Local event held for 60th anniversary of March on Washington

The Buffalo Local Office of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), in partnership with Niagara University’s Ostapenko Center for Race, Equity, and Mission, will host an event commemorating the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Local leaders, along with students and citizens from Western, New York, will gather to hear speakers discuss the March on Washington and honor the enduring legacy of Dr. King. EEOC staff will also be available to answer questions about the agency’s work.

On Aug. 28, 1963, over 200,000 people arrived in the nation’s capital to protest injustice and discrimination, and to hear from civil rights leaders. One of those leaders was the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who gave his historic “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.

The March on Washington spurred the subsequent passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the establishment of the EEOC in 1965. The EEOC has contributed to making Dr. King’s dream a reality by advancing opportunity in the workplace through enforcement of federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination.

EEOC Buffalo Local Office Director Maureen Kielt said, “Although there have been real gains since the Civil Rights Movement, there is still work to be done. The EEOC is committed to addressing discrimination in the workplace and will continue to strive to eliminate discrimination and educate stakeholders on their rights and responsibilities.”

The event will be from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 28 at the Niagara Falls Amtrak station on 825 Depot Avenue W.