Washington: Thousands gather at historic civil rights march
Thousands are gathering in Washington DC to commemorate the 1963 civil rights March on Washington and in protest of police violence.
The families of black Americans shot or killed by police will speak at the same site where Martin Luther King Jr delivered his I Have a Dream speech.
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Friday's event is called the Commitment March: Get Your Knee Off Our Necks, a reference to George Floyd's death.
It follows renewed protests over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.
The relatives of Mr. Blake, Mr. Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Eric Garner are expected to deliver speeches at the march.
They will be joined by civil rights leader Reverend Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III - the eldest son of Mr King Jr.
The event comes in the wake of at times violent protests over Mr Blake's shooting that have left two dead in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
Mr. Blake was shot and injured by police last Sunday.
Since Mr Floyd's death in May, marches in support of the Black Lives Matter movement and against racism and police brutality have swept the US and the globe.
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Protesters continue to seek justice for Mr Floyd, who died after being held down by police officers, one of whom knelt on his neck, and Breonna Taylor, who was shot and killed in her home when officers raided her apartment.
Democratic vice-presidential nominee Senator Kamala Harris is also expected to address the rally virtually.
1963 March on Washington
The 1963 March on Washington was a seismic event in US history, credited with spurring the passage of the Civil Rights Act outlawing segregation the following year. Some 250,000 supporters packed the 1.9 miles (3 km) strip from Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, making it one of the largest political gatherings the country had ever seen.
Rev Sharpton announced the 2020 march - which falls on the 57th anniversary of the 1963 event - at Mr. Floyd's memorial service in June.
His organisation, the National Action Network, worked with Mr. King III to convene the march.
Speeches preceded a march to the Martin Luther King Memorial
Planners said the event will bring together generations for a day of action to advocate for police reform as well as to urge Americans to vote in the upcoming presidential election.
Up to 50,000 people were anticipated to attend, Rev Sharpton said.
Given Covid-19 concerns, people have been encouraged to participate virtually if they cannot attend or in local marches taking place in other states. In Washington, there will be temperature checks and mandatory masks along with social distancing.
In addition, buses from states considered to be virus hotspots will no longer be coming to the capital.
Also on Friday, activists at the Black National Convention - organised by the Movement for Black Lives, a coalition of black activists and organisations - will adopt a policy platform.
Among the initiatives on the agenda are slavery reparations, defunding police departments and investment in healthcare, housing and social services in black communities, organisers said. It was drafted by hundreds of delegates from across the country.
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Speakers during the morning's programming included Ayanna Pressley, the congresswoman, who paid tribute to the activism of black Americans before today whose "sacrifice and self-determination shaped history and brought us to this moment."
"We are Black with a capital B," she said. "We are the manifestation of the movement. We are a symbol of social, political and cultural progress."
Other presenters included a young activist who called for an end to the gun violence that plagues black communities, and representatives from unions, gay rights groups and Hispanic activism groups who expressed solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement.