VOA’s Pam Dockins watched the event last weekend. She says its speakers expressed support for a number of social issues. Kelly Jean Kelly has her report.

"Yes, we will. Yes, we will. Yes, we will."

It was a chance for many people to relive the civil rights movement of the 1960s. Some speakers had experienced the movement themselves as young people. They spoke of the sacrifice needed to make big changes in society. Sometimes, these are changes in the law, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964. That law barred discrimination in employment based on a person’s race or sex. Several pieces of major legislation came out of the civil rights movement of the 1960s.

Activities on Saturday took place near the Lincoln Memorial, where Martin Luther King gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech 50 years ago. Speakers brought attention to many social causes including civil rights, women's rights, immigration reform and ending gun violence. The main reason for the gathering was to honor King and his sacrifice. A gunman shot and killed the civil rights leader on April 4, 1968.

But, the observance was also a place to ask questions about the direction of the civil rights movement today. The crowd listened to Myrlie Evers-Williams. She was married to Medgar Evers, another civil rights leader who was killed.

"As I look out at the crowd, I find myself saying, 'What are we doing today? Where have we come from? What has been accomplished? And, where do we go from this point forward?'"