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Beloved Community Church
BCC SOCIAL JUSTICE MOMENT: The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good
news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the
oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.  Luke 4:18-19 (NIV).

                                            Why March?
 
On Saturday, August 28, 2010 there were two marches in Washington, DC commemorating the 47th anniversary of
March on Washington that was led by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in 1963. One march was called the “Restore the
Honor March” that was led by Glenn Beck, the host of a TV news program on Fox network & Sarah Palin – former
vice presidential candidate in the recent 2008 election.  The second march was called the “Reclaim the Dream March”
and was led by Rev. Al Sharpton.  The “Restore the Honor” march had a larger turnout and was held on the mall
near the Washington Monument; the second march was smaller, began at Dunbar High School and ended with a
protest march to the future cite of the Martin Luther King, Jr  Memorial.  

BCC was proudly represented at the rally at Dunbar High School and a few more went on to participate in the
march.  It was fitting that the rally took place at Dunbar High School, which happens to be the first black high school
in Washington DC; Dunbar has a strong history of educating future leaders in the black community, and its former
alumni include such notables as poet Sterling Brown, renowned educator Nannie Helen Burroughs and heart surgeon
Charles Drew.  Dunbar can also be proud of its illustrious faculty, which included people like Mary Church Terrell
and Carter G. Woodson.

The week prior to the march I was excitedly telling several friends and colleagues about the march but some of them
didn’t share my enthusiasm; one of them asked me point blank: “Why are you marching; what difference will it
make?”  I thought that was a fair question; why march?  I guess I marched in part because I wanted to be part of a
movement that is much bigger than me.  Throughout history, protest marches have been a powerful way to affect
change in one’s culture.  Some famous protest marches include:  
       1773: Boston Tea Party
       1930:  Gandhi’s Salt March:
       1970: Kent State Anti-War Protest
       1980 Polish Shipyard Strikes
       1989 Anti Apartheid protests in Cape Town, South Africa
       1989: Berlin Wall Torn Down
       1989: Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China
and of course the 1963 March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his stirring “I Have a Dream”
speech.  

Some people may have been disappointed that the “Reclaim the Dream” speech didn’t garner greater participation or
more attention from traditional print media.  But several BCC members told me it was amply covered on the
Internet and pointed out that the younger generation, our future, tends to get their news from the Internet, not the
newspaper.  I also had to remind myself that its not always the size of the march that makes a difference.  Most
historians agree that the political and emotional pivotal point of the Civil Rights Movement was not the March on
Washington, but a series of smaller marches that collectively became known as the March on Selma.  The three
marches on Selma took place in March 1965. One could argue that the first two marches were unsuccessful if you
gauged success by how many people showed up or if the march accomplished its goal of marching from Selma to
Montgomery Alabama; only the third march did that.  

But the March to Selma became the pivotal point in the Civil Rights Movement not because of what went right, but
because of what went wrong.  It was at the first march, which was the smallest march, that 600 civil rights marchers
were attacked by state and local police with billy clubs and tear gas. The images of the brutality being carried out by
the police in Alabama helped to turn the tide of public opinion against those who opposed the Civil Rights
Movement.  It is hard to proclaim that you are law abiding citizens just trying to preserve the dignity of states’ rights
when the pictures show a group of thugs and terrorists preying on unarmed men, women and children.

So, to answer my colleague’s question: Why March?
            Why march? Because there’s power in proclaiming that we won’t sit down for injustice
            Why march? Because we live in a country where you have the freedom to march; even though I  
               disagree with the purpose of the Restore the Honor march, I defend their right to march
            Why march? Because if someone tried to stop you from marching, another person would cry out, pick
               up the banner and march in your place
            Why march? Because marches bring a sense of solidarity and empowerment to a people whose voice
               might not otherwise be heard
            Why march? Because it brings solidarity to people who might think they have nothing in common
               except for the fact that they are unwilling to sit down for injustice because they realize that when one of
              God’s children are treated unjustly, then we all are treated unjustly
    •       One of the beauties of the Reclaim the Dream march was seeing all the black, brown, red, yellow,
             white, gay & straight people walking together in solidarity
            Why march? Because marches have the power to convict those who were unable or unwilling to march;
               to change norms, the status quo, to say enough is enough!
            Why March: Why Not.?
       

 Inspired by: What's Going On by Marvin Gaye

© Rev. Sherry Molock & the Beloved Community Church

Resources: National Action Network:
http://www.nationalactionnetwork.net/media-info/revs-written-opinions/386-reclaim-the-dream-now.html
Pastoral Team