1963 March

MAYOR KURT L. SCHMOKE, Rep. Kweisi Mfume and other politicians, local and national, are taking a big risk by endorsing Monday's Million Man March that is the brainchild of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan."

RETURNING home from reporting on the 1983 March on Washington, my head buzzed with images from the stage.This past week's Million Man March in Washington left me with very different images. Now, nearly a week after the gathering, the things most vividly etched in my mind took place far from the stage on the nation's Mall. Mostly they are unusually poignant events that created contemplative moments.Most of these were small acts, some of kindness, like the young man who gave his seat to an elderly woman on a standing-room-only train packed with march-bound participants.

The Howard County NAACP plans to take 100 people to the 30th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington tomorrow.The Rev. Bowyer G. Freeman, president of the county branch, was too young to attend the 1963 march but says he's looking forward to attending this one.Mr. Freeman said the focus of this year's march will be on economic empowerment.The original march was billed as a "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom."Two buses will leave at 8 a.m. from the First Baptist Church, 7504 Oakland Mills Road in Guilford.

If 1 million men actually show up in Washington Monday for the Million Man March, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan will have staged an event of truly historic proportions.It will easily dwarf the 1963 March on Washington during which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his immortal "I Have a Dream" speech. It will eclipse the massive anti-Vietnam War rallies of 1969 and 1971. And it will far exceed all Washington marches on behalf of gay rights, pro-choice, anti-abortion and labor solidarity.

Washington.--Organizers of the 30th-anniversary civil-rights march on Washington have scaled back their earlier crowd expectations. At first, organizers said they expected 500,000, double the size of the original march made famous by Martin Luther King's historic ''I have a dream'' speech.But, with the big event only a few days away, former District of Columbia congressional delegate Walter Fauntroy, who also directed the 1963 march, would vaguely predict only ''tens of thousands'' at a press conference of march organizers.

WASHINGTON -- Thousands of people from across ethnic, gender and social lines are expected to converge on the capital tomorrow to mark the 30th anniversary of the country's most famous civil rights march.Organizers and participants say that, in some ways, this march is even more critical to the future of disenfranchised Americans than its predecessor."Thirty years ago, we were concerned with social justice and political justice," says Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., executive director of the NAACP.

WASHINGTON -- Eight days before the commemoration of the 1963 march on Washington that helped galvanize support for civil rights legislation, organizers are fighting what appears to be lukewarm interest and the prospect of a disappointing turnout.Nevertheless, organizers still hope to rekindle the spirit of the march that produced Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" oration, perhaps the most famous speech of the civil rights era, and to use the commemoration as a catalyst for pressing a broad legislative agenda.

Washington. -- Saturday we saw in this nation's capital a pitiably feeble re-enactment of the great civil-rights March on Washington of 1963. That was the occasion on which Martin Luther King Jr. articulated his dream of a new, great America of racial and social justice.The 30th-anniversary ''march'' was for old-timers an embarrassment. So it probably was an honest commentary about what this country has done to King's dream.When that historic protest march occurred 30 years ago, black children were being battered and bloodied simply for trying to buy a hamburger or drink a cola in Jim Crow restaurants or fancy Southern department stores.

WASHINGTON -- The agenda is bigger, but the crowds probably will be smaller at tomorrow's march commemorating the day three decades ago when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of his dream of an America where people "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."Many objectives of the 1963 march for civil rights have been met -- voting rights, an end to government-enforced segregation, national legislation protecting the rights of blacks -- but rally organizers say they hope this year's march will spark a revival of activity for the rights movement rather than just a celebration of past victories.

If 1 million men actually show up in Washington Monday for the Million Man March, Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan will have staged an event of truly historic proportions.It will easily dwarf the 1963 March on Washington during which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his immortal "I Have a Dream" speech. It will eclipse the massive anti-Vietnam War rallies of 1969 and 1971. And it will far exceed all Washington marches on behalf of gay rights, pro-choice, anti-abortion and labor solidarity.

MAYOR KURT L. SCHMOKE, Rep. Kweisi Mfume and other politicians, local and national, are taking a big risk by endorsing Monday's Million Man March that is the brainchild of Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan."

Washington. -- Saturday we saw in this nation's capital a pitiably feeble re-enactment of the great civil-rights March on Washington of 1963. That was the occasion on which Martin Luther King Jr. articulated his dream of a new, great America of racial and social justice.The 30th-anniversary ''march'' was for old-timers an embarrassment. So it probably was an honest commentary about what this country has done to King's dream.When that historic protest march occurred 30 years ago, black children were being battered and bloodied simply for trying to buy a hamburger or drink a cola in Jim Crow restaurants or fancy Southern department stores.

WASHINGTON -- The agenda is bigger, but the crowds probably will be smaller at tomorrow's march commemorating the day three decades ago when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of his dream of an America where people "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character."Many objectives of the 1963 march for civil rights have been met -- voting rights, an end to government-enforced segregation, national legislation protecting the rights of blacks -- but rally organizers say they hope this year's march will spark a revival of activity for the rights movement rather than just a celebration of past victories.

The 30th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington by a coalition of civil rights groups will be marked with another march Saturday. It is unlikely that it will be the catalyst the original was. No one expects the 200,000-plus marchers of 1963. One reason for this is that despite the real problems related to race that remain on the nation's agenda, much of Martin Luther King Jr.'s immortal dream has come true.Dr. King was one of several speakers at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. He concluded his plea for racial justice and harmony by declaring that he dreamed of the children of former slaves and former slave owners sitting together in brotherhood in the South, of his own children not being judged by the color of their skin, and so on.In law, and to a lesser degree in fact, the nation has become color-blind in the past 30 years.

The Howard County NAACP plans to take 100 people to the 30th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington tomorrow.The Rev. Bowyer G. Freeman, president of the county branch, was too young to attend the 1963 march but says he's looking forward to attending this one.Mr. Freeman said the focus of this year's march will be on economic empowerment.The original march was billed as a "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom."Two buses will leave at 8 a.m. from the First Baptist Church, 7504 Oakland Mills Road in Guilford.

WASHINGTON -- Thousands of people from across ethnic, gender and social lines are expected to converge on the capital tomorrow to mark the 30th anniversary of the country's most famous civil rights march.Organizers and participants say that, in some ways, this march is even more critical to the future of disenfranchised Americans than its predecessor."Thirty years ago, we were concerned with social justice and political justice," says Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., executive director of the NAACP.

The 30th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington by a coalition of civil rights groups will be marked with another march Saturday. It is unlikely that it will be the catalyst the original was. No one expects the 200,000-plus marchers of 1963. One reason for this is that despite the real problems related to race that remain on the nation's agenda, much of Martin Luther King Jr.'s immortal dream has come true.Dr. King was one of several speakers at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. He concluded his plea for racial justice and harmony by declaring that he dreamed of the children of former slaves and former slave owners sitting together in brotherhood in the South, of his own children not being judged by the color of their skin, and so on.In law, and to a lesser degree in fact, the nation has become color-blind in the past 30 years.

RETURNING home from reporting on the 1983 March on Washington, my head buzzed with images from the stage.This past week's Million Man March in Washington left me with very different images. Now, nearly a week after the gathering, the things most vividly etched in my mind took place far from the stage on the nation's Mall. Mostly they are unusually poignant events that created contemplative moments.Most of these were small acts, some of kindness, like the young man who gave his seat to an elderly woman on a standing-room-only train packed with march-bound participants.

Washington.--Organizers of the 30th-anniversary civil-rights march on Washington have scaled back their earlier crowd expectations. At first, organizers said they expected 500,000, double the size of the original march made famous by Martin Luther King's historic ''I have a dream'' speech.But, with the big event only a few days away, former District of Columbia congressional delegate Walter Fauntroy, who also directed the 1963 march, would vaguely predict only ''tens of thousands'' at a press conference of march organizers.

WASHINGTON -- Eight days before the commemoration of the 1963 march on Washington that helped galvanize support for civil rights legislation, organizers are fighting what appears to be lukewarm interest and the prospect of a disappointing turnout.Nevertheless, organizers still hope to rekindle the spirit of the march that produced Martin Luther King's "I have a dream" oration, perhaps the most famous speech of the civil rights era, and to use the commemoration as a catalyst for pressing a broad legislative agenda.