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The March for Jobs & Justice Rally
The March for Jobs and Justice was organized with a broad coalition - including labor unions, churches and the peace movement - by the Rev. Al Sharpton's' National Action Network to call attention to the nation's unemployment crisis, to support President Obama's jobs bill and a variety of interests, including support for statehood for Washington, D.C. Speakers include Sharpton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and radio personality Tom Joyner. The march originally was scheduled for Aug. 27, the day before the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial was to be dedicated on the National Mall, but the advance of Hurricane Irene, which pelted the eastern seaboard that weekend, forced organizers to postpone the events. Saturday's activities begin with an 11 a.m. rally at the National Sylvan Theater near the Washington Monument, at 15th Street and Independence Avenue NW, followed by by the march to the King memorial at 1 p.m.
Demonstrators hold signs under the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial during a rally and march of thousands in Washington Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. Civic leaders, led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, rallied for easier access to jobs.
Demonstrators hold signs under the new Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial during a rally and march of thousands in Washington Saturday, Oct. 15, 2011. Civic leaders, led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, rallied for easier access to jobs. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
Thousands Rally for Jobs, Justice and to Honor Martin Luther King Jr.
Originally published October 15, 2011

Thousands descended upon Washington, D.C. Saturday to demand jobs, full voting representation for the District of Columbia and an end to partisan bickering on Capitol Hill to kick off The Martin Luther King Jr. March for Jobs and Justice.
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Headlines


Norman Freeman Anderson
Woman from New York City
by Erica Butler
October 16, 2011 - "I was here in 1963 during the march on Washington, D.C.," Norman Freeman Anderson said.more More Arrow

Cynthia Brooks
Guidance Counselor from Bronx, N.Y.
by Erica Butler
October 16, 2011 - "I’m here because I believe in the dream Dr. King had," said Cynthia Brooks, 59, a guidance counselor from Bronx, N.Y.more More Arrow

James
College Graduate from Northern Virginia
by Erica Butler
October 16, 2011 - "What brought me out today was the fact I’m just kind of upset about this economic situation and these enormous corporations aren’t paying their fair share we have really no social safety net," said a recent 27-year-old college graduate from northern Virginia, who identified himself only as James.more More Arrow

Gayle Williams
Gayle Williams
by Sarai Johnson and Taryn Finley
October 15, 2011 - Gayle Williams left her Fort Washington, Md., home early to get on the Metro and head to the "Jobs and Justice Rally."more More Arrow

Reuven Hodge
Reuven Hodge
by Sarai Johnson and Taryn Finley
October 15, 2011 - Reuven Hodge had planned to attend the March for Justice and Jobs in August before an earthquake and Hurricane Irene made other plans for the East Coast.more More Arrow

Loren and Alton Darden
Loren and Alton Darden
by Sarai Johnson and Taryn Finley
October 15, 2011 - A family reunion kept Loren and Alton Darden from coming up from Birmingham, Ala., in August for the March for Jobs and Justice.more More Arrow

Millicent Onwuche
Millicent Onwuche
by Sarai Johnson and Taryn Finley
October 15, 2011 - Millicent Onwuche of Baltimore had planned to come the March for Jobs and Justice in August and was back for Round 2.more More Arrow

Ngozi Nmez
Ngozi Nmez
by Sarai Johnson and Taryn Finley
October 15, 2011 - Ngozi Nmezi is on a mission. "We work for DC Statehood. It's important that we raise awareness of the issue of the fact that this is very unconstitutional," said the Nigerian native who works for city.more More Arrow

Nick McCoy
Nick McCoy
by Sarai Johnson and Taryn Finley
October 15, 2011 - Washingtonian Nick McCoy said he was prepared to come to the March for Jobs and Justice in August and remained motivated because of "poor people issues in colored neighborhoods, (being) part of a profound history that is connected to Martin Luther King..."more More Arrow