Progressive congressional leaders to stand alongside Black civil rights leadership, labor, faith, Latino, voting rights and community organizations in Washington, D.C. on August 28.
New York, NY (August 17, 2026) — National Action Network (NAN) Founder and President Reverend Al Sharpton, together with Martin Luther King III, Arndrea Waters King, the Drum Major Institute and a growing national coalition, today announced that U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez will participate in "March on Washington 2026: Defend the Vote," taking place in Washington, D.C. on Friday, August 28, 2026, the 63rd anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
The anticipated participation of Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez brings prominent progressive voices in Congress into a mobilization led by Black civil rights leadership and joined by labor, faith, Latino, voting rights and community organizations. Their presence underscores the breadth of the coalition forming around the march's central demand, including protecting voting rights, advancing economic dignity and confronting the affordability crisis facing working families.
The moment also reflects a wider tradition of coalition politics in which movements for racial justice, workers' rights, economic fairness and democratic participation meet on shared ground. At a time of heightened concern over access to the ballot and the durability of civil rights protections, the march is designed to show that defending democracy requires partnership across constituencies while recognizing and supporting the Black leadership that has historically driven the fight for voting rights in the United States.
The presence of Sanders and Ocasio-Cortez adds a visible progressive congressional contingent to that coalition, linking long-running fights over wages, health care, housing costs and economic inequality with the defense of voting rights. Their participation will emphasize that civil rights and economic justice are not parallel causes, but overlapping questions about who has political power, who can exercise it and whether democratic institutions respond to the material needs of the people they serve.
The march will both commemorate the legacy of those who gathered in Washington in 1963 and serve as a present-day call to action. Supporters from across the country are encouraged to register, organize delegations and join the August 28 mobilization.
Founded in 1961 on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s vision of a world free of racism, poverty and violence, the Drum Major Institute carries Dr. King's work and vision of radical nonviolence into the 21st century, democratizing it for all people. DMI leads through collaboration by convening leaders and organizations to identify common-sense solutions to our most pressing problems. For more information, please visit drummajorinst.org.
National Action Network is one of the leading civil rights organizations in the Nation with chapters throughout the entire United States. Founded in 1991 by Reverend Al Sharpton, NAN works within the spirit and tradition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to promote a modern civil rights agenda that includes the fight for one standard of justice, decency, and equal opportunities for all people regardless of race, religion, nationality, or gender. For more information, visit www.nationalactionnetwork.net.