Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III and a coalition of civil rights, labor and advocacy organizations announced Tuesday they will lead a new March on Washington next month, saying recent court decisions have weakened federal voting rights protections and renewed the fight for equal access to the ballot.
The “March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote” is scheduled for Aug. 28, marking the 63rd anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial.
Organizers said the demonstration is intended to rally public support for voting rights and pressure lawmakers to strengthen federal protections after what they described as a significant setback for minority voters.
The campaign centers on the U.S. Supreme Court’s April decision weakening Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, a provision that has long served as one of the primary legal tools for challenging voting laws and electoral maps that discriminate on the basis of race or dilute minority voting strength.
Civil rights leaders argue the ruling will make it more difficult to challenge discriminatory election practices and preserve Black political representation.
Sharpton described the decision as “a bullet in the heart of the voting rights movement,” emphasizing what organizers see as the urgency of renewed activism.
Some Republicans have defended the court’s ruling, arguing that race-conscious redistricting violates constitutional principles and that electoral maps should not be drawn primarily on the basis of race.
“Defending the vote means defending the foundation of our democracy,” Martin Luther King III said in a statement announcing the march. “Sixty-three years after my father stood at the Lincoln Memorial, we are called to march again, not only in remembrance, but in action.”
The event follows a Wall Street demonstration organized by the National Action Network last year that protested what participants described as corporate America’s retreat from diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Organizers said this year’s march is designed to focus specifically on protecting voting rights, increasing civic participation and highlighting the continued importance of federal voting protections.
The coalition includes the National Action Network, the NAACP, National Urban League, National Council of Negro Women, League of United Latin American Citizens, American Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Government Employees, Drum Major Institute and the Working Families Party.
Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, is expected to participate alongside other members of Congress, organizers said.
The coalition said it hopes the march will build momentum for future voting rights legislation while encouraging voter engagement ahead of upcoming federal elections.
