Organized by Al Sharpton, the “Commitment March: Get Your Knees Of Our Necks” demonstration was held Friday (Aug. 30) on the National Mall.
What We Know:
- Thousands gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial early Friday morning to fight for criminal justice reform in solidarity with those who have lost loved ones at the hands of sanctioned violence by law enforcement.
- The event, hosted by the National Action Network (NAN), came after the last day of the Republican National Convention. The two events had very little in common from COVID-19 precautions to America’s future regarding law enforcement.
- Speakers included the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner, and many others. Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King, III, and Attorney Benjamin Crump also spoke. The event began with speakers and later led into the march.
“We’re at a point [where] we can get that change, but we have to stand together — we have to vote.”
– Breonna Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer (at Get Your Knees Of Our Necks march)
- The 2020 March on Washington comes 57 years after the original March on Washington in 1963. In August 1963, 250,000 people gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial for freedom and equal opportunity for jobs. The occasion also marked Martin Luther King Jr’s “I Have A Dream” speech.
- Activists at the event denounced President Trump and his efforts to discredit and change the United States Postal Service. Many protestors also called on the Senate to pass police reform legislation called the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020, which the House approved in June.
The 2020 March On Washington begs the question of if actual change will ensue following the demonstration on Friday. The Get Your Knees Of Our Necks march calls for the same liberties as the original march and the reality is something failed in 1963. In order to wield change, it seems as though new tactics and new solutions must be implemented.
