Civil Rights Groups Will Lead A March For Criminal Justice Reform

Reverend Al Sharpton, the National Action Network (NAN), Martin Luther King III, attorney Benjamin Crump and others will lead a “Commitment March” to fight for criminal justice reform.

According to the release, the march, titled “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks,” will take place August 28. The march will coincide with the 57^th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s March on Washington where he delivered his historic “I Have A Dream” speech.

“We are in the midst of the largest civil and human rights movement in history. Now is the time and this is the generation that can realize the dream my father spoke of 57 years ago,” said Martin Luther King, III. “Black Americans are still bearing the same hardships my father worked to eradicate, and the only way we can hope to see the future he dreamt of is by continuing the peaceful and radical work he began years ago.”

Speakers at the march will include the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Eric Garner to address the loss of Black lives at the hands of police. Additionally, the event will advocate for issues such as police accountability, criminal justice reform, and voter protection.

Protesters and activists will gather at Lincoln Circle to hear the day’s programming before the march to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Credentialed media can register for the Commitment March here. Protesters may sign up to receive information on the march here.

“This March on Washington shows our commitment to fighting for the oppressed, the marginalized, the neglected people of this country,” Rev. Al Sharpton said in the release. “We are tired of the mistreatment and the violence that we, as Black Americans, have been subjected to for hundreds of years. Like those who marched before us, we are standing up and telling the police, telling lawmakers, telling the people and systems that have kept us down for years, ‘Get your knee off our necks’.”

Organizations who’ve committed to participating in the march includes the NAACP; National Urban League; the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation; Legal Defense Fund (LDF); and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.