The 60th anniversary of the March on Washington was observed on August 25 and 26 at the Lincoln Memorial. This went to press after the fact.

As we mark the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, it is a moment to reflect on the sacrifice and contributions of Black workers, activists, organizers and leaders who fought to ensure that America lived up to its democratic ideals. 

Icons like A. Philip Randolph, Bayard Rustin, Ella Baker and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who worked to bring the labor and civil rights movements together, issued a call for change so powerful, it could not be ignored. 

But the work that began six decades ago is far from finished. Today, our democracy is under attack, and we have witnessed the deterioration of our hard-earned gains on civil, human and workers’ rights. 

Corporations and extremist politicians and judges are bent on dividing us and erasing the progress we’ve made on racial justice, voting rights, collective bargaining, access to reproductive healthcare, education and so much more. 

Now is the time for working people to come together and take bold action. 

As thousands of working people mobilize and organize at unprecedented rates nationwide, it is clear we are ready for change that can only be won by stepping off the sidelines and raising our collective voice. 

We are demanding our rightful seat at the table; together with our friends and allies in the civil rights movement, we are working to preserve our democracy for generations to come. 

As we prepare to come together once again at the Lincoln Memorial, we will recommit to the fight for racial and economic justice and continue working to achieve the goals of Randolph, Rustin, Baker, King and countless others who gathered on that historic day in 1963 to create a brighter future for America.

Liz Shuler is the president of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) and Fred Redmond is the secretary-treasurer. The AFL-CIO is the democratic, voluntary federation of 60 national and international labor unions that represent 12.5 million working people. It strives to ensure all working people are treated fairly, with decent paychecks and benefits, safe jobs, dignity and equal opportunities.