National NCNW News

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Organizers Point to Persistent Racial Disparities, Ongoing Civil Rights Onslaught at Every Level of Government Ahead of 60th Anniversary of March on Washington

WASHINGTON – Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and Arndrea Waters King today announced more than 100 organizations across racial, cultural, and generational lines have joined the 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington, and National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) will again, after participating in the first march in 1963, be one of the organizations.  Hundreds of thousands of people have been mobilized in the weeks leading up to the large-scale demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday, August 26th, which will not serve as a commemoration but a continuation of what started in 1963.

“For NCNW, the occasion is about dedication.  As an organization we are just as dedicated today as we were 60 years for the first March on Washington event.  In 1963, we marched for jobs, equity, and freedoms, and today, we march for quite a few of the same civil rights and social justice issues that are at the center of the health and progress of this nation, which is appalling,” said Rev. Shavon Arline-Bradley, president and CEO of NCNW.  “Our leader, Dr. Dorothy Height, was the catalyst of the inaugural event, in addition to the progress of our people, while encouraging women of all races, creeds, and colors to stand for what is always right.  We are honored to continue this legacy of being a strong, advocating voice for Black women. NCNW will always be a beacon for the movement.”

Citing ongoing racial disparities in employment, housing, education and beyond as well as the prevalence of racially motivated violence and the ongoing assault on the rights of women, LGBTQ Americans, immigrants, people of color and democracy, the organizers pledge that this demonstration will not be a commemoration but a continuation of the “dream” Dr. King outlined at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963.

Newly released data from the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA), a partner organization, shows economic conditions are as bad — if not worse — for Black and Brown Americans as they were 60 years ago. The median wealth gap between Black and White households has significantly widened over the last 60 years. Student debt, which overwhelmingly hits Black Americans harder, is a driving factor for this yawning gap – with limited relief in sight after the Supreme Court struck down the Biden administration’s plan to wipe as much as $20,000 per borrower. This new data comes amid the backdrop of Florida’s relentless attempts to erase Black history from the classroom, as other regions of the country look to follow suit. Gov. Ron DeSantis and state leadership have not relented on a new, warped curriculum promoting a false narrative that Black people benefited from slavery.

That same Court has peeled back rights on LGBTQ Americans, women, voting rights, and organized Labor in the last decade. All the while, hateful rhetoric has led to violent attacks Black, Brown, Jewish, AAPI and other historically marginalized Americans. All of these alarming issues speak to the dire threats democracy in the United States faces today.

A full list of partners can be found below:
National Council of Negro Women (NCNW)
Advocates for Youth
African American Mayors Association
All Souls Movement
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated
American Federation of Teachers
Anti-Defamation League (ADL)
APIAVote
Asian Americans Advancing Justice – AAJC
Atlas Strategy Group
Austin Justice Coalition
Bayard Rustin Liberation Initiative Inc
Bet Mishpachah, DC’s LGBTQ+ Synagogue
Brown and Gold PAC – Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Incorporated
Capitol Ballroom Council, inc.
Center for American Progress
Center for Black Equity
Center for Economic and Policy Research
Center for Reproductive Rights
Central Conference of American Rabbis
Change Administration (Lincoln University of PA Student Government Association)
College Democrats of America
Common Defense
Community Justice
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI)
DC Vote
Declaration for American Democracy Coalition
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated
DemCast USA
Democratic National Committee
Emerge
EMILYs List
ERA Coalition
Everytown For Gun Safety
FairVote
Family Equality
FPWA
Generation Ratify
GLAAD
GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders (GLAD)
Good Trouble Think-Tank
Higher Heights for America
Hip Hop Caucus
Human Rights Campaign
In Our Own Voice: National Black Women Reproductive Justice Agenda
Interfaith Voices for Reproductive Justice
Japanese American Citizens League
Keshet
LatinoJustice PRLDEF
League of Women Voters
NAACP
NAACP LDF
NARAL Pro-Choice America
National Black Justice Coalition (NBJC)
National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR)
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation (NCBCP)
National Council of Asian Pacific Americans
National Council of Jewish Women
National Immigration Law Center
National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice
National LGBTQ Task Force Action Fund
National Organization for Women (NOW)
National Organization of Concerned Black Men Inc.
National Partnership for Women & Families
National Queer API Alliance (NQAPIA)
National Urban League
National Women’s Law Center
NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice
Next Generation Action Network (NGAN)
OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates
Our Time to Act United
Oxfam America
PFLAG National
Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America
Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Reproaction
Sanctuary of Hope LA/ March 4 Equity
SEIU
Shaare Tefila Congregation
SisterReach and SisterReach Illinois
SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Poverty Law Center
Stand Up America
Student Debt Crisis Center
Students Learn Students Vote Coalition
The Arc of Justice
The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus
The House of Garcon
The Jews of Color Mishpacha Project
The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
The Phoenix Affect
The TransLatin@ Coalition
The Uniters
The Workers Circle
UNIDOS
United by Equity
URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
Virginia Moms for Change
Voto Latino
We Testify
YWCA USA
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Incorporated

The pre-program for the event will begin at 8:00 a.m. ET with the main program beginning at 11:00 a.m. ET. Following the program, a march will begin through the streets of the Nation’s Capital, culminating at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial. Additional details will be released prior to the event.  

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ABOUT National Council of Negro Women

NCNW is an “organization of organizations,” comprised of 330 campus and community-based sections and 32 national women’s organizations that enlightens, inspires, and connects more than 2,000,000 women and men.  Its mission is to lead, advocate for, and empower women of African descent, their families, and communities. It was founded in 1935 by Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, an influential educator and activist, and for more than fifty years, the iconic Dr. Dorothy Height was president of NCNW.

Today, the NCNW programs are grounded on a foundation of critical concerns known as “Four for the Future.” It promotes education with a special focus on:   science, technology, engineering, and math (STEAM); encourages entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and economic stability; educates women about good health and HIV/AIDS, and promotes civic engagement and advocates for sound public policy and social justice. To learn more, visit www.ncnw.org.