Remembering the March

* REMEMBERING THE MARCH: Observing the 40th anniversary of the March On Washington, Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) (r) joins (l-r) National Urban League President Marc Morial, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and other civil rights leaders and members of Congress in singing the Star Spangled Banner and We Shall Overcome during ceremonies in the Capitol's Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C. During the original march in 1963, more than 250,000 persons participated in the demonstration to focus national attention on Blacks' struggle for civil rights. And the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. The actual anniversary is August 28, but Congress will be in recess. So Lewis, a surviving member of the original march organizers, put together the observance so that Congress could take part while it is still in session and most members were still in town. "It's important for the leadership of the Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, to be sensitized to what it was like 40 years ago. Maybe it will help, just help a little bit, to get this Congress to pick up some of that spirit," he said.

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