On August 28, 1963 the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place in Washington D.C.  This is when Dr.Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech, a seminal event of the Civil Rights Era.

30 years later, on October 16, 1995 the Million Man March took place in Washington D.C. It’s purpose was to highlight the social and economic woes of the African-American community and to proclaim unequivocally that racism was still alive in America.

Now less than ten years later, a new series of race related marches are getting attention. These events are calling themselves “White Man Marches”.

These marches claim to be advocating for “White Rights” by groups that tout themselves as “protectors of the White race”. However, it is not hard to detect strong racist underpinnings to this whole exercise. 

These marches may be a reflection of the increasing number of hate groups popping up around America.

While it is easy to label groups like the Klu Klux Klan as racist organizations, increasingly there are other groups who are trying to tip toe around that label. Towson’s White Student Union is one such group who claim not to be discriminatory but instead are simply expressing their “White pride”.

These groups suggest their presence is no different than Black Student Unions, Hispanic Heritage Month, Gay Pride Rallies, etc.

We don’t quite see it that way.

It’s one thing to be a member of a minority group that has been historically marginalized and abused… it makes sense these people would want to rally together to build support and gain equal rights.

It is a whole other thing if you are a member of the privileged majority.

If members of a majority group are rallying together it is likely because they feel their privilege is under threat. Their “White Rights” and “White Pride” mantra seems likely to be nothing more than a white wash over more disturbing intentions.

Though many of us find these groups philosophies reprehensible, these organizations are allowed to exist thanks to our Constitution’s guarantees of freedom of expression.

So, it is important as citizens that we exercise our rights and push back against such objectionable expression. We at USDemocrazy will try to do our part by blogging about these types of events. You can help by expressing your views below.