Jeffries, Ocasio-Cortez look to November at 2026 March on Washington: ‘The tide is coming’ 

descriptions off, selected

captions settings, opens captions settings dialog

captions off, selected

This is a modal window.

Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

End of dialog window.

Today's Top Stories - August 28, 2026

Today's Top Stories - August 28, 2026

Civil rights leaders and Democratic lawmakers, alongside hundreds of protesters, rallied on the National Mall on Friday to commemorate the 1963 March on Washington, with many speakers emphasizing the importance of November’s midterm elections.

The 2026 “Defend the Vote” March on Washington, organized by Rev. Al Shaprton’s National Action Network and Martin Luther King III, took place 63 years after the iconic march where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

The speakers at this year’s march included House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Gov. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.), Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin and National Urban League President Marc Morial.

Many of the speeches focused on Democrats turning out to vote in November for the midterms, while decrying recent Supreme Court decisions on voting rights and the Trump administration’s actions that speakers condemned as having negative effects on Black Americans.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries........

© The Hill