美国民众游行纪念马丁•路德•金演说50周年

  美国民众游行纪念马丁•路德•金演说发表50周年

Tens of thousands of people marched to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and down the National Mall on Saturday, commemorating the 50th anniversary of King's famous speech and pledging that his dream includes equality for gays, Latinos, the poor and the disabled.

The event was an homage to a generation of activists that endured fire hoses, police abuse and indignities to demand equality for African Americans. But there was a strong theme of unfinished business.

"This is not the time for nostalgic commemoration," said Martin Luther King III, the oldest son of the slain civil rights leader. "Nor is this the time for self-congratulatory celebration. The task is not done. The journey is not complete. We can and we must do more."

Eric Holder, the nation's first black attorney general, said he would not be in office, nor would Barack Obama be president, without those who marched.

"They marched in spite of animosity, oppression and brutality because they believed in the greatness of what this nation could become and despaired of the founding promises not kept," Holder said.

Holder mentioned gays and Latinos, women and the disabled as those who had yet to fully realize the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream. Others in the crowd advocated organized labor, voting rights, revamping immigration policies and access to local post offices.

Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., the only surviving speaker from the 1963 March on Washington, railed against a recent Supreme Court decision that effectively erased a key anti-discrimination provision of the Voting Rights Act. Lewis was a leader of a 1965 march, where police beat and gassed marchers who demanded access to voting booths.

"I gave a little blood on that bridge in Selma, Ala., for the right to vote," he said. "I am not going to stand by and let the Supreme Court take the right to vote away from us. You cannot stand by. You cannot sit down. You've got to stand up. Speak up, speak out and get in the way."

Organizers expected about 100,000 people to participate in the event, the precursor to the actual anniversary of the Aug. 28, 1963, march that drew some 250,000 to the National Mall and ushered in the idea of massive, nonviolent demonstrations.

Marchers began arriving early Saturday, many staking out their spots as the sun rose in a clear sky over the Capitol. By midday, tens of thousands had gathered on the National Mall.

Lynda Chambers, 58, gave up a day's pay to attend because her retail job does not provide paid vacation. Even as a 7-year-old at the time of the original march, she felt alienated and deprived of her rights. Remembering those feelings, she said, she was compelled to make the trip Saturday.

"I wanted to have some sort of connection to what I have always known, as far as being a black person," she said.

Longtime activist Al Sharpton, now a MSNBC host, implored young black men to respect women and reminded them that two of the leading figures in the civil rights movement of the 1960s were women.

"Rosa Parks wasn't no ho," he said. "And Fannie Lou Hamer wasn't no bitch."

Speakers frequently mentioned persistent high unemployment among blacks, which is about twice that of white Americans, and the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin in Florida. Along the Mall, Martin's picture was nearly as ubiquitous as King's.

Nancy Norman, of Seattle, said she was disappointed more people who look like her had not attended. She is white. But the 58-year-old she said she was glad to hear climate change discussed alongside voting rights.

"I'm the kind of person who thinks all of those things are interconnected. Climate change is at the top of my list," said Norman. "I don't think it's one we can set aside for any other discussion."

Those in attendance arrived in a post-9/11 Washington that was very different from the one civil rights leaders visited in 1963.

Then, people crowded the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and could get close to King to hear his "I Have a Dream" speech. Saturday's speakers also were on the memorial's steps, but metal barriers kept people away from the reflecting pool and only a small group of attendees was allowed near the memorial Saturday.

There was a media area and VIP seating. Everyone else had been pushed back and watched and listened to the speeches on big-screen televisions. Police were stationed atop the Lincoln Memorial. After the speeches, marchers walked from there, past the King Memorial, then down the National Mall to the Washington Monument, a distance of just over a mile.

On the day of the anniversary, President Barack Obama will speak from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He will be joined by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. Churches and groups have been asked to ring bells at 3 p.m. Wednesday, marking the exact time King spoke.

Joseph Lowery, who founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference along with King, urged the crowd to continue working for King's ideals.

"We've come to Washington to commemorate," the 92-year-old civil rights leader said, "and we're going home to agitate."

8月24日，大约10万美国民众从马丁•路德•金纪念碑游行至华盛顿国家广场，纪念马丁•路德•金发表《我有一个梦想》著名演说50周年，并誓言继承金的梦想，争取同性恋者、拉美裔、穷人和残疾人的平等权利。

马丁•路德•金的长子马丁•路德•金三世说：“现在不是怀旧的时候，也不是庆祝的时候。任务尚未完成，旅程还未结束。我们能够——并且必须——做得更多。”

美国首位黑人司法部长埃里克•霍尔德表示，如果没有当年那些人游行，他和奥巴马总统就不会有今天的职位。霍尔德说：“他们不顾仇恨、压迫和暴行而游行，因为他们坚信这个国家将成为伟大的国家，他们对这个国家没能实现建国时的诺言而感到失望。”

霍尔德提到了同性恋者和拉丁裔美国人，妇女和残疾人，称马丁•路德•金的梦想在他们身上尚未完全实现。此外，参与游行的人还提出了其他诉求，涉及工作权利、选举权、改革移民政策和当地邮局的使用。

众议员约翰•刘易斯是1963年“向华盛顿进军”游行中唯一健在的演讲人。美国最高法院废除了《选举权法案》中的核心反歧视条款，刘易斯对此表示反对。刘易斯是1965年游行的领导人之一。当时游行者要求参与投票，遭到警察残酷打压。“在阿拉巴马州塞尔玛的桥上，我为争取选举权流了点血。”他说，“我不会袖手旁观，不会让最高法院剥夺我们的选举权。你不能坐视不理，你不能甘心忍受。你得站起来，大声说出来，阻止他们。”

1963年8月28日的演讲吸引了25万人来到华盛顿国家广场，并发起大规模、非暴力游行。本次游行组织者预计有10万人参加演说纪念活动。

58岁的琳达•钱伯斯从事零售工作。她没有上班，而是过来参加集会，为此不惜损失一天的工资。钱伯斯表示必须参加24日的游行。

全国广播公司主持人阿尔•夏普顿长期支持民权运动，他恳请黑人男性尊重妇女，并提醒他们1960年代的民权运动中有两名领袖人物是女性。

当天的演说者频繁提起黑人的持续高失业，美国黑人的失业率大概是白人的两倍。另外，乔治•齐默尔曼枪杀黑人青年特雷翁•马丁被无罪开释也是当天的热门话题。当天在国家广场，马丁的图像几乎和马丁•路德•金像一样多。

来自美国西雅图的白人南希•诺尔曼表示，她对没有更多像她一样的人来参加表示失望。但 58岁的她说，她很高兴能够同事讨论气候变化和选举权。她说：“我认为所有的事情都是联系着的。我最关心气候变化，但我不认为可以抛开其他问题只谈论这个问题。”

在8月28日周年纪念日当天，美国总统奥巴马将在林肯纪念堂前发表演讲，前总统比尔•克林顿和吉米•卡特也将参加。教堂和各团体将在8月28日马丁•路德•金演当年下午3点发表演讲，纪念活动中，教堂和各团体将于下午3点鸣钟致敬。

约瑟夫•洛韦里曾与马丁•路德•金一起创建南方基督教领袖会议。如今，这位92岁高龄的民权运动领袖嘱咐游行的人继续为金的事业而奋斗。