The countdown to Wednesday’s nationwide celebration of the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s legendary I Have a Dream speech will be interrupted in 2½ days for thousands of reasons.
That is because thousands of people are expected to assemble by 9 o’clock Saturday morning when a re-enactment of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, steps off from 3838 MLK Blvd., bound for ceremonies at Leimert Park in the Crenshaw District.
Don’t search for a landmark, Pastor William D. Smart, President/CEO of the sponsoring Los Angeles Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, told the newspaper this afternoon.
The address is an empty lot.
Seemed like the ideal place to congregate for the spectacular rituals and attending ceremonies, Rev. Smart said.
Marchers will start arriving at 8, “and we will leave at 9 sharp,” the pastor said.
Since last Monday, the SCLC and at least 24 other organizations have been staging events leading up to Wednesday’s climactic program:
9 a.m. – Press conference in Council Chambers, downtown Los Angeles, and on the steps of City Hall, 200 N. Spring St.
12 noon – Bells will ring throughout the world to commemorate the hour when Dr. King began to speak.
1 o’clock to 3 – U.S. Rep. Janice Hahn (D-San Pedro) will be the hostess for an anniversary program at Compton College, 1111 E. Artesia Blvd. It is free and open to the public.
6 p.m. – A free reception at the Holman United Methodist Church, 3320 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles 90018, prior to a 7 o’clock program, a commemoration and Call to Action meeting.
See 50thmowla.org and sclcsocal.org
