Hawaiʻi Celebrates 50th Anniversary of March on Washington

By Wendy Osher

Today marks the 50^th anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s historic “I Have a Dream” speech.

US Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaiʻi will join state leaders in the Honolulu Capitol Rotunda at 4 p.m. today for an event commemorating the occasion.

In a statement, he said work still needs to be done to ensure paycheck fairness and marriage equality.

US Senator Brian Schatz, file photo by Wendy Osher.

“Equal means equal. And in order to achieve equality, we must work to ensure paycheck fairness, because we still live in a country in which women are paid 77 cents for every dollar a man is paid,” he said.

He continued saying, “Clearly, we have work to do. Until same sex couples enjoy all the same rights as heterosexual couples in the state of Hawaiʻi and every other state, we will not be equal.”

He said today’s anniversary serves as a reminder of the mission that still lies ahead to ensure that all Americans enjoy the inalienable rights promised to them in the Constitution.

“On this day, we should all take a moment to recognize that although our Constitution is unique and extraordinary, its promise has not yet been fully recognized.”