Sharpton said that the people who had in the past sought to prevent blacks from marching are now holding their own rally on the mall.

“We come because the dream has not yet been achieved,” he said. “We’ve made a lot of progress but we still have a long way to go. … Just because we got through the storm, doesn’t mean we’ve arrived. We are still doubly unemployed black to white. We’re not there yet. We’re still four grades behind in reading and math. We’re not there yet.”

Sharpton also emphatically insisted that it was those at his event that represented the true successors to the dreams of Dr. King.

“We’re the children of dreamers that looked biting dogs and fire hoses in the face and defied death singing ‘We Shall Overcome,’” he said. “We’re the children of the dreamers.”

He added, “They may have the Mall, but we have the message. They may have the platform, but we have the dream. … Just because you’ve got the spot, doesn’t mean that you’re standing up to the dream.”