LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION recognizing HARLEM WEEK, a celebration of the
52nd Anniversary of the March on Washington

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to commend the efforts
of those who seek to bring recognition to historical places within the
State of New York, and in doing so, help to ensure that the complete
history of our State and Nation is preserved and shared with present
generations of citizens; and
WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its long-
standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to recognize
HARLEM WEEK 2015, a celebration of the 52nd Anniversary of the March on
Washington; and
WHEREAS, Known in full as the March on Washington for Jobs and Free-
dom, the March on Washington took place on August 28, 1963, in our
nation's capital of Washington D.C.; and
WHEREAS, The March on Washington was one of the largest Civil Rights
peaceful demonstrations of its time, with well over 200,000 individuals
of all races in attendance before the Lincoln Monument, and was one of
the first to receive such extensive television coverage; and
WHEREAS, The March on Washington was brought about through the collab-
oration and coalition of six major Civil Rights Organizations including:
the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) led by James Farmer; the Southern
Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led by Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr.; the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) led by John
Lewis; the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters led by A. Philip
Randolph; the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP) led by Roy Wilkins; and the National Urban League led by Whitney
Young, Jr.; and
WHEREAS, The March on Washington was the birthplace of several histor-
ical and famous speeches, specifically Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I
have a dream" speech which continues to this day to inspire us to judge
individuals not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their
character; and
WHEREAS, The goals of the March on Washington were to see the passage
of effective Civil Rights legislation, an end to racially segregated
schools, a comprehensive public works program to create more jobs, the
passage of legislation prohibiting racial discrimination in public and
private sector hiring, a minimum wage of $2, and self-governance for the
District of Columbia, which at the time had a black majority; and
WHEREAS, The laudable goals of the March on Washington continue to
challenge us today; we must always remember the March on Washington and
its goals and continue to march and work towards fully achieving them;
and
WHEREAS, Without the March on Washington and the Civil Rights Leaders
who led the March and continued to fight for racial equity, the excep-
tional accomplishments and aspirations celebrated at HARLEM WEEK would
not exist; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is pleased to have this opportunity to
express its highest admiration for the March on Washington and its laud-
able goals as well as to acknowledge HARLEM WEEK 2015, and all of the
individuals who have worked to bring proper attention to a place and
time which merits recognition in the grand panorama of the history of
our State and Nation; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
recognize HARLEM WEEK 2015, a celebration of the 52nd Anniversary of the
March on Washington.