“I Am the Future: Standing on the Shoulders of the Past,” October 25

Tuesday, October 25, 5 p.m.

Rock Island Public Library Downtown Branch, 401 19th Street, Rock Island IL

Presented by Progressive Action for the Common Good – the Davenport-based organization dedicated to the promotion of social justice, empowerment, diversity, sustainability and community – I Am the Future: Standing on the Shoulders of the Past will be screened at the Rock Island Public Library's downtown branch on October 25. the documentary a locally produced Black-history video courtesy of Mickle Communications.

In I Am the Future, viewers will hear the stories of residents of the Quad Cities who attended the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, and how their connection with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led them to become civil-rights leaders in our community. Also known as simply the March on Washington or The Great March on Washington, this history event was held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963, and its purpose 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. Regarding Dr. King's oratory, noted author and historian Jon Meacham wrote, "With a single phrase, King joined Jefferson and Lincoln in the ranks of men who've shaped modern America". The speech was ranked the top American speech of the 20th century in a 1999 poll of scholars of public address, with The Independent citing it as having "a strong claim to be the greatest in the English language of all time."

The march was organized by A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, who built an alliance of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations that came together under the banner of "jobs and freedom." Estimates of the number of participants varied from 200,000 to 300,000 people, but the most widely cited estimate is 250,000. Observers estimated that 75 to 80 percent of the marchers were Black (Walter Reuther, president of the United Auto Workers, was the most integral and highest-ranking white organizer of the march), and the gathering was one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom is credited with helping to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and it preceded the Selma Voting Rights Movement, when national media coverage contributed to passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that same year.

I Am the Future: Standing on the Shoulders of the Past will be shown on October 25, and the brief film will be followed by a discussion hosted by PACG President Glenda Guster and featuring Reverend Gabriel Barber III and other guests. Participation in the 5 p.m. event is free, and more information is available by calling (309)732-7323 and visiting RockIslandLibrary.com.