CONTINUING THE DREAM
It has been sixty years since the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where 250,000 people gathered to demonstrate in solidarity and to hear civil rights champion Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. deliver what would become his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.
Many of the young idealists present that day have gone on to become our Elders. Among them is our founder and International Chair, Irwin Cotler, who attended the historic event as a student reporter and was invited to speak in Washington as part of this year’s official program.
Unfortunately, health challenges prevented him from making the journey. (He’s better now!) We invite you to read the moving remarks he prepared for the occasion here. His words - in line with the spirit of this gathering - not only commemorate King’s Dream, but call on each of us to continue that Dream by taking action on behalf of those who are vulnerable, marginalized, and targeted.
Chair of our Board, Jay Rosenzweig, with Martin Luther King III at the 60th Anniversary March.
We invite you to listen to some of the many powerful speeches he and thousands of others witnessed, including Congressman Hakeem Jeffries’ stirring remarks and Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen’s call to action.
Just as thousands were marching for the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington, a white man in Jacksonville, Florida, opened fire in a Dollar Store and killed three people, all Black. According to authorities, the shooter left behind a racist manifesto expressing hateful ideology. Sadly, these hate-motivated crimes are common. There is still much hard work to do to realize The Dream.
Irwin was the first Canadian to receive the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award for his leadership in “creation of a beloved community.” For more on what it was like to be at the 1963 March, read Irwin’s reflective Huffington Post article, commemorating its 50th anniversary.
