Remembering the Civil Rights Movement
Wednesday August 28, 2013 will be – day for day – the 50th anniversary of what was one of the largest political rallies for human rights in the United States. On Wednesday August 28, 1963 between 200,000 – 300,000 people of good will and purpose gathered before the
Lincoln Memorial on the
National Mall in Washington D.C., standing in peace but with determination for civil and economic rights for African Americans. This is when and where
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his seminal
"I Have a Dream" speech. This event is widely credited for easing passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the
Voting Rights Act of 1965. In 2001, the UU World magazine featured articles on
Selma, the Unfinished Journey, and today we revisit these issues in light of March on Washington's anniversary and Rev. Dr. King's vision.
As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, and recognize that as a society the cause of equality has advanced, it remains true that equality in the United States is still neither certain nor universally practiced. Authorities that abusively target minorities and the poor under the cover of laws or policies such as
Civil Forfeiture, the
War on Drugs or
Mass Incarceration and the resulting forfeiture of the right to vote, eligibility for government assistance or possibility of gainful employment are increasing inequality in our society. Restrictions on voting which disenfranchise the poor and minority are on the rise, comforted by the recent
Supreme Court decision invalidating Section Four of the Voting Rights Act. Incidents of
racial profiling - whether explicit or conditioned cultural norms and habits - by officials or by common citizens are common. None with good outcomes, while others end with tragic consequences, as in the case of
Trayvon Martin.
The commemoration of this anniversary is also a moment for lifting up the
Seven Principles of Unitarian Universalism and the work done by the
Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations for social justice in its many forms through witness and action, and by
Standing on the Side of Love.
During the struggle for civil rights in the United States during the 1960's, the UUA was among the first faith-based organizations to answer the call.
John Haynes Holmes, a Unitarian minister and social activist at
The Community Church of New York—Unitarian Universalist was among the founders of both the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909 and the
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Achieving social justice requires struggle. Unitarian Universalist activism has come with cost, and we mourn the loss of activists in the struggle for Civil Rights:
Jimmy Lee Jackson was killed in Marion, Alabama on February 26, 1965, prompting Rev. Dr. King to call for demonstrations in Selma, Alabama.
Rev. James J. Reeb, a Boston UU activist and member of
Arlington Street Church, formerly a minister at
All Souls Church, Unitarian, in Washington, D.C., and a member of the
Southern Christian Leadership Conference, answered Rev. Dr. King's call and was clubbed in Selma, Alabama on March 8, 1965, dying two days later of massive head trauma.
Viola Liuzzo, a UU activist from Michigan who also responded to Rev. Dr. King's call, was murdered on March 25, 1965 during the
Selma to Montgomery marches in Alabama.
Their sacrifice is memorialized on a
bronze plaque at UUA Headquarters.
This is also a moment to celebrate the continuing efforts of Unitarian Universalists and the UUA to promote social justice and equality in its many forms, and to recognize that Unitarian Universalists and UUism make a positive difference:
The
Action of Immediate Witness (AIW2) "AIW-2 Condemn the racist mistreatment of young men of color by police", decided upon at General Assembly 2013, the
Youth Caucus statement in support of AIW2 and efforts to
resist "The New Jim Crow" society;
Marriage Equality;
LGBTQ membership in the Boy Scouts of America,
Shareholder Advocacy,
Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery,
Economic Justice, Immigration Reform and the DREAM Act, and so much more.
All Souls Church Unitarian in Washington D.C. will participate in the
50th anniversary of the March on Washington Realize the Dream on Saturday, August 24 - join them or support them
here.
Learn more about the March on Washington, Aug. 28, 1963:
National Public Radio series on the Civil Rights Movement.
Additional images and resources will be released by the UUA between now and August 28.