Office of Equity and Inclusion to Host 2020 March on Washington Event with John Bracey and Jonathan Kermah

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Jonathan Kermah, a 2020 UMass Amherst graduate, will be interviewing John Bracey, professor in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies, at 10 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 28 in a live podcast about his experience participating in the 1963 March on Washington. They will discuss his thoughts about the current climate in the U.S. and what the 2020 march means at this point in history.

Following the interview, official 2020 march speakers will take the stage in Washington D.C., and can be viewed at https://2020march.com/. The virtual march will bring forward a bold national Black agenda on the 57th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech. Musical performances and keynote speakers will also take place on the nights of Aug. 27 and 28.

Jonathan Kermah made his mark at UMass as a journalism and communications double major when he created the Amherst Wired Podcast Network, an assortment of student podcasts the student run online magazine, the Amherst Wire. He is currently an author for the “Valley Advocate.”

John Bracey has taught in the W.E.B. Du Bois Department of Afro-American Studies at the UMass since 1972 and was active in the Civil Rights and Black Liberation movement of the 1960s. His work focuses on African American social history, radical ideologies and movements, the history of African American women and the interactions between Native Americans and African Americans, and Afro-Latinos in the United States.

All community members are invited to participate on Friday, Aug. 28 at 10 a.m. in a Zoom webinar, and the recording will be made available for on-demand viewing. Online registration is requested.