Marches, speeches and global bell-ringing are set to mark the 50th anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr’s speech, a key event in the struggle of African-Americans for racial equality.
The week of commemorations in Washington will culminate on Wednesday, when President Barack Obama, the first black US President, will speak at the Lincoln Memorial 50 years to the day after King made his historic address at the site.
King, an advocate of non-violence, was among six organisers of the 1963 March on Washington, a rally for jobs and freedom. King led about 250,000 marchers to the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall and delivered his signature speech from its steps.
The March on Washington helped pressure Congress to pass the landmark Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts in 1964 and 1965, respectively. The Supreme Court struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act in June, and Obama has called that ruling a setback.
King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. A white drifter assassinated him in 1968 at age 39.
Events in Washington kicked off last Wednesday with a commemorative service at Mount Airy Baptist Church.
Seminars on women and young people in the civil rights movement and on March on Washington figures Bayard Rustin and A. Philip Randolph took place in the following days.
Civil rights groups the National Urban League and King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) will also be holding events in Washington. The SCLC’s international convention on Friday featured debates on race and poverty and on voting rights.
The US Postal Service unveiled a commemorative stamp on Friday. The National Park Service has scheduled numerous civil rights-related events on the National Mall.
The Let Freedom Ring ceremony at which Obama will speak on Wednesday will include speeches by former presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, both Southern Democrats. The commemoration will include the ringing of bells at dozens of US sites at 3pm EDT (1900 GMT), the time when King delivered his address.
Outside the US, bell-ringing is also scheduled at sites including Katmandu, London and Tokyo, all at 3pm local time.