Thousands take part in March on Washington to promote voting rights

In PicturesSaveSharefacebookxwhatsapp-strokecopylinkDemonstrators gather near the Lincoln Memorial before the March on Washington on August 28 [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]By Al Jazeera Staff and ReutersPublished On 28 Aug 202628 Aug 2026Thousands of demonstrators have converged on the United States capital of Washington, DC, to warn of threats to voting rights ahead of November’s midterm elections.Friday’s event marked the 63rd anniversary of the March on Washington, an historic 1963 protest that galvanised the US civil rights movement.But this year’s march had a theme that gestured to the midterms: “Defend the vote.” Civil rights leaders spoke of troubling trends that they feared would erode the voting power of Black and minority citizens.“We know in this fight we’re fighting powerful forces, but this is why we rally today,” said Marc Morial, president and CEO of the National Urban League, a civil rights organisation.“This is why we seek to bring Americans together of goodwill from all races, from all sections of the country, to push back as forcefully as we can.”Since taking office for a second term, President Donald Trump has undertaken efforts to restrict voting that critics fear will limit access for lower-income and minority voters.That includes advocating for greater proof of citizenship before voting. But those standards would require access to documents like birth certificates or passports that may not be accessible to everyone.Speakers at the march also denounced a Supreme Court decision in April to strike down key provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a landmark piece of civil rights legislation.The law was designed to crack down on practices that disenfranchised Black voters. For decades, it had prevented lawmakers from redrawing congressional districts based on race.But in April’s ruling, the court’s conservative majority argued it was impossible to “disentangle race from politics”. It therefore declared that a congressional map could be struck down only when there was evidence that states had “intentionally” limited opportunities for non-white voters through “strong interference”.Critics say that new legal standard effectively made discrimination on the basis of race legal for the purposes of drawing voting maps.In the aftermath of the court’s ruling, a number of Republican-led states passed new congressional maps to favour their party, often by carving up majority-Black districts.In a letter, Reverend Al Sharpton, an organiser of Friday’s march, drew a line between the fight for voting rights during the civil rights era and the present-day circumstances.“We stand on the same ground because the work is not finished,” Sharpton said, referring to the site of the 1963 march. “The right to vote, the very foundation of our power, is being chipped away in statehouse after statehouse. When the vote is weakened, every other right grows fragile with it.”Senator Bernie Sanders, a progressive leader, also told the crowd that the “dream of a more just and equitable society has never been under greater threat than it is right now”. He denounced Trump for his actions to weaken voting rights.“Today, we have a president along with the Supreme Court members he appointed carrying out the most significant assault on voting rights since segregation, targeting virtually every aspect of the electoral system,” Sanders said.Members of the National Guard walk past the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool before Friday's March on Washington. [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]The rally culminated at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, a symbolic site for the US civil rights movement. [AP Photo]The theme of Friday's march was 'Defend the Vote', with attendees wearing clothing and carrying signs to echo that message. [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]Reverend Al Sharpton and film director Spike Lee join the descendants of Martin Luther King Jr — including his granddaughter Yolanda Renee King and daughter Arndrea Waters King — at the march. [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]At the march, a cardboard cut-out of President Donald Trump held a placard that read, 'I'm stealing from YOU.' [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]Demonstrators during the march chanted against racial gerrymandering, the practice of reshaping districts to weaken the power of non-white voters. [Mariam Zuhaib/AP Photo]Demonstrators at the march encouraged the US public to take action to protect the country's democracy. [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]A group of protesters hold a sign addressed to the government, with the message, 'Hands off our vote.' [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]Friday's March on Washington revisited the Lincoln Memorial, where the slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr delivered his iconic 'I have a dream' speech. [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]Horse-mounted officers from the US Park Police patrol near the Lincoln Memorial during the march. [Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]Civil Rights attorney Benjamin Crump speaks during the March on Washington rally at the Lincoln Memorial on Friday. [Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo]Activists brought handmade signs and musical instruments to the march to show their support. [Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo]Senator Bernie Sanders was among the politicians who delivered remarks at Friday's march. [Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo]