Fifty-seven years ago on Aug. 28, 1963, a group of modern day American Founding Fathers met at the Lincoln Memorial for the historic March on Washington, the largest civil rights gathering at that time. History has recorded that about a quarter-million people from all walks of life participated in that watershed event, which culminated with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech.

On yesterday, in remembrance of the 57th anniversary of the historic March on Washington, people attended a virtual rally and a socially distant march in Washington, D.C. This second March on Washington was organized “to restore and recommit to the dream Dr. Martin Luther King defined 57 years ago.”

With that in mind, over the next few days, I do hope you will take some time to reflect on these last 57 years of history in America, assessing how much progress America has made in becoming “a more perfect Union,” sorting out in your mind how far we’ve come, how far we’ve yet to go, and thinking about the kind of country we want for generations to come.

From my perspective, having grown up in the Jim Crow world of segregation and widespread racial discrimination, symbolized, until recently, by the Confederate statue on the courthouse grounds in downtown Clinton, it’s abundantly clear that we’ve come a long way since 1963, especially with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In the area of civil rights, President Lyndon B. Johnson moved America in the right direction, vowing that “we shall overcome.”

Make no mistake about it, these landmark laws changed America forever, moving us ever closer to becoming a more perfect union, and our nation celebrated an historic milestone with the election of Barack Obama, America’s first Black president, in 2008 and his re-election in 2012. Also, just a few days ago, the Democratic Party made history by nominating Senator Kamala Harris the first Black woman as vice president of the United States to be on the ballot in the Nov. 3 General Election.

Even though there is much evidence that we have made great strides as a nation since 1963, still, 57 years later, we find ourselves at a period of racial reckoning—one where more Americans of all stripes, especially youth, are answering the call to become part of the movement to end systemic racism and to fight for racial equality and justice. And, here, in Sampson County, the Board of Commissioners recently voted unanimously to remove the Confederate statue from the courthouse grounds as the decent and right thing to do. And for that bold and courageous move, they are to be applauded.

Though a bold and courageous step, the Board missed an opportunity to engage the public in an honest dialogue, failing to acknowledge the county’s legacy of racism. However, I think it’s fair to say we still have work to do.

Larry Sutton is a retired teacher from Clinton High School.