GM Foundation Supports 50th Anniversary of MLK's 'I Have a Dream' Speech

DETROIT, Aug. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The General Motors Foundation donated $50,000 to the National Park Foundation to help fund the 50th anniversary commemoration of the historic 1963 March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.

The Foundation grant will help bring Wednesday's events on the National Mall to people across the nation and around the world.

A mass march along the historic Aug. 28, 1963 route will end at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. President Obama will address the nation from the very spot where Dr. King delivered his speech 50 years ago during the "Let Freedom Ring" ceremony. 

"The GM Foundation believes that Dr. King's dream of equality and peace is just as powerful and resonate a half century later," said GM Foundation President Vivian Pickard. "We proudly support this week's events in the hopes that future generations will continue to be inspired by Dr. King's vision and message."

General Motors and the GM Foundation have been longtime supporters of Dr. King's vision of diversity and inclusion through support of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial, including contributions of more than $10 million to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Foundation since fundraising for the monument began in 2006.

Since its inception in 1976, the GM Foundation has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to American charities, educational organizations and to disaster relief efforts worldwide. The GM Foundation focuses on supporting Education, Health and Human Services, Environment and Energy and Community Development initiatives, mainly in the communities where GM operates. For more information, visit www.gm.com/gmfoundation.

SOURCE General Motors Foundation