Three weeks ago, Honest Abe watched as Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin led a Tea Party protest on the steps of his Lincoln Memorial. On Saturday, he got to watch another.
The One Nation “March on DC” gathered at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial in support of “jobs, justice and education.” The rally was meant to represent the opinions of the American majority, though it garnered most of its support from minority groups including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the National Urban League and the American Federation of Teachers.
The crowd began gathering at the Lincoln Memorial at 6 a.m., and by noon the Mall was covered with people wearing stickers exclaiming “Jobs Not War” or “Change Today.” Organization leaders said that over 100,000 activists attended the march.
Though the event was not meant to directly address the recent Tea Party protests, it did seek to balance out media coverage of conservative opinions with an alternative viewpoint.
“We’re not a response to the Tea Party,” said NAACP president Benjamin Jealous in an interview with ABC News. “If anything, we’re the antidote. We are a different response to the same moment. They have sought to attack diversity . We say, `Don’t push down on diversity, push up on prosperity.'”
Though supporters marched for issues ranging from gay marriage to environmental preservation, it was clear that jobs were the focal point of the rally. Organization leaders were pleased by the unity among participants, maintaining that political victory can be achieved only if activists remain unified.
“We have been victorious whenever we worked together,” One Nation wrote on its website. “We have proven the only thing we need to succeed is each other.”
any speakers, such as Ed Schultz of MSNBC’s “The Ed Show,” provided assurances of the power of unity.
“We are together,” Schultz said. “This march is about the power to the people.”
Though the march leaders seemed to exude political confidence, some marchers questioned the usefulness of the event.
“To be honest, I don’t even know why I’m here,” said Mike Arroyo, a member of the D.C.-based Transport Workers Union. “I’m an accountant in the office of the union, and they just asked me to come and help out. All I know is that I moved here from Brooklyn for this union, and I believe in this cause. I don’t know how or if it will help, but it’s the best we can do.”
ark Harrington, who is a member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, seemed much more assured.
“We will be remembered,” he said. “My motivation is to express my feelings and concerns for the current situation and economy. What else can I do to try and have my voice heard?”
After the crowds had departed at the end of the day, forgotten water bottles littered the ground along with posters saying “What do YOU think?” or “One voice can change the world.”
– Hoya Staff Writer Jonathan Gillis
contributed to this report
