Rev. Al Sharpton and a series of other civil rights activists and leaders gathered Saturday for their own rally, drawing thousands to a “Reclaim the Dream” event to honor King’s historic speech, followed by a march through Washington to the site of the future MLK Memorial on the Mall.

“Because others marched, we have a different life,” Sharpton said. “But we’ve got to keep that going so that our children will have an even better life than us.”