Typical


There seems to have been some confusion over the actual date of the observance of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.

The original gathering on Washington's National Mall took place on Aug. 28. This year, a gathering convened by Martin Luther King III and the National Action Network, a New York-based civil rights organization headed by Rev. Al Sharpton, took place on the Mall this past Saturday, Aug. 24th.

That gathering was billed as the "National Action to Realize the Dream."

Another gathering is scheduled for today, Aug. 28th, and will feature major speeches by President Obama, Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter. That gathering, titled "Let Freedom Ring," is organized by the 50th Anniversary Coalition for Jobs, Justice and Freedom, a group represented by the NAACP, the National Urban League, Southern Christian Leadership Conference and other major civil rights organizations.

Comments on the 50th Anniversary March on Washington website, which is advertising the Aug. 28th gathering, are reflecting that confusion, with some people expressing frustration about not knowing when to show up on the National Mall.

The site's owner, Rochester, N.Y., civil rights lawyer Van White, organized a conference tied to the march anniversary that took place Tuesday in Washington, according to the Colorlines website.

If all of this isn't confusing enough, Wednesday's events culminate a week's worth of events in Washington to commemorate the anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech and the historic march organized by the "Big Six" civil rights organizations of the day.

"We need clarification," wrote someone named Bonnie. "What is the correct date or are you suggesting there will be 2 MOW anniversary marches? If that is the case, neither one will be as successful or effective as one large one would be."

Wrote someone named TheRealHousewifeofPG, a resident of Prince George's County, Md., "One march would demonstrate the unity that we seek after among other things."

Van White agreed with some users of his website that collaboration between all organizers should have taken place to avoid the confusion.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/08/28/march-on-washington-anniversary-confusion/2712061/