AAA Aug. 24, 2013 6:58 PM ET AP PHOTOS: Marchers in Washington across 50 years By The Associated Press By The Associated Press In this combination of Associated Press file photos, at left, the top of the Washington Monument and part of a U.S. flag are reflected in the sunglasses of Austin Clinton Brown, 9, of Gainesville, Fla., during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963; and at right, Claudia Hanes, from Kentucky, takes part in a rally to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013, right. Tens of thousands of people marched toward the Martin Luther King Jr. In this combination of Associated Press file photos, at top, civil rights protestors march down Constitution Avenue carrying placards during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963; and at bottom, people rally at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. In this combination of Associated Press file photo, at top, large crowds gather at the Lincoln Memorial to demonstrate for civil rights in Washington, on Aug. 28, 1963; and at bottom, participants gather on the same steps to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013, in Washington. The 2013 event was an homage to a generation of activists that endured fire hoses, police abuse and indignities to demand equality for African Americans. In this combination of Associated Press file photos, at top, large crowds gather near the Washington Monument to demonstrate for the civil rights movement in Washington on Aug. 28, 1963; and at bottom, people hold up banners as they attend the rally to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013, in Washington. Unlike the narrow focus on jobs and freedom in 1963, this year's march seeks to address an array of issues. In this combination of Associated Press file photos, at left, a mass of demonstrators leaves the Washington Monument for the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963; and at right, people line the Reflecting Pool as they attend a rally to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the 1963 march on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2013, in Washington. Fifty years after the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. offered a transcendent vision of racial harmony for America's future with his "I Have a Dream" speech, tens of thousands gathered where he spoke Saturday to hear leaders tell them that while much has been attained, much remains unfinished. Some 100 years after the Emancipation Proclamation freed America's slaves, many Americans embraced the ideal of racial equality but were frustrated with the glacial pace of change. Organizers were making plans to bring people from across the country to the nation's capital to express their exasperation in a peaceful, nonviolent manner. On Aug. 28, 1963, men and women, blacks and whites, Latinos and native peoples, Jews and Christians - more than 250,000 in all - rallied at the Lincoln Memorial. The gathering stretched down the National Mall, past the reflecting pool toward the Capitol. The music and speeches they heard extolled the urgent need for social justice. But 50 years later the March on Washington is mostly remembered for the Rev. Martin Luther King's eloquent speech - his dream of an America where people "will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." America is closer to realizing King's dream, but not entirely. The civil rights that blacks fought for and won have been extended to women, Latinos, gays and lesbians and the disabled, among others. An African-American is in the White House. An African-American, Eric Holder, is now enforcing the nation's laws, including its civil rights laws, as attorney general. Many of today's leaders argue that the nation hasn't reached what King called "the promised land" of equality. This summer, the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the shooting death of unarmed teen Trayvon Martin exposed wide racial divides in the nation. And voting rights, university admission and employment discrimination are all still unsettled legal questions. The Supreme Court, while accepting the ideal of equality, is still grappling with how to achieve it. Here's a gallery of images from then and now, from the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and from Saturday's National Action to Realize the Dream. Promotion: Follow AP photographers and photo editors on Twitter: - http://apne.ws/15Oo6jo