The Virtual March on Washington—designed to bring forward a bold National Black agenda — will take place Aug. 27 and 28, marking the 57th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.
This inclusive day of action seeks to channel the soaring energy from this national moment of reckoning and will call for reforms of the systems, structures, policies, and attitudes that enable police brutality and racial discrimination.
Organizers will also execute a robust civic engagement effort with multiple levers of change, including registering participants to vote and encouraging them to participate in the Census.
Event partners include the NAACP; the National Action Network; the National coalition on Black Civic Participation; the National Urban League; the Legal Defense Fund; the Lawyers committee for Civil Rights Under Law; and the Leadership Conference.
In 1963, leaders of the six prominent civil rights groups at the time joined forces in organizing the March on Washington. The group included Randolph, leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters; Wilkins, Executive Secretary of the NAACP; Dr. King, Chairman of the SCLC; James Farmer, founder of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE); John Lewis, President of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC); and Whitney Young, Executive Director of the National Urban League.
Dr. King, originally slated to speak for 4 minutes, went on to speak for 16 minutes, giving one of the most iconic speeches in history.
The 2020 Virtual March on Washington is about asking everyone — from protesters in the streets to elected officials at all levels of government — to commit to pursuing a new agenda that prioritizes equity, justice, and opportunity for all.There will be an interactive series of events and virtual experiences.
Events include music, reflections, panels, young activists on the first night. The Friday march will begin at 11 a.m. ET and will be convened by Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III. The Commitment March will gather at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. to restore and recommit to the dream Dr. King defined in 1963. The march will be streamed across multiple social media platforms.
Later that evening, beginning at 9 p.m. ET, the event will conclude with a night of virtual programming, including a major keynote address and musical performances by award-winning artists.
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