MADISON – Hanu Karlapalem, a former Madison mayoral candidate, is organizing a virtual march in Alabama to commemorate the 58th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic March on Washington. It will be held Aug. 28 from noon to 2:30 p.m.

“The march is part of a nationwide demonstration to demand that legislatures across the country end their push for restrictive voting laws and that Congress pass the “For the People Act” and the “John Lewis Voting Rights Restoration Act”, which will ensure free, fair access to the ballot for every voter,” Karlapalem said. “In addition to Alabama, marches will also take place in Atlanta, Houston, Miami, Phoenix, Washington, D.C., and in more than 40 other cities around the country on August 28.

The Alabama demonstration will take place at online with a virtual rally and panel discussions featuring speakers from Alabama State Conference NAACP, ACLU of Alabama, Southern Poverty Law Center, labor, League of Women Voters of Alabama and Tennessee Valley, and youth.

The march is co-sponsored by March On, SEIU, National Action Network and the Drum Major Institute, an organization founded by Martin Luther King Jr. and dedicated to the King legacy of addressing racism through peaceful solutions.

RSVP at https://actionnetwork.org/events/voting-rights-march-virtual

The March on Washington was held in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic rights of African Americans. At the march, final speaker Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, delivered his historic “I Have a Dream” speech in which he called for an end to racism.