March to Save Our Democracy

Statement by Rev. Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. –

Saturday, August 28, 2021, is the 58th Anniversary of the August 28, 1963 March on Washington where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his most well known “I Have A Dream” speech. The theme was “Jobs & Justice.”

This year there will be several different marches and rallies in Washington and all across the country and all will be fighting to save American democracy and American’s right to vote. While I will be unable to attend and participate, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition is supportive of all of these efforts to save our democracy.

There were not only the 250,000 marchers in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963, but also marches in hundreds of cities across America. If you are unable to make it to Washington, participate in a local march or demonstration. We must continue to put pressure on Congress especially the U.S. Senate to pass the “For The People Act (S.1)” and the “John Lewis Voting Rights Amendment Act (H.R. 4).”

The focus in 2021 is to save our democracy and our right to vote because the vote is the key to jobs, justice, raising the minimum wage, criminal justice reform, repairing our hard infrastructure (e.g., roads, airports, seaports, public transportation), establishing a new human infrastructure (e.g., day care, pre-K, family and medical leave), expanded health care for all Americans, improving public education, providing affordable housing, and saving our planet from climate change.

So we want everybody to put on your marching shoes, and keep them on until everyone’s right to vote is protected. Keep marching and keep hope alive.

March On for Voting Rights

On Saturday, August 28, 2021, Americans who believe in the power of democracy and free elections will embark on a historic “March On for Voting Rights” to demand that legislatures across the country end their push for restrictive voting laws and that Congress pass the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Restoration Act, which will ensure free, fair access to the ballot for every American voter.

Martin Luther King III, joined by his wife Arndrea Waters King, and daughter Yolanda Renee King, will help lead the Washington, D.C. march, standing in the same spot his father did 58 years ago calling for the deliverance of his dream.

To get involved or learn more about the March On for Voting Rights, visit www.marchonforvotingrights.org.