(CNN) — The Rev. Al Sharpton announced Thursday that he’s organizing a March on Washington in late August to mark the 57th anniversary of the historic demonstration for civil rights as protests over the death of George Floyd sweep the nation.
“On August 28, the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, we’re going back to Washington,” Sharpton said as he delivered a eulogy for Floyd, a black man who was killed last week by a white police officer in Minneapolis, during the memorial service.
Sharpton said the march is going to be led by the families that “know the pain” and know what it’s like to be “neglected,” including the families of Floyd and Eric Garner, a black man who was choked to death in 2014 by a police officer in New York.
The original 1963 event, officially titled the “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom,” was led by King and others, and is perhaps best remembered for the late civil rights leader’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech,” which he delivered at the Lincoln Memorial.
Sharpton also took aim at President Donald Trump during his eulogy on Thursday, blasting the President for using a Bible earlier this week “as a prop” when he visited a historic church in Washington that was partially damaged during protests sparked by Floyd’s death.
