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CNN Saturday Morning News

40th Anniverary of Historic March on Washington

Aired August 23, 2003 - 09:25   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: I have a dream today...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Keeping that dream alive. Ceremonies today mark the 40th anniversary of the historic march on Washington, which ended with Martin Luther King's inspirational "I Have a Dream" speech. You see it there.

The 1963 march attracted more than 200,000 people to the nation's capital, became one of the most enduring images from the civil rights movement.

And today, thousands of people plan to relive that famous day.

Let's go to Washington now and CNN's Kathleen Koch. Good morning to you, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

Well, the steps here are just a bustle of activity as everyone gets ready for this afternoon's commemoration. It starts about 3:00. As you said, they're expecting thousands to come from around the country to really relive that moment and renew the dream that Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke so passionately, so eloquently about some 40 years ago, 40 years ago actually this Thursday.

Organizers say, though, that the theme here today is return, repair, and renew, because they say that Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of full equality, equal rights for African-Americans, has never been entirely realized. They say that African-Americans still make up a disproportionate percentage of the nation's poor, jobless, the nation's illiterate, and they believe that that's something that has got to change.

There was a very special ceremony here yesterday. Members of the Martin Luther King family, Coretta Scott King and three of their children gathered here on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. And an inscription was unveiled that had been carved into the granite steps marking the very exact place where Martin Luther King, Jr., stood 40 years ago and delivered his historic speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CORETTA SCOTT KING, KING'S WIDOW: This inscription adds a sense of wholeness to the site. Just as President Lincoln's courageous leadership was necessary to abolish slavery, Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership was needed to end segregation. This inscription, therefore, opens a new chapter in America's long journey toward freedom and equality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: The focus of events here 40 years ago was jobs and justice. Now, this event is being sponsored by more than 100 groups -- environmental groups, women's rights groups, labor groups, gay and lesbian groups, antiwar groups. And so there are a lot of different causes that are going to be promoted from the podium here today.

So the one thing that they are all focusing on, though, is kicking off a 15-month voter registration drive to try to get as many people as possible registered in time for the next presidential election.

As far as turnout, they're expecting only about 10,000 people here today. That's a pretty significant drop from the remembrances on the 30-year anniversary of some 75,000, but they still say everyone here will be very dedicate and devoted to keeping that dream alive.

Back to you, Heidi.

COLLINS: And that brings up the question, Kathleen, of the atmosphere there. Everybody pretty excited about this day, I would imagine. Have you had a chance to talk to anyone about how they feel about how things have changed over these 40 years, race relations?

KOCH: Well, Heidi, obviously everyone here agrees that we have come a long ways, that great strides have been made. But there is clearly a very different mood here, they say, than there was 40 years ago. Again, 40 years ago, this event was very focused, and people had a real sense of mission, a real sense of history.

And today, again, and perhaps that is what accounts for these decreasing numbers, people don't see a vast divide between African- Americans and the rest of America. And so you don't quite have the passion that was here 40 years ago, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, CNN's Kathleen Koch in Washington today. Thanks so much, Kathleen.

KOCH: You bet.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired August 23, 2003 - 09:25   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.: I have a dream today...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Keeping that dream alive. Ceremonies today mark the 40th anniversary of the historic march on Washington, which ended with Martin Luther King's inspirational "I Have a Dream" speech. You see it there.

The 1963 march attracted more than 200,000 people to the nation's capital, became one of the most enduring images from the civil rights movement.

And today, thousands of people plan to relive that famous day.

Let's go to Washington now and CNN's Kathleen Koch. Good morning to you, Kathleen.

KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Heidi.

Well, the steps here are just a bustle of activity as everyone gets ready for this afternoon's commemoration. It starts about 3:00. As you said, they're expecting thousands to come from around the country to really relive that moment and renew the dream that Martin Luther King, Jr., spoke so passionately, so eloquently about some 40 years ago, 40 years ago actually this Thursday.

Organizers say, though, that the theme here today is return, repair, and renew, because they say that Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream of full equality, equal rights for African-Americans, has never been entirely realized. They say that African-Americans still make up a disproportionate percentage of the nation's poor, jobless, the nation's illiterate, and they believe that that's something that has got to change.

There was a very special ceremony here yesterday. Members of the Martin Luther King family, Coretta Scott King and three of their children gathered here on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. And an inscription was unveiled that had been carved into the granite steps marking the very exact place where Martin Luther King, Jr., stood 40 years ago and delivered his historic speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) CORETTA SCOTT KING, KING'S WIDOW: This inscription adds a sense of wholeness to the site. Just as President Lincoln's courageous leadership was necessary to abolish slavery, Martin Luther King Jr.'s leadership was needed to end segregation. This inscription, therefore, opens a new chapter in America's long journey toward freedom and equality.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KOCH: The focus of events here 40 years ago was jobs and justice. Now, this event is being sponsored by more than 100 groups -- environmental groups, women's rights groups, labor groups, gay and lesbian groups, antiwar groups. And so there are a lot of different causes that are going to be promoted from the podium here today.

So the one thing that they are all focusing on, though, is kicking off a 15-month voter registration drive to try to get as many people as possible registered in time for the next presidential election.

As far as turnout, they're expecting only about 10,000 people here today. That's a pretty significant drop from the remembrances on the 30-year anniversary of some 75,000, but they still say everyone here will be very dedicate and devoted to keeping that dream alive.

Back to you, Heidi.

COLLINS: And that brings up the question, Kathleen, of the atmosphere there. Everybody pretty excited about this day, I would imagine. Have you had a chance to talk to anyone about how they feel about how things have changed over these 40 years, race relations?

KOCH: Well, Heidi, obviously everyone here agrees that we have come a long ways, that great strides have been made. But there is clearly a very different mood here, they say, than there was 40 years ago. Again, 40 years ago, this event was very focused, and people had a real sense of mission, a real sense of history.

And today, again, and perhaps that is what accounts for these decreasing numbers, people don't see a vast divide between African- Americans and the rest of America. And so you don't quite have the passion that was here 40 years ago, Heidi.

COLLINS: All right, CNN's Kathleen Koch in Washington today. Thanks so much, Kathleen.

KOCH: You bet.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com