In a scene very much like the one in 1963 tens of thousands of people gathered on the National Mall this past Saturday, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington.  We've come a long way since then, but many feel not far enough.

facebook-youtube
facebook-youtube
loading...

Racism is becoming less and less acceptable here in America, but the fact is...it's still very much alive and well.  We still have a long way to go in stamping out the disease of hatred, prejudice and bigotry in the United States of America.  In the pursuit of Dr. Martin Luther King's dream, thousands turned out to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his historic march on Washington.

Tens of thousands listened as political and civil rights leaders reflected on Dr. King's legacy of racial progress over the last half-century and urged Americans to press forward in pursuit of King's dream of equality.

The event, was sponsored by the Rev. Al Sharpton's National Action Network, Martin Luther King III and the NAACP.  During the course of the day several speakers were featured, including King III, Sharpton, Attorney General Eric Holder, Newark Mayor Cory Booker and Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga.  Like Dr. King, they spoke from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, where 50 years ago.  Many optimistically addressed race relations issues here in America, acknowledging the progress as encouraging but incomplete. However, things like the Supreme Court's recent decision overturning parts of the 1965 Voting Rights Act and the shooting death of Trayvon Martin, were also addressed.

Dr. King III spoke of evidence of racial profiling.  Here's what he said:

facebook-youtube
facebook-youtube
loading...

Attorney General Eric Holder spoke about the reason why the march started and why we must continue the fight.  He also commended the work of civil rights leaders over the last 50 years, saying they made it possible for a black man to become attorney general - and president.


Here's a look back at Dr. King speaking about the civil rights movement.

More From 107 JAMZ