Wednesday Marks 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington

Wednesday is the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington and Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and a few events have been planned locally to commemorate that historic event.

In White Plains, there will be a rally 5 p.m. in front of the Westchester County Courthouse Plaza, located at 111 Martin Luther King Blvd. The event will feature reflections from speakers on the civil rights movement, drummers, music  and spoken word performances. Participants will meet up inside the Thomas H. Slater Center, located at 2 Fisher Court in White Plains, following the rally.

The event is being sponsored by the Thomas H. Slater Center, the AntiRacist Alliance, Blacks In Law Enforcement, the Westchester County chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, the  NAACP of White Plains-Greenburgh, the Urban League of Westchester, WESPAC and the Westchester Martin Luther King Jr. Institute for Nonviolence

In Ossining, musician Vance Gilbert  will perform with members of the Ossining community and the Star of Bethlehem Mass Choir 7 p.m. Wednesday at Ossining's Louis Engel Waterfront Park, which is located at Secor and Westerly roads.

Speakers will also give their insights on the history of  civil rights history nationally and in Ossining, voting rights, the criminal justice system and economic justice.

On Thursday, there will be a screening of the documentary Brother Outsider at 6:30 p.m., inside the Ossining Public Library's Budarz Theater. The film follows the story of Bayard Rustin, a powerful leader and voice to nonviolent activism and civil rights. Following the screening, there will be a panel discussion led by Walter Naegle, Rustin’s life partner; and Dennis Parker, director of the ACLU Racial Justice Program and professor at Columbia University’s School Law.