WE ARE HAPPY TO REPORT THAT THE FULL WEEKEND OF “DREAM MARCH” EVENTS EXCEEDED OUR MOST OPTIMISTIC EXPECTATIONS. THIS OVERWHELMING SUCCESS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT. WE THANK YOU SINCERELY!

---- DOUGLASS COMMONWEALTH COALITION, INC. BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Please note that the Video Production Of The Rally At Freedom Plaza, The March To The Lincoln Memorial, The Sunday Prayer Services and Vigil, and The National Justice Roundtable Are Now Online. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Justice Awards Will Be Broadcast and Posted When Production Is Finished.

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DREAM MARCH ARCHIVES

NATIONAL JUSTICE ROUNDTABLE

Donate Now

DATE: August 30 1:00 PM TO 5:00 PM

Location: Virtual

Because of the Delta and Delta Plus COVID-19 variants, the National Justice Roundtable Inaugural Session was virtual-only.

SCHEDULE OF EVENTS

The Dream March on Washington For D.C. Statehood, Green Earth, and Justice – the Three-Issue Alliance – is organized to commemorate the 1963 “March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.” March participants will include elected officials, individuals, and sponsoring organizations that support the three issues. All participants are asked to commit to pursuing a unified agenda that prioritizes D.C. statehood, a Green Earth, and Justice for all. The commemorative weekend will feature three days of events and a Virtual March.

More details and information on how to participate is listed below. Scroll down for the latest developments and organizing tool kits.

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. JUSTICE AWARDS CEREMONY

Because of the Delta and Delta Plus COVID-19 variants, this event was virtual only.

This virtual event is being recorded. It will be broadcast and streamed on Monday, August 30 after the National Justice Roundtable.



THE DREAM MARCH SCHEDULE

DATE: August 28, 8:30 AM ET to 11.00 AM

Staging Location:


1.Freedom Plaza

(Rally/Program: 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM), (Make Good Trouble Rally at the Lincoln Memorial: 10:30 - 11:00 AM )

2.Lincoln Memorial

From 11.00 AM - 3.30 PM

3.Every Life Matters, Inc.

March to Deliver Petition to the Department of Justice

Saturday, August 28. Rally 7 AM - Then to the Dream Rally at Freedom Plaza to March to the Lincoln Memorial



CLOSING EVENT: VETERANS UNITED FOR D.C. STATEHOOD "HANDS AROUND THE CAPITOL CANDLELIGHT VIGIL" SATURDAY, AUGUST 28 7 PM TO 8 PM

THE DREAM MARCH INTERFAITH SERVICE AND PRAYER VIGIL



Add Your Organization:

Douglass Commonwealth Coalition and sponsoring organizations for the Dream March on Washington are authorized to use the name and logo of ( enter organization name ) to support the March.

Organizing Tools

Dream March Organizing Plan

DREAM MARCH ON WASHINGTON FOR D.C. STATEHOOD, GREEN JOBS, AND JUSTICE PLAN

UNIFIED CAMPAIGN

The “Dream March for D.C. Statehood, Green Jobs, & Justice” is a THREE-ISSUE-ALLIANCE (the “Alliance”) designed to:
1.) End taxation without representation by making Washington D.C. America’s 51st state.
2.) Save the earth,
3.) Demand equal justice.

COMMITMENT

Participating organizations and individuals will be asked to commit to supporting the “Dream March.” They will also be asked to support the three issues and assist with developing and implementing an overall plan to get the message out about why people should commemorate the 1963 "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom."

BUILDING A COALITION

Political leaders and organizations in every state will play an important role in the march organizing campaign. Each organizer should make a list of the organizations and companies in each jurisdiction that could be supportive; think not only of officially registered groups but also "activist organizations" such as ad-hoc committees and working groups. Colleges and universities should be at the top of your list! Identify all possible support groups. Cultivation of support organizations should be done immediately. Letters should be written to organizations to ask for support.

MESSAGE

Simply announcing that an organization supports the three-issue-alliance will be a boost to the March. Ask all supporting organizations to register and authorize us to use the organization's name and logo, if any, on this site and printed materials. This support will be particularly effective if the organization is well known and respected.

MOBILIZE SUPPORTERS

Ask organizations willing to support the March to go to ADD YOUR ORGANIZATION. Once the commitment is made, ask the group to contact their supporters either by phone or through a mailing or newsletter to announce their support for the March or the Virtual March. Recruit volunteers for concrete campaign tasks such as fundraising, event organizing, etc. If every sponsor agrees to identify at least five other organizations willing to lend their support, this will create a geometric progression that will grow support for the March exponentially in a very short period of time.

MATERIAL DESIGN

We want to design campaign materials for a coordinated national message. We need to immediately contract with a single printer and vendor to produce all or much of the materials, thus gaining savings in the price for all march organizers. Local and state groups may be able to use the logos and images posted on this site. Simply add the local organization’s name, logo, and local information to the designs that will be posted on this site. Button and flyer designs will be posted on the site for your convenience, however your own designs are welcome.

MATERIALS

The DCCI will provide posters, leaflets, and platforms at the D.C. March events. State and Local hosts will be responsible for producing their own materials.

PLANNING COMMITTEE

Each host group should establish a Planning Committee. The planning committee will craft a consistent message, draft press releases, letters, articles, etc. to let the public and march participants know about the March. All outside communications should be vetted through a Communications Committee and sent to info@douglasscommonwealth.us so we can have it on file. Platforms will include, but not be limited to, social media, public relations, publicist affairs, etc. Each supporting organization's written or recorded support statement would be valuable to post online to get public and press attention.

VISITS

Letters, interviews, and videos by well-known leaders and celebrities can draw attention to the march, however, this should not be your only strategy. The local march organizers will have to make sure the events have a good turnout of supporters and press. Make sure that the visit does not cost the march too much in time, money and people. All of the benefits of a visit can be squandered if it pulls the march off schedule or uses too many non-budgeted resources. For all events with national organization leaders, local leaderships should be on the dais and introduced during the event. These are also good opportunities to collect names and phone numbers of potential supporters of the organizing efforts supporting DC Statehood, Green Earth, Justice after the March. Weekend.

WORKSHEET: WORKING WITH NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS AND YOUR ORGANIZATION

  1. Make a list of all the non-profit groups and other organizations that should be supportive of your March efforts. List the contact person with each organization, the email address, the phone number and any other information that would be helpful in making contact with the group.
  2. Reviewing your list of contacts and other campaign activities, decide how these organizations and your organization could best be of assistance to the March. Keeping in mind that coalition building is a two-way street, find out what each of your partners will expect from the March organizers in return for their assistance?

Budgeting

Our first responsibility is to develop and maintain the budget. Each committee will develop its own budget.
A Committee budget planning template comprises the following information:

  • A complete description of the project.
  • A breakdown of all the expenses to be incurred while implementing the project.
  • The sum total amount of money to be incurred in the process.
  • The time lines for the implementation of the projects.
  • The phases through which the projects shall be implemented.
  • The persons or organizations who are in charge of each phase of the project.
  • The materials to be used and their associated costs.
  • The timeline within which each phase has to be concluded.
  • Who will raise the funds, how, and when.
  • Who will disburse payments, how, and when.

Fundraising:

Description of the project:

Fundraising for the Dream March will consist of, but not be limited to the following:

  1. Sponsorships
    1. Platinum - $150,000 and above (perks will include stage tickets, VIP seating, advertising space on websites and programming, and more.
    2. Gold - $100,000 to $149,000
    3. Silver - $ 50, 000 to $99,000
    4. Bronze - $ 25,000 to $49,000
    5. General - $ 10,000 to $24,000
    6. Patron - $ 5,000 to $ $9,000
    7. Supporter- $1,000 to 4,000
    8. (All sponsors will have the right to be listed on participating websites with logos, brands, etc.)

  2. Fundraisers
  3. Solicitation letters
  4. Contributions
  5. Participant Fees (each state coordinator will be charged a fee equal to the number of March participants coming to D.C.
  6. Vendor Fees

Vendors

The event planner will be hiring any outside vendors that can provide the service required for the event. When selecting the vendor, you want to be sure it is a reliable company or organization.

Speakers & Entertainment

Another job for all event planners is to create a guest list and schedule any guest speakers and entertainment for the March events. You will need to come up with multiple options, prior to making the arrangements in case your first selection is not available..

After the meeting follow-up

You want to get the meeting notes sent out as soon as they are transcribed and ready. Delegate tasks and set deadlines for the completion of action items as soon possible, record virtual meetings, and keep a copy of the meeting notes in a cloud location to prevent loss and make them easily referenced. Record and post your Virtual March events on social media and report looks and likes to this site.

PLANNING A PRAYER VIGIL

A prayer vigil can be a communal lament, an act of solidarity, or a time to bring light to brokenness in society. As an act of public witness, it offers the community a space to connect with God so that God’s vision for love and justice can be carried out through us.

Believers understand prayer vigils to be grounded in the power of the Holy Spirit to change people’s hearts and minds and to strengthen us in our work and witness.

Here are some things to consider when you are organizing a prayer vigil as an act of public witness:

Define your goal and message:

As your begin planning your prayer vigil, have your team define the goals and key message. Speakers should reflect this vision in their prayers, songs, remarks, etc.

Determine the most effective messengers to influence your decision maker:

Are there speakers who are directly impacted that can share their experience? Are there faith leaders who will capture the attention of your decision maker?

Host your vigil in a strategic location:

The location of your event is sometimes just as important as the message you share. Think about a place that will offer great visibility to the public and to your decision maker.

Highlight the diversity of faiths present:

If your event is ecumenical and/or interfaith, encourage leaders to offer prayers or rituals from their faith tradition. It is a meaningful witness when we come together to lift up shared values and messages while recognizing the distinctiveness of each tradition. Including a diverse representation of leaders emphasizes the breadth of commitment to the issue and demonstrates the power of the collective voice.

Draw on symbolic and creative traditions:

Our faith traditions and rituals offer powerful and creative ways to express our values. During a prayer vigil, consider including religious texts, symbols, and rituals (e.g. clerical vestments, candlelit processions, foot washings, and hymns). If your vigil is ecumenical and/or interfaith, be respectful and welcoming of all faiths present and keep from elevating any one tradition over another.

Be creative with your communication materials:

Make visuals that succinctly convey your message. Don’t be afraid to visually call upon decision makers by including their names in your signage.

Reach a broader audience:

Livestream your prayer vigil on social media and invite local journalists to attend.

PRAYER VIGIL PLANNING CHECKLIST

Below is a checklist which assumes up to 6 weeks to plan a prayer vigil. If you are planning a prayer vigil on a tighter schedule, you can adapt the timeline as needed.

One week before the vigil

5 days before the vigil

The day of the vigil

After the event

DIVERSITY GUIDELINES

  • YOUTH/UNIVERSITY
  • INTERFAITH
  • OUTREACH GROUPS: