Last weekend, the United States celebrated the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. For me, it was three years ago that I saw the march in a new light. That revelation didn’t appear because of a profound interview or extensive study of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

I saw the March on Washington differently because of rare color photos from the Civil Rights Movement.

It was ironic that those pictures helped me to see the famous march in a newer and fuller way. For years, I had interpreted the event as something far in the past, and largely from the perspective of Dr. King’s famous words. I know better now. 

The march isn’t just a story of Dr. King’s legendary advocacy. It is also the story of a legion of civil rights activists – and of us. During the most turbulent of times, a quarter of a million people descended on our nation’s capital and demanded change. The yearslong labor and strategy of women such as Ella Baker, Fannie Lou Hamer, and many others were essential.

As we commemorate the march, I am reminded of the demands that Dr. King and others made that have gone unmet. He spoke of a “bad check” that America has given Black people, which continues to show up in racial disparities and police brutality. 

It is remarkable to see, even in the shadows of violent racism, the conscientiousness of a platform that would uplift all Americans. This is paramount to Black leadership and governance, from the first post-Civil War Reconstruction to the second reconstruction during the 1960s. 

Limited rhetoric of the March on Washington does us no favors. We should honor the actions of activists and Americans by finishing the race toward a better country, with the basic accommodations that are essential to living a full and free life.

The march continues.