Thousands of Americans gathered in downtown of Washington, DC on Saturday morning to express their commitment to maintain basic voting rights in the United States, a Sputnik correspondent reported for the ground
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th August, 2021) Thousands of Americans gathered in downtown of Washington, DC on Saturday morning to express their commitment to maintain basic voting rights in the United States, a Sputnik correspondent reported for the ground.
People from different parts of America participated in a rally, named March On For Washington And Voting Rights in commemoration of the 58th anniversary of the historic March On Washington when Martin Luther King declared his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.
The rally organized by several human rights groups, Drum Major Institute, March On, SEIU, National Action Network, Future Coalition, along with such activists as King's son Martin Luther King III, his wife Arndrea Waters King and Al Sharpton.
Organizers expressed concern over voting freedoms in the United States.
"Since January, 49 states have introduced over 400 bills that amount to outright voter suppression, and already as of July 2021, 30 states had enacted 18 restrictive voting laws that signal a return to the Jim Crow era," they said in a statement, referring so-called Jim Crow Laws - a set of state and local legislations that enforced racial segregation in the United States in 19th century.
"These laws suppress voting methods that lead to high turnout: banning ballot drop boxes and mail-in voting, reducing early voting days and hours, restricting who can get a mail-in ballot, prohibiting officials from promoting the use of of mail-in ballots even when voters qualify, appointing partisan election review boards, even criminalizing the distribution of water to voters waiting in the long lines these laws create," the organizers noted.
People gathered at McPherson Square in Washington's downtown and marched just in a couple of blocks from the White House to the National Mall - centrally area, stretching over 2 miles from the Lincoln Memorial end to the US Capitol.
The rally started exactly at the time when it was scheduled. The crowd began moving towards the White House and passed through just one block from it. Police closed several streets in the area to allow people to March. However it was the only area law enforcement units played, as the rally was absolutely peaceful. Officers greeted march participants, smiled and were very calm.
While rallying, protesters, mostly African Americans and Muslims, not only chanting political slogans but simply enjoyed nice sunny weather in Washington, singing and dancing.
"I loved to participate in such marches," a white man from the state of North Carolina in black t-shirt with "Racism is not patriotism" sign told Sputnik.
Describing himself as a "professional protester", he noted that racism is not a norm.
"We brought together people from different states here, and it is fantastic. Black Lives Matter is not a trend, it is a movement, and I support it one hundred percent," he said.
BLACK LIVES MATTER AND OTHER POSTERS
Black Lives Matter signs were the most popular- hundreds of protesters were bringing them in the crowd. The vast majority of them were totally hand- and homemade.
Many other marchers were bringing posters demanding statehood for the District of Columbia. "DC statehood is racial justice," they said.
Some posters were really original. People demanded stop police brutality and end poverty. "If there is no struggle, there is no progress," one of them said.
"Voting rights now. Voting is what democracy looks like," the protesters chanted.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers had to impose relatively strict restrictions during the march. They urged people to wear masks and keep social distancing.
Almost all participants were in masks. People were trying to keep distancing as much as it was possible in a mass gathering.
Besides Washington, DC, similar rallies took place in may other American cities, including Atlanta, Miami, Phoenix, and Houston.
On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King organized the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on the US capital during which he delivered the famous "I Have a Dream" speech. The event is widely considered to be one of the most iconic moments in the history of the civil rights movement.
