The March Continues: The Ongoing Journey to Economic Inclusion
While the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is often referred to as simply “the March on Washington,” the “Jobs” aspect of the March was very important. The initial focus of the March was intended to be economic inequality, but it was later expanded to address the concerns expressed by various civil rights groups. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the other organizers of the March crafted a set of Ten Demands that included calls for Federally funded job training and placement, a national minimum wage that provided a decent standing of living, an expansion of the Fair Labor Standards Act, and an end to discrimination in employment at all levels of government, the private sector, and labor unions.
This panel will reflect on the ways the nation has marched toward economic inclusion for Black people, and in what ways must the march continue?
Following the roundtable discussion, audience members will be able to submit questions for the panel to consider.
Panelists:
- Tawanna A. Black, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Center for Economic Inclusion
- More panelists to be announced
Moderator:
- Dr. William P. Jones, Professor, Department of History
What's Next? Roundtable Series
The College of Liberal Arts is hosting a series of roundtable discussions with community leaders and advocates that ask "What's Next for the Dream?" These discussions will explore where we are nationally and locally with regard to some of the demands put forward at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs & Freedom where the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., delivered his historic "I Have A Dream" speech.
William P. Jones is Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. A scholar of race and class in the 20th century United States, he is author of two award-winning books: The Tribe of Black Ulysses: African American Lumber Workers in the Jim Crow South and The March on Washington: Jobs, Freedom, and the Forgotten History of Civil Rights. Jones has written for The New York Times, Washington Post, and The Nation, been interviewed on PBS News Hour, NPR’s The Takeaway, and Democracy Now, and is currently writing a book titled Essential Workers: Public Service and the Dignity of Labor.