Washington D.C., Aug 28, 2013 / 16:50 pm
Thousands of people gathered in downtown Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s now-famous "I Have a Dream Speech."
King's words remain with us today, said U.S. President Barack Obama, because they "belong to the ages, possessing a power and prophecy unmatched in our time."
The hours-long event, entitled "Let Freedom Ring," celebrated half a century since the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, which took place on Aug. 28, 1963. The march was a pivotal point in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and was the backdrop for King's speech.
"America changed for you and for me," because of that march, Obama said, pointing to sweeping changes in the treatment of minorities in the United States over the past five decades.