August 28th, 1963 Thousands and thousands of people of all races marched from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. Whether they came for the music, the speech, the overall message that the march gave off, or were dragged there by friends and family they were here and they would listen.
Fifty Years after the march on Washington, people of both races recount their experiences while at the march as well as their current opinions on today's racial discrimination. it is important to note that the people who are remembering this day are all much older (The oldest being 82, the youngest 57), but are still able to recall certain details about that day as well as the over all feeling that surrounded everyone. They speak of how they felt that day and the epiphanies that may- or may not- have come as a result of this day. They speak of the electricity that could be felt through the air and the overall friendliness of the marchers. However, they also speak of how things need to improve, they talk of how they still see discrimination today and how we seem to be back-peddling instead of moving forward in terms of civil rights.
When I read the stories, the emotion behind each individual could be felt, some of the descriptions were so vivid you could almost imagine yourself there. Some of them are lengthy stories, describing the entire day and remembering certain details that still bring up an emotion of hope. Others are only little tidbits, just a few seconds long scene that stuck with an individual, like a woman holding her hands up to praise the lord or a seven year old noticing her father crying and not understanding why until years later. Either way, each story, no matter how short, has its own special feeling to it that deserves to be looked over.
To Read the article, go here: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/08/23/us/march-on-washington-anniversary-memories.html?ref=us
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