 and in 1988. ” said UFPJ National Chair Lisa Fithian, who also took part in the 25th Anniversary commemorations of the March on Washington. “The attacks on working people, the voting rights act and now on women’s reproductive healthcare choices are only going to mobilize us more. Many people compare the killing of Trayvon Martin to the murder of Emmitt Till and the wars of today are against weaker and poorer nations resulting in the death of innocent people just like 50 years ago in Vietnam. With millions facing poverty and unemployment and the biggest wealth gap in history, it is time to heed the words of Dr. King and take action like never before, I look forward to seeing thousands in the streets”
For more information, visit United for Peace