Family members of George Floyd, the 46-year-old black man killed at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis, whose death prompted the recent nationwide racial justice protests, are planning to take part in “March on Washington” on August 28.
The families of two other victims of police violence, Breonna Taylor, a medical technician who was fatally shot by Louisville police in March, and Eric Garner, who was killed by an NYPD officer as he uttered his last words “I can’t breathe,” will also attend the event, according to the National Action Network (NAN).
The demonstration will be marking the 57th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.
This year’s march was announced by Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and head of the NAN, during Floyd’s memorial and it will be convened by Martin Luther King, III.
“Instigated from the protest movement that has risen up since the police killing of George Floyd, the ‘Get Off Our Necks’ March on Washington will be a day of action that will demonstrate out commitment to fighting for policing and criminal justice, the organization said in a statement.
“This intergenerational inclusive day of action will demonstrate our advocacy for comprehensive police accountability reform, the Census, and mobilizing voters for the November elections,” they added.
Around 100,000 people are expected to participate in the march.
King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, at the Lincoln Memorial in DC. Over 250,000 civil rights supporters listened to the speech, which was a historic moment of the civil rights movement in the nation’s history.