I am writing one of my high holy day sermons about the fiftieth anniversary of March on Washington and lots of material won't make it into the sermon. Here's a nugget that would only make into the "director's cut" or bonus material."The March showed the power of diversity to push for political change." Volunteers and march attendees recall the surprisingly successful turnout of all types of people - parents, church ladies, college students, laborers, performers, couples, kids. One of the Freedom Riders recalls that they significance of the day was not in any speech but in the gathering itself, which was a reflection of the kind of pluralistic society that King's "Dream" described. Charlie Mann was a 13-year old from Chapel Hill, NC, who came to the March on one of the last buses. He still recalls the stunning display of diversity that he found at the March: "It felt like maybe things were changing in the country after all."
When comes to a movement and its ability to effect change, there is greater power in greater diversity.
Check out Time's online resource, http://www.time.com/time/onedream/, a great collection of photos, videos, testimonies and stories. I used it a lot to research the March.
