Thousands Join US Protests Against Laws Curbing Voting Rights

The date selected for the rallies -- in cities from Seattle to Atlanta -- was not picked at random: It was on August 28, 1963 that a quarter-million people descended on Washington for a massive civil rights rally.

Tens of thousands of people were rallying Saturday in Washington and dozens of other US cities to protest against laws in several Republican-led states that critics say will make it harder for minorities to vote. The date selected for the rallies -- in cities from Seattle to Atlanta -- was not picked at random: It was on August 28, 1963 that a quarter-million people descended on Washington for a massive civil rights rally highlighted by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech. "We will make history on Saturday" by picking up "the torch for justice my father and so many others carried," said the rights leader's son Martin Luther King III, one of several speakers slated to address the rally in Washington. People began gathering early in the capital city under a blazing sun.