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Miami Groups Gear Up For March On Washington Anniversary

Patience Haggin

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington, local groups staged a “Pre-March on Miami” on Sunday.

About 200 people marched through a neighborhood in West Little River singing spirituals. The event was organized by the 93rd Street Community Baptist Church and the A. Philip Randolph Institute.

In 1925, Randolph founded the first recognized labor union of African-Americans, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. The March on Washington was originally Randolph’s idea, dating back to 1941. He organized the 1963 March on Washington and invited Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to speak.

“Organized labor and the faith community have always built a relationship, and it is my personal mission in Miami-Dade County once again to bring that back to the movement. We are fighting the same fights,” said Lovette McGill, president of the Miami-Dade A. Philip Randolph Institute.

Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C. on August 28, 1963.

National commemoration events are scheduled for August 24 and August 28 in Washington.

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