MLK III to Newsy: The Dream Hasn’t Happened Yet

“I have the pleasure to present to you Dr. Martin Luther King J.R.,"A. Phillip Randolph told the crowd during the 1963 March on Washington.

“It’s 57 years since my father delivered his dream for a nation of freedom, justice and equality for all humankind. And obviously that has not happened so far,” Martin Luther King III told Newsy.

Martin Luther King the third tells Newsy that, for him, recent cases of police brutality, including this week’s police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, represent a dream deferred.

First announced during the funeral of George Floyd, King, the Reverend Al Sharpton and other civil rights leaders will meet at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial Friday for speeches and then march to the MLK Memorial.

Joining them, the families of Eric Garner, Breonna Taylor and others killed by law enforcement.  A member of Blake’s family will also participate.

“Family members will have an opportunity to share what they feel needs to happen as it relates to their loved ones,” said King III.

The 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom led to the civil rights acts of ‘64.

Organizers say Friday’s march has concrete goals too, like renewing the newly named John Lewis Voting Rights Act, which prohibits states from making changes to voting practices without federal approval.

And passing the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act which gets rid of qualified immunity that shields officers from lawsuits. Both bills are currently stalled in the Senate.

“Much of what we see today as a result of public policy, and policymakers that cannot change unless our voices are heard loud and clearly at the ballot box in November, not only for federal elections, but for local elections,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson.

Holding a rally in the midst of a pandemic comes with risk. Attendees will be required to wear face masks and are subject to temperature checks.

The physical march will coincide with a virtual march starting Thursday featuring speeches from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senator Cory Booker and a performance from H.E.R.

In-person or online...King says he believes the message is starting to resonate.

“Dad used to say the man can't ride your back unless it's bent. I think that the nation is standing up now — Blacks and Whites and Latinos and Hispanics and Native Americans and Americans from all walks of life. And look, we see these incidents happening. And this is clearly wrong," said King III.

Amber Strong, Newsy, Northern, Virginia.

Advertisement