Martin Luther King III says today is "not the time for nostalgic commemoration" or "self-congratulatory celebration."

Martin Luther King III speaks during the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington
Martin Luther King III speaks during the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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The oldest son of the slain civil rights leader told a crowd at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington that "The journey is not complete. We can and we must do more."

Tens of thousands gathered on the National Mall today to mark the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and King's famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

Georgia Congressman John Lewis, the only surviving speaker from the 1963 march, railed against a recent Supreme Court decision that effectively erased a key anti-discrimination provision of the Voting Rights Act.

Lewis was a leader of a 1965 march where police beat and gassed marchers who demanded access to voting booths. He says he "gave a little blood on that bridge in Selma, Ala., for the right to vote."

Attorney General Eric Holder praised those who faced repression and brutality to march a half century ago. The nation's first black attorney general said that without them, he'd never be the attorney general and Barack Obama wouldn't be president.

 

March on Washington meets post-9/11 America

 

 

People listen to speakers during the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 'I have a Dream' speech at the Lincol Memorial
People listen to speakers during the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 'I have a Dream' speech at the Lincol Memorial (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The March on Washington is meeting post-9/11 America.

A half century ago, 250,000 people crowded the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and stood shoulder to shoulder down the National Mall to hear the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

The tens of thousands of people arriving Saturday for an anniversary of that march are finding a very different scene.

Metal barriers keep people away from the reflecting pool. Only a small group of attendees is allowed near the memorial. Everyone else has been pushed back and is watching and listening to the speeches on big-screen televisions. Police are stationed atop the Lincoln Memorial. There's a media area and VIP seating.

The anniversary event has adopted a grab-bag of causes including global warming, gay rights and organized labor.



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