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Updates: 2020 March on Washington, Thousands march for racial equality
Protesters gather around the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. (Astrid Riecken for The Washington Post)
March on Washington organizers expect about 50,000 people to gather in Washington on Friday to call for criminal justice reform and racial equality and to honor the 57th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" address from the same spot.
Organizers began planning in June after the funeral of George Floyd, but they recently lowered their crowd estimates, citing fewer buses arriving in the city because of the coronavirus pandemic. They plan to highlight the civil rights issues of today and bring well-known speakers to address the crowd while also mitigating the spread of the novel coronavirus with strict safety protocols.
[What you need to know about the civil rights rally in D.C.]
The march — dubbed the "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" March on Washington — began with speeches from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, then will be followed by a choreographed march to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in West Potomac Park. The event is expected to end about 3 p.m.
Attendees heard from speakers during a pre-rally show. After early criticism from D.C. activists that the demonstration excluded local residents, several Washingtonians were added to speak before the main event.
The event's main lineup — including the Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III, the elder son of the civil rights leader — began at 11 a.m.
Long lines formed to enter the rally near 17th Street and Constitution Avenue as participants get their temperatures checked before entering. Safety measures also include a check-in system that requiresd attendees to register before the event.
Read also: Why the United States must teach Black History at Elementary School level
Read full details and updates in this developing story in the following link courtesy the 👉🏾 Washington Post.
Written by Emily Davies
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