Page 7 - Florida Sentinel 9-2-22

Civil Rights Leaders
Civil Rights Leaders Hoped For Biden Meeting Ahead Of March On Washington Anniversary That Never Happened – The Grio
The hundreds of thousands of participants were captivated by the words of speakers like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who delivered his now fa- mous “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lin- coln Memorial. That speech, almost six decades later, is one of the most memorable and re- cited speeches of King, who during his life was vilified for his activism, but is now cele- brated as a martyr for racial equality.
This year, there was not a ceremonial march at the Lin- coln Memorial or on the Na- tional Mall as in years past on behalf of civil rights groups. Last year’s rallies in the na- tion’s capital did not yield the crowds anticipated by organiz- ers amid the ongoing COVID- 19 pandemic.
Civil rights leaders are in- stead planning a major event to mark next year’s 60th an- niversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, sources told the- Grio.
However, to mark this year’s commemoration, lead- ers hoped to meet with Presi- dent Biden ahead of the anniversary. The plan was for an all-encompassing discus- sion between the president and civil rights leaders about many policy issues facing Black Americans today.
However, the hoped-for meeting with Biden did not take place. To date, there has only been one meeting be- tween Black civil rights leaders and President Biden since he took office. However, lead- ers have had several meetings
BEN JEALOUS
and discussions with White House staff over the past year and a half.
President Biden on Sun- day commemorated the March on Washington anniversary in a statement highlighting his administration’s commit- ments to racial justice; includ- ing his past executive orders
advancing equity and historic infrastructure investments in Black and underserved com- munities.
The anniversary of the March on Washington comes at a critical time for Black Americans, who have seen a bevy of restrictive voting laws erected in states across the country, and continue to struggle economically and ex- perience violent and deadly encounters with police.
Ben Jealous, president of People For the American Way, told theGrio that he was sur- prised by President Biden not meeting with civil rights leaders before the March on Washington anniversary.
The former head of the NAACP blamed the meeting with President Biden not happening on “young people
who work in the White House in positions of power, and yet don’t understand the impor- tance of maintaining certain traditions.” Those traditions, he said, “help us ultimately move our country in the right direction.”
Jealous said a meeting with Biden is critical as many have warned that the U. S. is teetering toward a civil war post-Donald Trump’s pres- idency and amid rising white nationalist violence and terror.
A source close to the White House told theGrio, the meet- ing between the president and civil rights leaders did not hap- pen because they had to change the time and that not enough of them could attend the meeting in person. The leaders declined to do the meeting virtually.
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