Throughout the Lincoln Memorial grounds, thousands gathered on Aug. 26 to celebrate the legacy of the historic March on Washington – many hopeful of reigniting the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s clarion call to combat injustices and inequities across the country. While the gathering 60 years ago remains a historic key to the success of the civil rights movement, the 1963 march excluded the indisputable linchpin of the justice fight: women.
Sixty years later, the commemoration fell on Women’s Equality Day, kicking off with remarks from people who emphasized the importance of women then and now in helping to achieve true equity.
“Let me say to the women – we weren’t able to speak in 1963, but we are here in 2023, and women are unwavering warriors,” Andrea Waters King, president of the Drum Major Institute and Martin Luther King III, told the crowd. “I know that we stand in different faiths but let’s go to the Bible for a moment. Moses was able to tell Pharoah to let his people go, only because he was saved by his sister Miriam as an infant. Deborah helped lead the Israelites to victory out of bondage, Esther risked her life to save her people.
“And let’s go to the story of Easter as I close,” Waters added. “After all the disciples had fled, it was women who stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus’ body was released to a mother. Women prepared his body for burial. Women stood outside his tomb and it was to a woman that he first appeared after the resurrection. Women are unwavering warriors and today, we will no longer be silenced!”
Women were the underbelly of the movement, however, Daisy Bates and Josephine Baker were the only two women to address the crowd at the 1963 March on Washington. Mahalia Jackson also sang, and Baker preceded King Jr., who famously delivered the “I Have a Dream” speech.
The 60th Anniversary March on Washington proved successful in its efforts to include women from nationwide leaders to local politicians such as D.C. Council member Janeese Lewis George (D-Ward 4). Even women in the country’s entrepreneurial sector voiced concern for economic equity in the business landscape.
Arian Simone, co-founder and COO of The Fearless Fund spoke to her company’s current battle as inaugural defendants in what she described as one of the most defining lawsuits of all time. According to the venture capital investor, Edward Blum, a legal conservative activist who has staunchly worked to overturn affirmative action, has filed a suit against their company because they invest in businesses founded specifically by women of color. If won, he and his supporters’ suit could prevent billions of dollars from getting into the hands of businesses of color.
“This lawsuit is not about us. This lawsuit is an attack to dismantle our economic freedom and our economic progress,” Simone said. “Sixty years ago, people gathered right here for jobs and freedom, and today, on Women’s Equality Day, we are standing here declaring we are in a state of emergency.”
Simone emphasized the importance of legislation to protect women and people of color.
“We need legislation that protects our economic freedom. We need legislation that ensures our access to capital that is equitable,” she touted from the podium. “We stand here on the shoulders of Rosa Parks, Harriett Tubman, Coretta Scott King, Eleanor Roosevelt and so many more. We will not back down. We will win this fight! Economic freedom is where Dr. King left off, and Economic freedom is where we will pick up!”
The 60th anniversary highlighted the strength of women past and present in achieving justice for all.
“My friends, we will keep climbing. We are here to liberate the soul of the nation. The soul of democracy from those forces who would have us all go backward and parish rather than go forward as sisters and brothers,” Water King said. “We will never betray those who marched for us, fought for us, lived for us, and died for us. We are the children and grandchildren of their struggles, and we will be worthy of their sacrifices.”