Summary of “The Fiftieth Anniversary of the March on Washington” by Barack Obama
On the 50th anniversary of what is commonly known as Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, President Obama gave the “Let Freedom Ring” speech, commemorating the event. He used the anniversary to show what we have accomplished since Dr. King’s march and what we still need to work on to find the dream that Dr. King had for our nation as a whole.
After thanking the family of Dr. King for their sacrifices and inspiration, the President briefly spoke about the people who came on the march with Martin Luther King. He then went on to discuss the ones impacted the most by the desire for civil rights , specifically the “ordinary people,” the “ones not mentioned in the history books” (Obama). The president then reminded us of everything this march accomplished, including the rights for Americans with disabilities, Native Americans, Latinos, and the LGBT community (Obama).
Unfortunately he had to mention the problems this country is still facing, including equal public education, police brutality, and just wages. These are just a few of the issues he mentioned that are still causing a huge divide amongst us and not just along party lines.
Finally he reminded everyone that just one person doing something small for someone with a disability, a returning soldier, an elder, or a school child shows the spirit of Dr. King’s dream. Each person in our country has to show a willingness to help change ourselves and the next generation to be able to finally realize the changes in our nation that Martin Luther King and the marchers were hoping to bring about in 1963.
Work Cited
Obama, Barack. "The Fiftieth Anniversary of the March on Washington." Lincoln Memorial. 28 August 2013. Speech.”
Unknown, President Obama and Martin Luther King Jr., 2013, Houston Style Magazine. Photograph.
On the 50th anniversary of what is commonly known as Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, President Obama gave the “Let Freedom Ring” speech, commemorating the event. He used the anniversary to show what we have accomplished since Dr. King’s march and what we still need to work on to find the dream that Dr. King had for our nation as a whole.
After thanking the family of Dr. King for their sacrifices and inspiration, the President briefly spoke about the people who came on the march with Martin Luther King. He then went on to discuss the ones impacted the most by the desire for civil rights , specifically the “ordinary people,” the “ones not mentioned in the history books” (Obama). The president then reminded us of everything this march accomplished, including the rights for Americans with disabilities, Native Americans, Latinos, and the LGBT community (Obama).
Unfortunately he had to mention the problems this country is still facing, including equal public education, police brutality, and just wages. These are just a few of the issues he mentioned that are still causing a huge divide amongst us and not just along party lines.
Finally he reminded everyone that just one person doing something small for someone with a disability, a returning soldier, an elder, or a school child shows the spirit of Dr. King’s dream. Each person in our country has to show a willingness to help change ourselves and the next generation to be able to finally realize the changes in our nation that Martin Luther King and the marchers were hoping to bring about in 1963.
Work Cited
Obama, Barack. "The Fiftieth Anniversary of the March on Washington." Lincoln Memorial. 28 August 2013. Speech.”
Unknown, President Obama and Martin Luther King Jr., 2013, Houston Style Magazine. Photograph.