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Hannah Overly
Professor Cassel
English 1201
6 June 2015
Summary of "The Fiftieth Anniversary of the March on Washington by Barack Obama
In 2013 President Barack Obama gave a speech, inspired by that of Martin
Luther King Jr.s I Have a Dream message. Obama begins his piece by speaking of
the grand gathering that accompanied Dr. King. Coming from all walks of life people
gathered to hear the inspiring words of the motivational man. His words were said to
have brought the inspiration that fueled Civil Rights and the passing of discriminatory
voting laws. However, the President expressed that these efforts were not enough; that
we still have work, as a country, to complete these goals. He spoke of how, despite the
labors of activists, unemployment rates are twice that for African Americans and Latinos
in spite of efforts to close the gap between wealth and race. Barack Obama continued
by saying that our duty, in todays society, is to look and treat each man and woman, not
by the color of their skin, but by the contribution they can provide to society; for hardworkers deserve to be acknowledged. In his message he attributes our failures to greed
and excuse making, implying that they are the root of our lack of compassion. To fix this
long lived issue, he preaches that Americans must learn to embrace and appreciate
diversity and the progress that it can provide, for we are masters of our fate (2013). He
challenges all citizens, from housewives to businessmen, to come together and tackle
this trial that has haunted the country for ages. The President articulates that without the
action of people, change will cease to be, but with it a true transformation is possible. A

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fully united America is the objective. He cries out for change because it is the very
principle by which this country was built.

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Work Cited
Obama, Barack. "The Fiftieth Anniversary of the March on Washington." Lincoln
Memorial. 28 August 2013. Speech.