Thousands of people gathered in Washington to defend voting rights, invoking the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and the fight for equality.

More than six decades after his famous speech, Martin Luther King Jr. remains a central figure in the fight for civil rights. On Friday, thousands of people gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., to warn that the voting rights and freedoms for which King fought are once again threatened.

The event, titled 'March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote,' brought together union members, students, and supporters from across the country, in the context of the Supreme Court weakening a crucial provision of the Voting Rights Act. Civil rights leaders, such as Marc Morial and Martin Luther King III, emphasized the importance of unity in the face of forces that threaten democracy.

The march was organized by the National Action Network and other organizations, aiming to confront the systematic attacks on civil rights. Speakers, including Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, highlighted the issues facing communities of color, stressing that the fight for equality is not over.