There is a significant anniversary this month. No, I'm not talking about Barack Obama's birthday. August 28th will be the forty ninth anniversary of the March on Washington.
Why is that worth commemorating? Follow me below the fold.
The March on Washington was the climax of the Civil Rights movement. I've included a Wikipedia link for anyone who doesn't remember this. (I don't myself.) As the Wikipedia story says the march is credited with sparking the passage of the Civil Rights Acts of 1964 and 1965.
Barack Obama's presidency is largely a product of that march and the movement that it reflected and further invigorated. It wasn't just African-Americans who were liberated by the movement, women, and gays and lesbians likewise drew energy from that great struggle. This year's election is yet another battle in the movement for full citizenship for all Americans. The reactionary right is desperately trying to undo fifty plus years of human progress.
In 1982, we marched to confront the Reagan administration in its attempts to undermine the Great Society and the accomplishments of the civil rights movement. That was the 20th anniversary. Next year will be the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
I say we march next August. Win or lose in November, we march to show that we will not let the forces of reaction force the United States back to a society where your rights depend on your skin color, gender, or sexual orientation. Are you in?