Today is the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington. Worth remembering as we celebrate that the people who organized it as a demand for jobs & freedom were called socialists & extremists. Gallup found only 23% of Americans had a favorable view of it in summer of ‘63.
“But at least they were nonviolent” say those who oppose protest today. Well, here’s what one editorial said in ‘63: “"If Negro leaders persist in their announced plans to march 100,000-strong on the capital, they will be jeopardizing their cause....
“The ugly part of this particular mass protest is its implication of unconstrained violence if Congress doesn't deliver.” No matter how nonviolent the protest, the demand of justice for all people is always seen as a threat by those in power.
Which is why official commemorations tend to memorialize the March on Washington as an expression of “the best of America.” Several speakers at the RNC this week appealed to “Dr King’s dream.”
But they ignore what he said. It wasn’t the “I Have A Dream” speech. King titled the speech “Normalcy—Never Again!” He didn’t say let’s all hold hands & celebrate America. He said this nation has failed to deliver on its promise & the people are rising up to demand equality now.
You can call it “socialism,” “extremism,” or whatever you like. The demands of the Black-led freedom movement have been consistent from Reconstruction to BLM. It’s not a demand for special treatment, but for genuine democracy. Those who call this radical admit their own extremism
