WASHINGTON — In the first of many marches to come in the week of the inauguration, the “We Shall Not Be Moved” march and rally set off from Independence Avenue Southwest and 16th Street Northwest.
Participants gathered near the Washington Monument Saturday morning despite the National Weather Service forecast of snow, freezing rain and sleet.
The march, which organizers said is designed to “protect the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.” and to “preserve the legacy of President Barack Obama,” culminated in a rally at West Potomac Park at noon.
Led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, with the National Action Network, the event was a gathering of national civil rights groups, clergy and activists demanding accountability from President-elect Donald Trump and Congress. Participants marched in a “fight for criminal justice, voting rights, affordable health care, improvements in education, and other issues around equality and justice,” according to a news release on the march.
Democrat Sens. Jeff Merkley and Kiisten Gillibrand were said to have participated in the march and rally. Reps. Sheila Jackson Lee and Brenda Lawrence were said to have attended as well.
Partner organizations of the event include the NAACP, National Urban League, National Council of La Raza, Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Voto Latino Assembly.
