While Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin and their 'tens of thousands" of followers gathered to flip off Abraham Lincoln and the Civil Rights Movement, I joined tens of, if not a hundred thousand other people and rallied and marched to Reclaim the Dream. We rallied for two and a half hours at Dunbar High School, the first high school built for black students in the US.
There were so many people that we filled the athletic field to maximum capacity, and there were still people in the streets waiting to get in.
"We can overcome racism"
Speakers who were black, Latino, white, ministers, educators, laborers, media personalities, politicians, and activists spoke about what it means to keep moving forward, to fulfill and Reclaim the Dream.
Demanding a vote for DC.
They rallied for DC to have representation in Congress and for DC to become the 51st State. They spoke of the need for better education, to protect public education. It is this education that will enable the next generation to obtain the jobs needed to ensure the future of our financial and economic security. Education is a Civil right.
Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan
Equality is still elusive in the work place. Those who believe in the Dream and work to fulfill it will not back down from those who try to own Dr. King's message, but have no idea what its true meaning is.
Rev. Dr. Al Sharpton
We lined up to march and there was no pushing, no shoving - did I mention there was only one police officer at the gate to enter the field? Did I mention that no one told us to "1. Leave your signs at home" and "2. Leave your guns at home"? No, that was the list given to the other rally. We were non-violent. No one was threatening
Then, we marched for three miles from NW Washington, DC, to the sight of the future memorial for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
I was about a fourth of the way back from the front and was astounded to turn around and see the mass of people behind me, extending so far back, that I could not see the end of the march.
It was at this point that my camera died. And, yes, that is a sea of people going all the way as far back as you can possibly imagine.
I felt such an amazing amount of positive energy. We turned from 6th Street onto Constitution Ave, and began to see the first of Tea Party-ers, already disbanded from restoring honor. And, it is here that I would like to say, there is no honor in hate.
As we passed, the majority of the Tea Party-ers stood and stared with their mouths hanging open. Maybe they couldn't believe that so many black people could possibly be rounded up in one place. Wait! Was that a white woman? They stared at me as if they couldn't believe it. A white woman marching with black people. And, there were quite a few of us. A woman came running towards us on the sidewalk with her thumbs down motioning emphatically. "Where's your red, white, and blue?!" she screamed into one woman's face. "Why aren't you wearing it?!" She failed to notice that she herself was not wearing it. It is not the color of skin nor clothing that determines a true American.
A young man yelled at a woman who was wearing a T-Shirt with pictures of Dr. King and President Obama. "There are two people on your shirt! One of them believes in God! The other doesn't!"
Some of them as they stood with their flags that desecrate real US flag or sat in their camp chairs in the shade and waved as if we were a parade out of sarcasm or stupidity. I honestly don't think many of them had any idea that our rally and march was taking place until they saw the masses in the streets. After all, they watch Fox News, and would they even mention us and possibly steal Glenn and Sarah's thunder? I don't think so. There weren't that many people on the mall in support of restoring honor when we marched by the Washington Memorial. It looked like any other Saturday during tourist season in DC.
We arrived at the future sight of the Rev. Dr. Marting Luther King Jr Memorial. When I walked into the filed, it was already filled to about a third of its capacity. Twenty minutes after I got there, the last of the marchers arrived.
And, where is our coverage? We far outnumbered them. Why are we only a footnote in the media? We stood in the sun and rallied for two and a half hours and then marched three miles to another rally in an open field with the sun still beating down, and who gets the coverage? Those that spew poisonous propaganda that divides the country, when what we did was to show determination and intent to further the dream that would unite it.
As Rev. Dr. Al Sharpton said, "They may have the Mall, but we have the message!"
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Elizabeth Blessing
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Comments
Joan, I marched for all of those who couldn't be there.
of course, fair warning: as an equal opportunity nose-tweaker, I have Sharpton in my sights also. LOCK AND LAUGH!
Tea Baggers and Beck/Palin will never protest ... they just sit in the shade in chairs and drink Diet Coke. A real protest, not just a long sunday school class, come from SUFFERING! Baggers have never suffered and as such they will never sacrifice.
When you see even one of them on a hunger strike, or a hundred of them having a sit-in for days on end ... then you will know they actually have a real cause ... I doubt you will ever see these, or any other sacrifices, made by these sadly out of touch white folks who are just plain scared of people of color.
It begs the question, Why?
Simple, they know their predecessors, and indeed some of today's now baggers, hated on anyone not like them.
They know what they would do in this situation, lash out and try to kill, so they think others would also be so ignorant and hateful, when in fact we DON'T GIVE A FLYING FUCK ABOUT THEM.
They can have Kansas, etc. we could care less, just keep the hell out of our lives you damn haters.
The faces of ignorance can indeed be very comical. I am so distressed by these developments. Does anyone have any idea why Alveda King agreed to speak at the Beck gathering?
Good job, Razzle Dazzle
Lezlie
It was really demonstrative of who works for and understands the dream and who doesn't. I don't know why Alveda King spoke. I would hope that she could see that the whole event she addressed was racism disguised as patriotism, but only she knows her real motivation. It is disheartening, and it is some sort of social phenomenon that is a conglomeration of racists, libertarians, and evangelicals. These people had eight years of feeling secure, and now, their world has been flipped upside down. Fox won't cover anything that would threaten their strong hold of the uneducated people who actually believe that it is a news network.
Yes, King believed in freedom of speech, and perhaps he would have spoken at Restoring Honor were he here with us, had he been invited. Just a footnote: Martin Luther King, III spoke at the end of the march at the second rally. That is the real legacy, not a niece, but the son.
No cops, no security, signs, or guns either. Since there is a media-induced competition on the "number" of followers for the two events, you are really "dreaming"! Sharpton's crowd was no where near the size of Glenn Beck's supporters. And it does matter, regardless of how desperately the liberal media attempts to down-size and minimize the turnout. Since the emphasis has been placed on the "color" of Beck's rally, it's obvious that when "white" people gather in such massive numbers, it scares liberals immensely, hence the "silent majority" is no longer being SILENT.
I must, however, respectfully disagree with the following comment:
Baggers have never suffered and as such they will never sacrifice.
This is really not true, except for the wealthiest reactionaries who are funding and manipulating the rest of them. The teabaggers ARE suffering, and they ARE sacrificing -- perhaps as a result of their own stupid choices, but mostly as a result of the dsiastrous failed policies their "leaders" got them to support. They don't hate us because we've done them any wrong; they hate us because they're angry and frustrated over events they don't fully comprehend, and their "leaders" have, over many years, systematically bamboozled and manipulated them to blame their troubles on "liberals," minorities, atheists, gays, ANYONE ELSE but the very powerful people (religious and business) who actually caused their troubles. This is the same scapegoating Luther and Hitler used against Jews (et al), and the radical right are very good at it. And the rest of us have been very lame at countering it.
This is pure BS. First, I was at BOTH rallies and there were cops all over the place (I guess big gummint isn't so bad after all, is it?); and second, there were no signs because the whole thing was organized by a tax-exempt non-profit, and people had to be told not to bring signs because signs would have proven that the event was "political," and thus in violation of the rules under which tax-exempt organizations are supposed to operate.
Beck's entire event was based on a duplicitous premise. At least us other folks were honest about our intentions.
How about content? Does that matter at all? The Dunbar rally had speeches about unemployment, education, history, racism, fighting racism, and standing together against injustice. What did your guys talk about?
greyeyes27 - My point about guns and signs is not that they were absent from both rallies, but that no one handed out lists telling the people attending Reclaim the Dream to leave their signs and guns at home. That was the case with Restoring Honor. I find your comments about the white silent/loud majority interesting. Perhaps, this reflects your own insecurities in the face of this modern world in which the white population of our country is having to make room for large numbers of people of different races, ethnicities, religions, etc. While the vast majority of people at Restoring Honor were white, they do not represent the majority of white people. They may represent the majority of white evangelical, conservative tea party members, but not the majority of white people. Furthermore, I am white, and that is why I marched, to show that not all white people feel the way that those who attended Restoring Honor do. White people do not scare me. Race does not scare me, nor does it scare liberals, which is why we're considered "liberal."
Motherwell, I am confused. I don't recall my ever saying "Baggers have never suffered and as such they will never sacrifice." I wrote about there not being one police officer ENTERING THE GATE OF THE RALLY. I would like to make that clear. There were plenty of officers the entire length of the march, that's standard procedure. I wanted to stress that we were non-violent and there to further a good cause with good actions.
Yes, LuminousMuse, we need education. I am an adamant about that.
bobbiestype2, I completely agree with the Constitution being the law of the land, not the bible. There will always be opportunities for us to work hard and continue to move forward. November elections are one such example: volunteer and get out the vote!
"Razzle: have you noticed how DebYoung has started deleting critical comments from her own post? The right-wingers who scream the loudest about "freedom of speech" normally end up being the first to censor criticism whenever they get the chance."
They weren't critical comments. They were ignorant comments. Similiar to some you posted here.
If one subscribes to the philosophy of thought that it takes one to know one, then you should be considered the expert on ignorant. In this case though you are really too ignorant to identify ignorance in others.
I wish there was more..it's so frustrating to not have the things that are important to me, reported on!!
motherwell, she may do as she wishes. I believe that any comment that contributes to a conversation, whether in agreement or disagreement, is one that should be valued so long as it is constructive and on topic.
1) Where are the aerial photos of the Sharpton rally? We don't need to count the exact numbers. Let's just let everyone look at the photos. The crowd at the Glenn Beck rally was very, very large. The photos prove that. Let's see the Sharpton rally from the air.
2) What was the racial make up of EACH crowd, and does anyone who is not a racist really care? There were black people at the Restoring Honor Rally. It is grossly insensitive and irresponsible to ignore them. They must risk a lot to act on their own principles. Were there many white people at the Sharpton rally? And I repeat, does anyone who is not a racist care either way?
3) Which speaker, Beck or Sharpton, felt the need to lambast the other rally? I will let you listen to the audio and answer that yourselves.
1) Why aren't there aerial photographs? You'll have to ask the media about that, I had no control over that as I am not a certified pilot, owner of an air craft, nor the producer of any media programs or publications. A helicopter flew over several times - why nothing has been published is beyond me and not my prerogative. I would much prefer that aerial photos were published. I can add the rest of the photos from my rally if that would be of help to you in grasping the size of the crowd. I am not denying that Restoring Honor was not large. I am saying that living in DC and seeing the number of people here days before and after the rally, and on the mall after their rally was over Saturday when we went through the Mall, that there was no way there were more than 100,000 people in attendance. It would take too long for that many or a greater number of people to vacate that area of the Mall where the event took place.
2) I don't have the exact demographic percentages for each rally and I am not aware as to whether or not the Census Bureau will be releasing any. I don't think there were any sociologists or anthropologists who were there to survey it either so from an unscientific point of view, the Restoring Honor rally was mostly white and Reclaiming the Dream mostly black. And, as you said, who cares? It is not that I am racist in my observations, it is that I find it to be an interesting illustration of our society. It is still segregated and this segregation is complex, it goes beyond black and white. Why do you even care to ask such a question if no one is supposed to care?
3) Sharpton did not lambast anyone. That is a strong word and it should be used wisely. You don't need to "let" me listen to anything. Beck wouldn't dare mention Reclaim the Dream for fear of taking attention away from his own. And, for the record Beck has been spreading lies about our President and his religious and political views on National Television. THAT is beyond 'lambasting.' That is dishonest and Un-Christian. He can take his fear-mongering and lies elsewhere. I marched for truth and equality. That is what I stand for. People who listen to Beck's poison and propagate it are just as dishonest and uneducated as he is.
Where are the aerial photos of the Sharpton rally?
Duuno, dude...why don't you ask the folks who took photos of one rally but apparently not the other?
The crowd at the Glenn Beck rally was very, very large. The photos prove that.
Instead of bragging about size, why don't you brag about content? Probably because the Beck rally had none. Our rally had speeches about employment, education, work and work ethic, history, progress in fighting racism, more representation for DC in Congress, and the divisiveness of Republican politics. What did your guys talk about?
What was the racial make up of EACH crowd, and does anyone who is not a racist really care?
Why is it "racist" to talk about the racial makeup of a rally? Your accusation is pure insulting childish stupidity. Talking about race is not "racism." Look up the word, and look up the history.
There were black people at the Restoring Honor Rally. It is grossly insensitive and irresponsible to ignore them.
We're not ignoring them, we're pointing out how few of them there were. I passed by Glenbekistan, and saw less than ten black people participating. (The black tour-bus drivers giving fist-salutes to people at the "other" rally, that's another matter.)
Were there many white people at the Sharpton rally?
Oh, now YOU'RE being the "racist" by asking about the racial makeup of a rally? In answer to your question: yes, whites (including myself) were a minority there, but there were significant numbers of us, always visible.
Which speaker, Beck or Sharpton, felt the need to lambast the other rally?
Our rally was honestly political, so Sharpton could lambaste anyone he wanted to. Your rally, however, had to pretend not to be political, because the organizers had to pretend their event wasn't political for tax-dodge reasons, which is why Beck couldn't lambaste anyone.
__________
If the above statement is true, why was one of the first acts this President gave his attention to...one that ended the voucher program that enabled poor black children to have an education that was equivalent to that of his own daughters? Some of them had attended Sidwell for years??
"Fairy tales can come true....it could happen to you."
If you would go to the US Dept of Education's website and search the term "vouchers" a PDF document will show in the search results that outline why this administration ended vouchers. The administration has some valid points:
Primarily, public tax dollars should not fund private schools, particularly those of a religious nature as that is unconstitutional due to the separation of church and state. Instead, this administration feels that the money allocated for vouchers should instead be put towards public schools and raising the quality of education in our public school system so that it is on par with that of private schools. Basically, what it comes down to is all children should have a quality education, be it public or private and why should private schools receive federal funding when their private funding sources are incredibly wealthy? Public funding - tax dollars - should only fund public institutions. I agree. Why should a select few children attend private schools on publicly funded vouchers? If we're going to the voucher route, all children should receive publicly funded vouchers, and that is not possible. Maybe, these private institutions should offer scholarships instead of taking vouchers.
Furthermore, if the Federal Govt is to fund private schools with tax dollar funded vouchers, the govt would then have to regulate those private institutions. This is the basic Democrat vs Republican fight to fund or not fund the private sector and the result of big govt due to funding the private sector. It's the equivalent of the Federal govt giving subsidies to the financial sector or the oil companies, which people scream about all of the time, and then those institutions refusing to be regulated by way of lobbying Congress, and we've seen how that has turned out.
Finally, just because a student attends private school K-12, does not mean that he or she is any more accomplished than a child who attends public schools. Our public school system is in desperate need of repair, but honors and advanced placement classes are offered in public schools and any person with will can achieve an excellent education. Just an example: I attended a private college for my BA. One of my professors said to me that anyone can receive an education that was on par with my private undergrad at a community college - it's what one makes of it. And, it's true, my mom and sister both attended community colleges before going onto universities and they have amazing educations under their belts. This is the same for private vs. public education for K-12.