40th Anniversary of Civil Rights March in Nation's Capitol

August 28, 2003 marks the 40th anniversary of the historic Civil Rights March that took place in Washington D.C. A true turning point in the civil rights movement, the day included Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. The nation's capital honored the 40th anniversary with a commemorative celebration at the Lincoln Memorial that included speeches by King's widow and son, among many other notable civil rights figures.

Atlanta's remembrance of the 1963 Civil Rights March will take place on Thursday, August 28, 2003. Marchers will gather at Woodruff Park in Downtown Atlanta, and the march will begin at noon. It will make its way down Auburn Avenue until marchers reach the King Center, where a rally will take place at 1 p.m. Representative John Lewis from Georgia, the last living member of the "Big 6" that coordinated the famous 1963 march, will give the keynote address.

It is interesting to note that while King's "I Have a Dream" speech is by far the most famous words to be spoken at the 1963 march, it was in fact the speech by 23 year old John Lewis that caused the most commotion and controversy behind the scenes, where even King himself felt that Lewis had gone too far. By today's standards, the speech by Lewis seem mild, but back then, at the height of civil rights tensions in the country, King and other civil rights leaders of the time felt Lewis might incite riots or violence with his criticisms of the Kennedy Administration and their civil rights bill. In the end, after much begging and pleading, Lewis did alter his speech slightly to satisfy his elders that he respected so much in the movement.

Lewis is a terrific orator, emotional and powerful, and no doubt the emotions and memories of the 1963 march will make his keynote address at the King Center a special event not to be missed.