COLUMBIA, S.C. — Several organizations rallied in downtown Columbia Friday to mark the 57th anniversary of the Walk on Washington, where Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream" speech. They also called for voting rights changes and police reform.
Two main groups leading these events were Black Lives Matter South Carolina, with Amplify Action, and the National Action Network (NAN).
National Action Network met up at 9 a.m. where they held speeches at Memorial Park on Hampton Street. Then then march to Senator Lindsey Graham's office to advocate for the John Lewis and George Floyd bills.
"Reverend Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King, III, asked us to hold this rally in Columbia, SC for two particular reasons," says Rev. Nelson Rivers with NAN, "One, we want to rally at Senator Lindsey Graham’s office to convince him to support two very important pieces of civil rights legislation - one named for the late John Lewis, The Voting Rights Advancement Act, and one for the late George Floyd, the Justice in Policing Act. Senator Graham is not on record as supporting this so we will rally at his office to ask him that he should support these two very important pieces of legislation.”
The group then headed back to Memorial Park, where they heard from more speakers, including Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina. The groups also watched the National March on Washington from a jumbotron, followed by speakers and presentations.
In the afternoon, Black Lives Matter SC marched from Memorial Park to the State House, where they will held a voter registration event. "We want to put our voices on the ballot," says Lawrence Nathaniel, creative director for the group. "We marched in May for George Floyd. We were angry, they rioted. This time, we’re going to actually put it into action and put our voices on the ballot.”
They also held a news conference with Sheriff Leon Lott and Columbia Police Chief Skip Holbrook to announce that they were working together to address community concerns.