Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III and Arndrea Waters King Are Organizing an Aug. 28 Demonstration Following New Setbacks to Federal Voting-Rights Protections
Civil rights leaders will return to the Lincoln Memorial this summer for a new March on Washington focused on protecting voting rights and fair political representation.
The “March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote” is scheduled for Aug. 28, exactly 63 years after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his landmark “I Have a Dream” speech during the original March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network is organizing the demonstration alongside Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King and the Drum Major Institute. The NAACP, National Urban League and League of United Latin American Citizens are among the organizations expected to participate. Civil rights advocates, faith leaders, labor groups, elected officials and community organizers are also expected to attend.
March on Washington 2026 Calls for Action
“Defending the vote means defending the foundation of our democracy,” King said in a statement. “Sixty-three years after my father stood at the Lincoln Memorial, we are called to march again, not only in remembrance, but in action.”
Organizers say the march is not intended solely to commemorate the historic 1963 gathering. Instead, the coalition hopes to mobilize voters and push lawmakers to restore federal protections against racial discrimination in elections.
Sharpton has described a recent U.S. Supreme Court voting-rights decision as “a bullet in the heart” of the movement, warning that the ruling could weaken Black political representation across the country.
Related: Decision to Gut Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act: “A Bullet in the Heart”
Supreme Court Ruling Fuels Voting-Rights Concerns
The march follows the Supreme Court’s April 29 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. In the 6-3 decision, the court struck down a Louisiana congressional map containing a second majority-Black district and substantially changed how Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act may be applied in redistricting cases.
Civil rights advocates say the ruling makes it more difficult to challenge maps that dilute the voting strength of Black communities and other communities of color. The decision has also opened the door for additional states to redraw congressional boundaries before the November midterm elections.
Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act prohibits voting practices or procedures that discriminate on the basis of race, color or membership in certain language-minority groups. For decades, it has been used to challenge congressional maps and election rules that deny minority voters an equal opportunity to elect their preferred candidates.
Organizers hope the August march will build public pressure for new federal legislation protecting ballot access and fair representation.
Continuing the Legacy of the 1963 March
The original March on Washington brought an estimated 250,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial on Aug. 28, 1963. Black and white demonstrators gathered to demand jobs, economic equality, civil rights and meaningful federal voting protections.
The demonstration became one of the defining moments of the Civil Rights Movement and helped generate support for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
This year’s coalition says returning to the same location is meant to connect that history to the current fight over voting laws, congressional districts and access to the ballot.
Registration Open
The March on Washington 2026 is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 28, at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Registration is now open through the National Action Network. Additional information about speakers and programming will be released in the coming weeks here.
