March on Washington 2020

The 57th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom today could not have come at a more pivotal time. The spring of coronavirus and demonstrations after the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis transitioned into a summer of extended and disparate impacts of the pandemic and the wake of protests at the killing of Jacob Blake by police in Wisconsin earlier this week.

This anniversary also falls the day after the two major political conventions in a pivotal presidential election, and the varied reactions to the shooting of protestors in Wisconsin by a private citizen punctuates how varied the perspectives are on social justice, policing and and a host of issues faced by Black Americans and other groups.

The frustration of many is clear - major sports have temporarily stopped as professional athletes joined in solidarity with those frustrated by Blake's killing, and other Americans look at those who take the opportunity to cause property damage and share dismay or fear about America's future.

I wasn't alive in the 1960s, but I marvel at the discipline that it took to conduct large-scale non-violent marches and sit-ins. In the current day, social media and our expansive traditional media means that everyone has a voice and that information can be carefully curated to share only the message that one wants to hear.

I always think of A. Philip Randolph and the Civil Rights leaders in the decades before the 1950s and 60s, and reflect on writings of my grandfather who was born in 1912.  When he was in his 20s or 30s, he wrote some powerful poetry.  I often think of that to give me perspective on progress. He was proud of how much progress African Americans had made years before the civil rights act or the Fair Housing act, and yet he faced serious racial discrimination and frustration - I remember those conversations. He believed in hard work, but he also lived the frustration of not receiving equal rights.

At the end of the day, I feel it necessary to boil things down to simple truths about civil rights

1: Every American deserves to have their constitutional rights protected, including the right to vote.

2: Voting is a crucial step in protecting interests, but it is not enough

3: Protests may express frustration, but policy is the way to create lasting change.

4: Change through policy requires many things, including development, implementation and patience.