60th anniversary of MLK’s speech observed in Warren
60th anniversary of MLK’s speech observed
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WARREN -- The emotional ripples from the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom continue to reverberate and expand six decades later, but much work needs to be done in fulfilling the principal ideals espoused on that hot August day on which more than 250,000 determined people of all races, religious beliefs and backgrounds came to gather.
"To this day (attaining) justice is a fight," Peter Geffen, a longtime civil rights worker who served in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Southern Christian Leadership Conference in the mid-1960s, said.
Geffen was among those who spoke at a Freedom Sings gathering Monday evening at the Warren Community Amphitheatre to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Aug. 28, 1963, march at which King delivered his iconic "Dream" speech.
Sponsoring the celebratory gathering of inspirational messages and music were Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past, Second Baptist Church of Warren and the A. Philip Randolph Institute, named after the march's principal architect.
Geffen, who spoke at a commemorative event earlier Monday at the Jewish Community Center in Youngstown, expressed to a crowd of more than 100 his concerns that progress on America's racial front may be regressing in certain ways. He cited Saturday's shooting at a Jacksonville, Florida, Dollar General store in which a white gunman killed three blacks in an apparent racially motivated attack.
King -- and the civil rights movement as a whole -- was largely inspired, guided and influenced by the Hebrew prophets, who spoke about what they felt was possible in the future and were ahead of their time, said Geffen, who added he was honored to have spent days and weeks in King's company.
The gathering also featured the full speeches of others who spoke that day. They included Rabbi Joachim Prinz, president of the American Jewish Congress, who told the crowd that, like many enslaved blacks, early Jews suffered from slavery and "a yearning for freedom." Prinz also spoke about how he learned that the most urgent and tragic problem associated with the Holocaust and other atrocities was neither bigotry nor hatred, but silence in the face of such injustices.
"America must not become a nation of onlookers," Prinz said in his speech at the March on Washington while urging attendees not just to pray, but work with one another for social change.
Monday's gathering also included King's "Dream" speech and the one civil rights icon John Lewis gave earlier in the program, both of which were played in their entirety.
Others who spoke Monday were Miah Pierce and Natalia McRae, both Mahoning Valley Sojourn to the Past members, who offered a variety of behind-the-scenes facts about the march.
Fearing violence and possible rioting, government officials controlled the public address system and were instructed to stop the program if violence broke out and play music from legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, Pierce said. Despite President John F. Kennedy's and other people's concerns, no arrests were made that day.
Pierce added that Aug. 28 also was the date in 1955 on which 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped and murdered in Money, Mississippi.
In addition, all federal buildings were closed for the march, an estimated 19,000 troops were assembled in Washington's suburbs and the March on Washington took place on a Wednesday, a midweek day that Kennedy felt would attract a smaller crowd than would a weekend, McRae noted.
"It was entirely peaceful," she said while questioning where such a massive number of troops was during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the Capitol.
In his remarks, Mayor Doug Franklin urged attendees to honor everyday people who marched for justice, greater equality and inclusion. Another valuable aspect of the March on Washington was its ability to continue providing greater impetus to transform society in positive ways across racial, color and religious lines, said Franklin, who added that it's imperative to stay focused on the pursuit of fairness, dignity and respect, regardless of challenges ahead.
Andre Washington of the A. Philip Randolph Institute said that, despite the eloquence, power and vision of King's dream of a more unified country, daunting challenges continue to afflict the nation, including Ohio, such as voter-suppression bills, the school-to-prison pipeline, efforts to ban abortion and gerrymandering.
Beyond King's enduring dream of a better society, the March on Washington also was about advocating for better opportunities, education and employment, and not just for black people, the Rev. Lewis W. Macklin II, pastor of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Youngstown, said.
Macklin also noted that King's original speech did not contain the famous dream portion. That came about when Mahalia Jackson shouted, "Tell them about the dream, Martin!" after which he spoke extemporaneously.
Additional remarks came from city Councilman Todd Johnson, D-1st Ward, and pastor of Second Baptist Church, who said it's highly meaningful to bring the spiritual aspect of the march to young people, many of whom may be learning about it for the first time.
The Freedom Sings event also featured the Harambee Dancers of Youngstown, as well as musical selections that included "Lift Every Voice and Sing," "How I Got Over" and "A Change is Gonna Come," before wrapping up with a single version of "We Shall Overcome," followed by a Freedom Soul concert.
March on Washington organizers
• A. Philip Randolph, a longtime labor and civil rights leader who was the event's chief architect
• Bayard Rustin, the chief organizer in charge of logistics and other details
• Walter Reuther, the United Auto Workers' president who provided financial support and rallied union members to participate
• Rachelle Horowitz, Rustin's close associate and fellow organizer
• Anna Arnold Hedgeman, the organizing committee's sole woman who mobilized women's organizations to take part
SOURCE:
A. Philip Randolph Institute