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President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington by meeting with organizers of the 1963 event and the relatives of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who delivered his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the march.
This Oval Office meeting takes place six decades after President John F. Kennedy and Dr. King met at the White House on the morning of the march in 1963. All of Dr. King’s children have been invited to meet with President Biden.
In addition to this meeting, President Biden will deliver a speech at a White House reception commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, a nonpartisan legal organization established at President Kennedy’s request to advocate for racial justice.
The 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is still considered one of the most significant racial justice demonstrations in U.S. history. It attracted up to 250,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial and played a pivotal role in the subsequent passage of landmark civil rights and voting rights legislation. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in April 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee.
The commemoration of this historic event comes at a challenging time, marked by the erosion of voting rights, Supreme Court decisions striking down affirmative action in college admissions and abortion rights, and increased threats of political violence and hatred towards marginalized communities.
President Biden and Vice President Harris have been working to advance Dr. King’s vision of equal opportunity for all. They have signed executive orders to promote racial justice and equity in the federal government and expand access to voting rights. However, voting rights legislation supported by the administration has faced obstacles in a divided Congress.
The administration has also taken steps to honor the legacy of civil rights leaders, such as designating a national monument to honor Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. Additionally, they highlight the appointment of Black women to federal courts and significant investments in historically Black colleges and universities.
Vice President Harris has spoken out against attempts to rewrite Black history, particularly in the context of educational curriculum changes. The White House underscores that Black Americans are benefiting from the administration’s economic policies, including low unemployment, and initiatives like student loan debt forgiveness and financial support for historically Black colleges and universities.
