Rep. Joyce Beatty reflects on historic meaning of March on Washington

Fifty-seven years ago Friday, women were on the sidelines during the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech — and the civil rights movement overall, U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty said.

But Beatty, a Columbus Democrat, had the opportunity to speak Friday during the "Get Your Knee Off Our Neck" commitment march in the nation's capital.

"I am here representing the Congressional Black Caucus — 54 members — who understand that silence is not an option because Black people face a symbolic chokehold every time we walk, speak up, shop, jog, drive and, yes, breathe," Beatty told the thousands assembled along the National Mall.

Her husband, former Ohio Rep. Otto Beatty Jr., recalled when his grandmother was an invited guest who stood behind King as he spoke, she said.

Participants test social distancing during speeches at the "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" March in Washington D.C., on Aug. 28, 2020. Thousands of people from all over the country converge on the National Mall in Washington D.C., on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, to attend the "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" March on the anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington. After a program that featured several speakers, including Rev. Al Sharpton, marchers made their way down Ohio Drive SW to West Potomac Park near the Martin Luther King Jr.

Ramon Obey II watches as police line the sidewalks around protestors near the White House on Aug., 27, 2020. Obey arrived with Heather Johnson and her son, Elijah, to join protests the night before attending the "Get Your Knee Off Our Necks" March in Washington D.C. on the anniversary of the 1963 March on

At the 1963 march, "Women didn't have a prominent role," Joyce Beatty said in a phone call with The Dispatch on Saturday. "Actually some of the men on the stage said they would speak for the women."

It made her speech Friday in front of the Lincoln Memorial feel all that more historic.

Beatty said this moment requires fighting for justice, dignity and equal access to the ballot box.

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"I wanted everybody to know that part of our marching was for us to affect legislative changes: the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act and the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act," she said.

Beatty is concerned about voter suppression, she said, and is doubling down on efforts to provide a strong Get Out the Vote campaign for the Black community in Columbus.

But Beatty understands many local community activists and protesters may not agree with her approach or may be dubious of her sincerity.

"When you're an elected official, there will always be people, no matter what you do, that challenge or question. I welcome that," she said. "But I took an oath to serve everybody."

Beatty said she will demand greater accountability from Columbus police, Mayor Andrew J. Ginther's office and City Council.

"Certainly I'll be the first to say: We can do more," she said. "This police department needs to be overhauled."

She supports the mayor's Citizen Review Board and invites anyone with grievances or frustration to call her.

What about naysayers who say hers and City Council President Shannon Hardin's appearance at the March on Washington was performative?

"I was pepper sprayed," Beatty said, referring to the May 30 demonstration in Columbus. "If I was elected for performance only, I would've left when it got heated. Being pepper sprayed is not something you do for performance."

This article was originally published by The Columbus Dispatch on August 28, 2020.