In the 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed that one day people “will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” much has changed. People are no longer being sprayed with fire hoses, or attacked by police dogs for expressing their political beliefs in America. People are no longer jailed because the color of their skin does not comport with the place they sit on a bus. All citizens have the ability to participate in the electoral process, with black voter participation exceeding white participation in some of the same southern states where Jim Crow once ruled the land.

On the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, President Barack Obama delivered a speech Wednesday to commemorate King’s famous words. “To dismiss the magnitude of this progress — to suggest, as some sometimes do, that little has changed — that dishonors the courage and the sacrifice of those who paid the price to march in those years,” Obama said. He also added, as have so many across the nation, that the work is not complete.

What is this work that we have yet to complete? In his speech, Obama alluded to gaps in economic success, particularly in the black community. It should be said that one of the grievances of the original March on Washington was, in fact, poverty. In 1966, 42% of African Americans lived in poverty. That was down to 28% in 2011. Since the 1963, the median black family income has risen 80% adjusted for inflation. Here too, much progress had been made, even if the work of bettering one’s life can never truly be completed. Economic success is a goal that all people will always have, and all will individually and collectively strive for. However, this focus on material gains may miss a much more essential point.

Perhaps the most important thing we can remember about civil rights is that they belong to all people. They are inclusive, not some special exclusive privilege afforded one group or another. Simply by being human, a person is endowed with their inalienable rights. Maybe that was a part of what those brave men and women were marching for: the right to be considered human in the eyes of the government. To deny a right is not to revoke a privilege of citizenship. It is to deny a person their humanity.

Additional Resources

The Wall Street Journal, 50 Years of a Dream: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324108204579025291043459218.html?mod=WSJ_hps_LEFTTopStories

Info Please, Civil Rights Timeline: http://www.infoplease.com/spot/civilrightstimeline1.html

The Courant, State Residents D.C. Bound Four 50^th Anniversary of 1963 March on Washington: http://articles.courant.com/2013-08-16/news/hc-ct-march-anniversary-0818-20130816_1_civil-rights-movement-saylor-voting-rights-act

Good Reads, Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes: http://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/23924.Martin_Luther_King_Jr_?page=2

The Wall Street Journal, This Is Not Rosa Parks: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323585604579008802563619722.html

Encyclopedia of Alabama, Birmingham Campaign of 1963: http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/face/Article.jsp?id=h-1358

The Daily Caller, Remembering Bull Connor… Accurately: http://dailycaller.com/2011/08/17/remembering-bull-connor-accurately/

History, Civil Rights Movement History: http://www.history.com/topics/civil-rights-movement-history

The Wall Street Journal, Obama’s Past Statements on Race in America: http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/08/27/obamas-past-statements-on-race-in-america/

The Wall Street Journal, Uneven Election Success for Black Politicians: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324906304579039232896754534.html?mod=WSJ_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsSecond

The Wall Street Journal, The Model for the March on Washington: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323906804579035392686412048.html?mod=opinion_newsreel

The Wall Street Journal, A Better Way to Honor Dr. King’s Dream: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324165204579027071654840280.html?mod=WSJ_Opinion_LEADTop

The Wall Street Journal, Obama to Speak at Anniversary of King’s March on Washington: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324591204579039772530945520.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_LEFTTopStories

The Guardian, Were Republicans Really the Party of Civil Rights in the 1960s? http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/28/republicans-party-of-civil-rights

CNN, African-American Senator Not Invited to Speak at Civil Rights Anniversary: http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2013/08/28/african-american-senator-not-invited-to-speak-at-civil-rights-anniversary/

The Guardian, Barack Obama’s Speech on the Steps of the Lincoln Memorial: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/28/barack-obama-speech-full-transcript

The Wall Street Journal, Crime Persists as a Grim Challenge for Blacks: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324324404579041400339948832.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_5

The National Review, A Poignant Anniversary: http://www.nationalreview.com/article/356776/poignant-anniversary-thomas-sowell

News Max, Bob Woodson: Civil Rights Movement has been ‘Hijacked’: http://www.newsmax.com/NewsmaxVideos/civil-rights-movement-hijacked/2013/08/28/id/522761