Rev. Al Sharpton to March to Commemorate Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Rev. Al Sharpton and National Action Network (NAN), along with partners in labor, education, civil rights and clergy from across the country, will hold a historic march to symbolize the collective struggle for social justice on Saturday, August 27, 2011, just one day before the historic unveiling of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial on the National Mall in Washington. The march pre-rally will begin at noon at Constitution and 17th streets, followed by a march beginning at 1:30 p.m. to the King Memorial site on Ohio Drive SW and West Basin Drive SW.

According to Rev. Sharpton, “There are relatively few moments in our lives that make history. The weekend of August 27 and 28 will be one for the books, as we not only commemorate the 48th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream Speech,’ but also when the world bears witness to the unveiling of the national King Memorial. As members of the civil rights community and all those who continue to push for equality across the board convene in our nation’s capital to assess our progress and march on for the battles that still lay ahead, generations will look back on this weekend and recount how we paid homage to the people’s true champion in the most fitting of ways. It is, undeniably, an unprecedented, remarkable event that anyone who carries on the teachings of Dr. King simply cannot afford to miss.”

National Action Network is organizing the march to call attention to key issues that have not been remedied in this country, even while substantial gains have been made. As working Americans incessantly struggle to gain employment and livable wages, we continue to watch rampant foreclosures and fluctuating markets most heavily impact those that are already suffering under tumultuous financial times.

NAN and its partners call on every man, woman and child who understands the urgency of social justice on all levels to join them in Washington, D.C., this August.  If you’ve ever faced oppression, been discriminated against, lost your ability to provide for your family, lost decent health care, watched families torn apart from mass incarceration rates or simply understand the nobility in fighting for equality, be sure to gather at the Lincoln Memorial as they carry on the message of Dr. King.

Following the rally and march, NAN will gather on August 28 to bear witness to the momentous unveiling of the King Memorial.  Thanks to the unwavering fundraising efforts of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, the King Memorial will not only pay homage to our nation’s greatest civil rights leader, but it also will be the first time a non-president will be memorialized on the banks of the Potomac. It will be a weekend of reflection, organization, strategy, celebration and hope for what we have gainfully achieved, what unites us as human beings and what challenges still remain. All roads in August lead to Washington. Don’t get left behind in the dust of stagnation.

For more information, please visit www.nationalactionnetwork.net.