40th Anniversary of the MARCH ON WASHINGTON - 1963-2003
August 28th, 2003
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Peacemakers On The Scene |
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40th Anniversary of the MARCH ON WASHINGTON - 1963-2003 |
This report may seem a little dis-connected because there were so many things going on and it moved so fast I couldn't keep up with it all. To start with there were a number of protesters at the entrance displaying all sorts of signs and handing out their literature. As I walked down to the seating area I already had too many things to read and absorb and I wanted to concentrate on the speakers so I just put all the documents in my pocket for later perusal.
A Libation Ceremony was performed which I found very moving. After this some songs were sang by I believe MUSE, which is a women's choir dedicated to musical excellence and social change.
Rabbi Mark Goldman of the Rockdale Temple gave the Invocation and believe you me this man can invocate. His stirring images of what it was like back in the 60's were awesome. He closed the Invocation by singing "We Shall Overcome" and all the people in attendance rose and held hands singing along with him and the other dignitaries that had been there and who gathered around him on the stage.
I didn't know the person on my left who I was holding hands with but to my right was Angie Denov who was a member of the MUSE Choir and had spotted me and sat down next to me after she left the stage following the Choir's performance.
I have to tell you I was a little confused by the goings on. When I received the announcement via an email it stated that this was a gathering to commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the March on Washington and that's why I came. As it turned out it was more of a rally to get people to join a boycott of Cincinnati in response to issues of police brutality and what was termed "economic apartheid." I can't say for sure that I would have come had I known this but I am glad I took part. Of course I was and am aware of the brutality issues and the economic issues and I support a resolution of these issues. Reverand Damon Lynch III, a most powerful speaker, pointed out that Cincinnati is the sixth most segregated city in the country. I wasn't aware of this but I can believe it. It was inspiring to hear Reverand Fred Shuttlesworth, who was announced as a "Civil Rights Legend", which he certainly is, talk about his experiences especially with Dr. King in the early days of the Civil Rights movement. Martin Luther King III spoke mostly of Cinicnnati being "ground zero" as far as the boycott issue and of the national support that the SCLC intended to provide the local leadership. Was this trip worth it? I really can't say because I would have thought that many thousands more would have shown up and as I have stated previously I thought the size of the crowd, especially when these very important issues should concern all Cincinnatians, was dismal. But I can tell you that it was meaningful to me. What I will remember from this was a quotation from the beginning. I don't remember who said it but I remember the words. "UNTIL THE KILLING OF BLACK MEN IS AS IMPORTANT AS THE KILLING OF WHITE MEN WE SHALL NOT REST" Amen Peacehq reporting |
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