61 Years After the March for Jobs and Freedom, We Carry On for Justice

Sixty-one years after the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom, our social fractures make it extraordinarily hard to reach broad consensus and commitment to continue the fight for racial equality and economic opportunity. Today, we struggle to remember the same history that catalyzed the Civil Rights movement and often ignore current realities of economic struggle that warrant more progress. When we ignore dishonest actors bent on exploiting racial divisions and disempowering Black people and other people of color our path forward becomes clearer. While we are entangled in a complex web of attacks against the wellbeing and political voice of Black people—and democracy itself—the demands from the March still ring true and require just solutions and an inclusive economic agenda.

In the past 61 years, we have celebrated significant achievements in economic equality and strengthening our democratic voice. However, the racist barriers we've dismantled since the March threaten a comeback. The Supreme Court severely weakened the Voting Rights Act (VRA)—a crowning achievement of the Civil Rights Movement—in its 2013 Shelby v. Holder ruling. Without the VRA’s protections, voters of color have faced a surge of state-based legislation aimed at limiting our political power. This includes attacks on drop boxes, early voting, and vote by mail—all mechanisms to make engagement in our democratic practice easier and more accessible. In Georgia, they even tried to eliminate Souls to the Polls, a celebrated civic engagement strategy. But we fought back and stopped them.

Because of our love for humanity, a faith and belief in the values of love, justice and liberty that transcend race, culture, religion, and political ideology, we must continue to build a more inclusive future.

In other instances, efforts to disempower voters involve making it harder to register or stay registered. While there are sensible ways to maintain and clean up voter lists, some states use overly broad methods that end up purging eligible voters. Ohio tried this in 2015, leading to voters showing up at the polls only to find their names missing from the rolls. Despite some early victories in court when Dēmos challenged Ohio with local partners, the case ultimately suffered a setback with a 5-4 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June 2018.

More recently, we performed a deep analysis of voter purges in 10 states. What we found points to widespread practices that risk wrongful purges of eligible voters—from states that lack transparency in their process and data to rules that take eligible voters off the rolls.

Many of these decisions are no accidents. Rather, the attempts to curtail the political power of Black people and that of other communities of color is explicitly discussed in conservative and extremist settings. Restricting access to the ballot in this way means that thousands of voters have been blocked from the polls or seen their voting process become more complicated and less welcoming as part of a broader strategy to shift power to other demographic and political groups. When we affect the right to vote of thousands of Americans in these ways, it means that the line between today and the March on Washington 61 years ago is, at best, blurred.

Efforts to suppress the votes of people of color are inextricably linked to recent, more visible attempts to undermine democracy. The Big Lie—the false claim that former President Trump won the 2020 election if not for cheating—perpetuates dangerous myths. These and other toxic ideas propagated by nationalist rhetoric about people of color serve to dehumanize us. When a group views Black people as less than human, it will justify any action to disenfranchise and oppress our agency and our voice. And this ultimately affects our wellbeing.

Furthermore, the far right has openly revealed its next moves in Project 2025. Their plans are to seize control of governing, enforce an authoritarian vision, and further disempower and marginalize Black and brown people and other groups. Among their goals is to combat the baseless concept of "anti-white racism." In a nation of immigrants and a burgeoning multi-racial, multicultural population, these aims only proffer division and exclusion—a far cry from the freedom that we all proclaim as a right in America.

These challenges to our political voice do not take place without a fight. On the contrary: Everyday, individuals and advocates on the frontlines champion an agenda that empowers historically disenfranchised and disempowered communities and strengthens our democracy. In our case, at Dēmos, our power agenda seeks to dismantle systemic barriers and build a more inclusive society where every voice is heard and valued and our economy benefits us all. Through innovative policies and grassroots mobilization, we are working for a future where equity, justice, and economic stability are not just aspirations but sustainable realities.

The path ahead is fraught with challenges, but we have always navigated tough journeys. Our opponents in the quest for equity are more determined than ever, often resorting to violence and unlawful, anti-democratic actions. Yet, we draw strength from the resilience and moral conviction of past generations who forged ahead when policies and promises fell short. Because of our love for humanity, a faith and belief in the values of love, justice and liberty that transcend race, culture, religion, and political ideology, we must continue to build a more inclusive future. Let’s sharpen our focus, unite our efforts, and seize the momentum to drive the transformative changes we need. Let's build our power to succeed, together.