Picturing racial justice at the 2020 Commitment March on Washington

57 years after Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech, a #BlackLivesMatter protest says, "Get your knee off our necks."

By
Malcolm Lewis Barnes
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The Commitment March on Washington Friday, August 28, capped off a summer of social justice protest and marked the 57th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream“ speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

Martin Luther King III and his daughter paid tribute to their father and made an emotional “Demand for real structural change.” But it was the Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network’s show, as he reminded the throng of thousands that “there is no demonstration without legislation,” before leading a post-rally march to the MLK Memorial.

BeBe Winans provided an unexpected musical tribute inspired by his son, and the parents and surviving family members of George Floyd, Jacob Blake, and Trayon Martin delivered emotional impact on the heels of “Hands Up” policy pleas from Mark Morial of the National Urban League, and Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers.

But every sector of the community seemed to be represented, from health-care first responders to the common brother with an ankle bracelet making his presence felt on a Mall filled with a diversity of humanity.

The family of George Floyd.
The Rev. Al Sharpton: “Get your knee off our neck. Enough is enough.”
“You fucked with the wrong generation.”
Justice for Breonna Taylor.
Health-care workers.
Ankle bracelet.
“Get up off your ass and go vote.”
Gospel legend BeBe Winans singing “Black Lives Matter.
Randi Weingarten, president, American Federation of Teachers.
Militance.
Wounded vet.
White elders.
“Learn how to talk about race” (https://nmaahc.si.edu/learn/talking-about-race).
Jacob Blake’s father.
Grieving mother.
“Let everything that you do be done in love” (1 Cor 16:14).
Mark Morial, president of the National Urban League: “Hands up!”
Martin Luther King III: ““We are taking a step forward on America’s rocky but righteous journey towards justice.”
The Rev. Al Sharpton leads Commitment March from Lincoln Memorial to MLK Memorial.
At the MLK Memorial: “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention.”

All photographs copyright © 2020 by Malcolm Lewis Barnes.

 

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