March on Washington 2020 Brings Thousands to DC

What Happened:

• Thousands of activists gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington DC today to demand racial equality.

• Today is the 57th anniversary of the original "March on Washington" in which Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I have a dream" speech.

• Planning for the event began in June after George Floyd's funeral. Organizers say they want to highlight the civil rights issues of today and bring well-known speakers to address the crowd while also mitigating the spread of the novel coronavirus with strict safety protocols.

• The march, named the “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks” March on Washington, began at the Lincoln Memorial and will be followed by a march to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in West Potomac Park. The event is expected to end about 3 p.m.

• Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate Kamala Harris spoke to the marchers in a recorded video saying, "If we work together to challenge every instinct our nation has to return to the status quo … we have an opportunity to make history, right here and right now."

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Photo Credit: Philip Lewis