Like many other African-Americans who were born after the civil rights movement, Keith Richardson grew up hearing stories about the 1963 March on Washington. “To me, the march was about promoting unity,” says Richardson, 39, a lifelong west-sider. “It was about all races of people coming together, living out the American dream of equality.”
The 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
Fifty years later, participants in the March on Washington still hoping for justice
A dream unrealized for African-Americans in Chicago
“Sometimes I think you can cure cancer before you can stop the crime,” Richardson says. But he has no doubt that more recreational and employment programs would help. “Kids are taught to sell drugs, just like kids can be taught to work. If there were more employment opportunities, you wouldn’t have as many kids standing on the corner.”
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Yet Moss—whose father, Reverend Otis Moss Jr., was a friend and ally of King’s—is encouraged by the level of energy he’s encountered among a new generation of activists across the country addressing “economic apartheid,” mass incarceration, and workers’ rights. “We have to lend our support and our voice to our partners in this struggle,” he says, “so we can see some things change.”
Over the summer the Chicago Public Schools announced teacher layoffs and other budget cuts affecting schools across the city. “The biggest current civil rights struggle is about the school closings and educational opportunities in communities of color, but some of these things really transcend race,” Patel says. “Just like the March on Washington brought together new coalitions, there’s a lot of hope right now in Chicago, a lot of people saying enough is enough.”
At the same time, it’s impossible not to notice that most African-American communities are “without resources,” including up-and-coming Bronzeville, where she lives. “The amenities around my community are liquor stores, nail shops, and beauty salons—I don’t see bookstores and restaurants. At the end of my block you always see a group of men standing around drinking. On the corners are police cameras. I think there’s an overwhelming feeling of hopelessness in our communities, and people feeling like they’re invisible.”
