Annapolis Rally Remembers 'March on Washington' Anniversary Monday Evening

ANNAPOLIS, MD — A rally to commemorate the anniversary of the March on Washington, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have A Dream" speech, will be held Monday night, Aug. 28, in Annapolis. The rally starts at 6 p.m. and will honor the 54th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and will feature some speakers who participated in the original March on Washington, along with local elected officials, and community leaders and activists, organizers said.

Organizers will also remember and honor civil rights activist and the late comedian Dick Gregory, a legendary stand-up comic and civil rights activist who died Aug. 19 at age 84 in Washington D.C.

Co-sponsors of Monday's rally include Action Annapolis, We Persist - Women of Greater Anne Arundel, Anne Arundel Indivisible Coalition, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization.

CAIR is the country's largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization with a mission to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding, the group says.

Annapolis Police warn drivers that roads surrounding the rally will be closed between 5:15 and 9 p.m. Calvert Street will be closed between Northwest Street and West Street and Clay Street will be closed between West Washington Street and Calvert Street. Traffic delays and congestion are possible.

PHOTO of Martin Luther King Jr. at Lincoln Memorial during the 1963 March on Washington, courtesy of Library of Congress