Scenes from 57th MOW – “Get Your Knee Off Our Neck”

These are a few scenes from the 57th Anniversary of the March on Washington. The event was convened by Rev. Al Sharpton and his National Action Network and co hosted with Martin Luther King, III. His daughter, Yolanda stole the show as she passionately admonished the large crowd to use their voice to create the change they seek.

Some who are not familiar with social movements ask the question – why protest? what does it achieve?

The strategy of protesting is simple – “to raise awareness of an issue” It is the beginning, not the middle or the end!

The event had a new twist due to Covid-19. Some criticized the organizers for planning the event which would bring hundreds of thousands to the Lincoln Memorial. Their thinking was it was too risky and posed a health threat. Rev. Sharpton committed to adhering to social-distancing standards and other precautions to allow those who attended to be safe. They did an outstanding job as the majority did heed to guidelines, including wearing facial covering. Another interesting note about the event was the crowd size. Many like to compare the original event which had over 250,000. In my estimation the event had approximately 150,000 present, however due to technology there were well over one million plus who watched the event around the globe via livestream.

One other important note about the event was due to Covid-19, Major League Baseball had to postpone its annual Jackie Robinson Day which traditionally is on April 15th. To coincide with Robinson’s involvement of social justice and being present at the 1963 march, the day was also commemorated.