Obama marks anniversary of MLK March: 'We are masters of our fate'

WASHINGTON -- Tens of thousands of people from far-flung corners of the country descended on the nation's capital Wednesday to rally, march and watch President Barack Obama, two other American presidents and civil rights leaders mark the 50th anniversary of the iconic March on Washington.

"The March on Washington teaches us that we are not trapped by the mistakes of history; that we are masters of our fate," Obama said. "That’s the lesson of our past. That's the promise of tomorrow -- that in the face of impossible odds, people who love their country can change it."

On Aug. 28, 1963, more than 200,000 people came to the District of Columbia to ask for "jobs and justice" for black Americans, then still struggling under the yoke of oppressive segregation laws around the country and widespread discrimination, a century after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation outlawed slavery.

The climax on that August day was Martin Luther King Jr.’s ad-libbed “I have a dream” speech, in which he reminded his audience that the Emancipation Proclamation had promised that both blacks and whites should be guaranteed the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He told the crowd, “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”

Obama added to that message on Wednesday, thanking those who had kept marching during the civil rights movement for the betterment of their country.

"Because they marched, doors of opportunity and education swung open so their daughters and sons could finally imagine a life for themselves beyond washing somebody else’s laundry or shining somebody else’s shoes," he said. "Because they marched, city councils changed and state legislatures changed, and Congress changed, and, yes, eventually, the White House changed."

Obama also emphasized that King's call for economic justice, as well as racial equality, had gone unrealized, even under his presidency.

"The test was not, and never has been, whether the doors of opportunity are cracked a bit wider for a few. It was whether our economic system provides a fair shot for the many -- for the black custodian and the white steelworker, the immigrant dishwasher and the Native American veteran," he said. "To win that battle, to answer that call -- this remains our great unfinished business."

The March on Washington in 1963 was the largest civil rights gathering of its time. The original conception of the march came from labor organizer A. Philip Randolph, who was the founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and the Negro American Labor Council. He had been proposing large-scale marches to protest discrimination since the 1940s, and in 1963 he partnered with leaders of major civil rights groups such as Roy Wilkins of the NAACP, John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Whitney Young of the National Urban League, James Farmer of the Congress on Racial Equality and -- of course -- Martin Luther King Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.

The demands they made became an appeal to the nation’s conscience that helped persuade Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and, later, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, two landmark achievements of the civil rights movement. 

Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, both Democrats, also spoke at the commemoration rally.

"This march and that speech changed America. They opened minds, they melted hearts, and they moved millions, including a 17-year-old boy watching alone in his home in Arkansas," Clinton said, referring to himself. "It was an empowering moment, but also an empowered moment."

Wednesday's rally was a culmination of events all week that served to honor the legacy of the original March on Washington.

"History brought me here today," said Alexie Rogers, 46, a federal employee from Upper Marlboro, Md. "I understand I'm a part of that same struggle."

Rogers said being at the rally with those who had been at the 1963 march added an extra bit of electricity to the day. "Everyone here today shares the same dream as Martin Luther King,” he said.

The rally also emphasized the work left to be done. Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black Florida teenager who was gunned down in 2012, was frequently invoked among this year’s participants, as were the recent efforts in GOP-led states to impose restrictions on voting that many say are an attempt to disenfranchise minorities, and the Supreme Court’s decision in June to strike down part of the Voting Rights Act.

"I was too young to be here 50 years ago, and the recent attacks on civil rights made me feel like I had to be here," said Catherine Hourcade, 65, who flew in from California to commemorate the anniversary. "The Supreme Court striking down voting rights and the incident with Trayvon Martin, with his murderer acquitted."

Hourcade said she was inspired by those from modest backgrounds like her who, 50 years ago, were determined to have their concerns heard. "People in my circumstances said, 'We are going to be here,' and they were,” she said.

Michelle Williams, 54, from Charlotte, N.C., said she came to honor her father, who marched 50 years ago but was not well enough to be there this time.

"Because he was here, I have a college education and a good life," she said. "I'm here for the young people who can't be here."

Conspicuously, events commemorating the peaceful 1963 march -- universally lauded for helping bring down Jim Crow and moving toward a more equitable society -- have been driven along partisan lines.

There were no speakers at Wednesday's event who were affiliated with the GOP, nor any at the rally earlier in the week on the Mall that was organized by the National Action Network. The nation's only African-American senator, Tim Scott, Republican from South Carolina, was not invited to participate, according to a report. 

Republicans held their own luncheon at the National Press Club on Monday.

"Since our party's very beginning, Republicans have been leaders in issues of civil rights and equal opportunity," Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus said then. "But past accomplishments don’t address the issues of today. Building a better future is up to us. We have to do our part."