Charles Dale, third from right, and other Journey for Justice participants display the NAACP banner for the local branch.

By Alison James

alison.james@fct.wpengine.com

America’s Journey for Justice is completed, and Charles Dale said the experience was “just awesome.”

In an effort to spread the message that “Our Lives, Our Votes, Our Jobs, and Our Schools matter,” marchers participated relay-style on a route from Selma to D.C., ending on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, reminiscent of the civil rights marches of the ’60s. Educational events and rallies were held along the way in key locations to stimulate support and raise awareness.

Dale said the leg of the journey he completed, from Selma to Montgomery, was special to him.

“I met some quality people ­– we created a bond together,” Dale said. One of those people was a man from Colorado who came to participate in the march and happened to die along the way in Virginia, just before the march crossed into Washington, D.C.

“When I sent out that information about the march, he called me … and told me I had been an inspiration to him, and he wanted to be a part of it – that if I could do it back in ’63 and ’65 and was doing it again, that he could do it,” Dale said. “He and I were very close … We just connected.”

In D.C., marchers met with legislators and legislative staff before wrapping up the Journey for Justice.

Dale said his only regret was the low participation from this area.

“It was a sad day that more people from this area didn’t go. That was a letdown to me,” Dale said. “We as black folks and poor folks are still struggling and fighting for our equality … It bothers me that people are so unconcerned.”