News Release - Mayor Thomas S. Richards Commemorates 50th Anniversary of March on Washington

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City of Rochester

News Release

Manhattan Square Park to be Renamed

(Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2013) – Mayor Thomas S. Richards was joined today by community activist and civil rights advocate Dr. Walter Cooper and Reverend Fannie Reeves and the Mount Olivet Baptist Church Choir and area youth to mark the 50th Anniversary of the historic 1963 civil rights March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

Skaters in Manhattan Square Park
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Manhattan Square Park

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was one of the largest political rallies for human rights in the United States. “Many of the advances we have made in Rochester and across the United States are because of the courage and influence of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the hundreds of thousands who participated in the fight for civil rights,” said Mayor Thomas S. Richards. “Fifty years ago, these men and women marched not only for racial equality, but for human rights and equality for all. Today we commemorate the March on Washington; we remember Dr. King and all of our nation’s citizens who fought for civil rights and express humble gratitude for the change they set in motion.” 

Mayor Richards also announced that he will begin the process of renaming Manhattan Square Park in Downtown as the “Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Square Park.”

Said Mayor Richards, “Manhattan Square Park is in the heart of our Downtown. It is a place where families come and enjoy the shade trees and green space, the fountain and spray park on a hot day or gather for concerts and festivals. In winter people love to use the ice rink. In short, it is a gathering place for all of our diverse residents – just as Dr. King envisioned 50 years ago. I can think of no better place in Rochester to bear his name and to honor his memory. Rochester is known for being home to such freedom fighters as Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass and it is fitting that we honor Dr. King in this way.”