As we approach the August 28th anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, we can be thankful for the progress that has come, even at great cost. We are also acutely conscious of how far we have to go as a society on so many things, including -- jobs and freedom. I would certainly not be writing this diary if that were not so. (We can certainly be thankful that the despicable Glenn Beck is unable to try to hijack the anniversary and its legacy, as he attempted to do last year.)
Those were difficult times. There was even division among leaders over what the march was even about. But, for many of us today, certainly for me, the rally, and the iconic "I Have a Dream" speech represent a moment of great moral and visionary unity that continues to deeply and powerfully unite us, even when our divisions seem to threaten to unravel so much.
For me, "If I had a Hammer", as performed by Peter, Paul and Mary was an anthem of my time. (I only learned about The Weavers and Pete Seeger later on.) That is why I was so moved and delighted when I found a You Tube video of their performance at the march, and remembered how it continues to inspire us and make us smile. It is amazing to me that their first album with this song on it hit number one on the Billboard Magazine chart and stayed in the top ten for ten months in 1961. I was 8 years old.
It is important for all of us to remember and to embrace the best of where we came from. It will help us to know where we are going.
So for today, this is one small contribution to connecting our cultural legacy with our particular moment in time. Naturally, I have also Facebookedand tweeted this video.