Marching Toward a Dream

Twelve-year-old Tom Ellison stepped off the bus, his heart humming with excitement. Finally, he was here: Washington, D.C.!

It was August 28, 1963. For more than two days, Tom had been on a bus traveling from his Southern hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Across the country, thousands of people had been making similar journeys—by train, by plane, by car, by foot. 

This huge crowd was streaming into the nation’s capital to demand equality for Black Americans. For nearly 200 years, lawmakers in the U.S. had put in place racist laws that robbed Black people of basic rights. Discrimination and violence against Black Americans were widespread, especially in the South. 

Now people from every corner of the country were coming together to declare that enough was enough. They were going to march together for about a mile, from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, where leaders would give speeches calling for change. This peaceful protest was known as the March on Washington.

As Tom got ready to march, he could feel a ripple of hope running through the crowd. “I remember the joy on the faces of the people who felt that they were going to accomplish something that day,” he says. 

Already, it was clear: This was an event that would change history.

Twelve-year-old Tom Ellison stepped off the bus. His heart was humming with excitement. Finally, he was here. Washington, D.C.!

It was August 28, 1963. For more than two days, Tom had been traveling on a bus. His trip started in his Southern hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. Across the country, thousands of people had been making similar journeys. They came by train, by plane, by car, and by foot.

This huge crowd was streaming into the nation’s capital. They came to demand equality for Black Americans. For nearly 200 years, U.S. lawmakers had created racist laws. These laws robbed Black people of basic rights. Discrimination and violence against Black Americans were common—especially in the South.

Now people from all parts of the country were coming together. They came to say that enough was enough. They were going to march together for about a mile, from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. At the memorial, leaders would give speeches calling for change. This peaceful protest was known as the March on Washington.

Tom got ready to march. He felt a sense of hope in the crowd. “I remember the joy on the faces of the people who felt that they were going to accomplish something that day,” he says.

Already, it was clear. This was an event that would change history.

Across the South at that time, rules known as Jim Crow laws kept Black people segregated (or separate) from White people—in schools and offices, in restaurants and stores, on trains and buses. The separate facilities for Black people were usually run-down, not working, or simply nonexistent. Jim Crow laws also prevented Black Americans from voting and holding many types of well-paying jobs. Although fewer of these laws existed in Northern states, segregation and discrimination were common there too.

Growing up in Birmingham, Tom was forbidden from going to school with White kids or playing on the same playgrounds. He remembers scorching summer days when he would look longingly at the icy cold water bubbling out of the Whites-only drinking fountain. Meanwhile, he had to sip lukewarm water from a separate fountain. 

Anyone who broke Jim Crow laws—and even those who didn’t—often faced terrifying violence. Attacks against Black people were common in Birmingham and throughout the South. Tom’s parents often made him promise to be careful when he went out by himself.  

Across the South at that time, rules known as Jim Crow laws kept Black people segregated (or separate) from White people. Schools and offices, restaurants and stores, trains and buses were all segregated. The separate places for Black people were usually run-down, didn’t work, or didn’t exist. Jim Crow laws also kept Black Americans from voting. The laws kept them from having many types of well-paying jobs. Fewer of these laws existed in Northern states. But segregation and discrimination were common there too.

Growing up in Birmingham, Tom was not allowed to go to school with White kids or play on the same playgrounds. He remembers hot summer days. Tom would look longingly at the icy cold water in the Whites-only drinking fountain. Meanwhile, he had to sip warm water from a separate fountain.

Anyone who broke Jim Crow laws—and even those who didn’t—often faced great violence. Attacks against Black people were common in Birmingham and throughout the South. Tom’s parents often made him promise to be careful when he went out by himself.

Despite the danger, people across the U.S. were working to push back against Jim Crow laws. This struggle for Black equality in the 1950s and ’60s became known as the civil rights movement.

One of the leaders of the movement was a young man from Atlanta, Georgia: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King believed in fighting inequality in peaceful ways. He led and inspired many nonviolent protests.

In 1955, Black people in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to ride city buses for more than a year to protest segregation on the buses.
In 1960, hundreds of Black people took part in
sit-ins: They sat politely but firmly at restaurants and businesses across the South that refused to serve Black customers.

Tom’s father, a church leader named Marvin, helped lead protests in Birmingham. Inspired by his dad, Tom soon started organizing meetings and protests with other young activists.

Even though it was dangerous, people across the U.S. were working to push back against Jim Crow laws. This struggle for Black equality in the 1950s and ’60s became known as the civil rights movement. 

One of the leaders of the movement was a young man from Atlanta, Georgia. His name was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He believed in fighting inequality in peaceful ways. He led many nonviolent protests.

In 1955, Black people in Montgomery, Alabama, refused to ride city buses for more than a year. They were protesting segregation on the buses. In 1960, hundreds of Black people took part in sit-ins. They sat politely but firmly at restaurants and businesses that refused to serve Black customers.

Tom’s father was a church leader named Marvin. Tom helped lead protests in Birmingham. Inspired by his dad, Tom soon started organizing meetings and protests with other young activists.

By 1963, the civil rights movement had made progress. Still, much of the U.S. remained stubbornly segregated. Movement leaders decided it was time for a big march in the U.S. capital, with protesters from all over the country. 

That’s how Tom found himself in a massive crowd in Washington, D.C., on that humid day in August. His father had been worried about him joining the march: Crowds of angry, racist people were expected to show up and threaten the protesters. And that morning around the Washington Monument, there was a feeling of unease in the air. But at the same time, the mood was hopeful, even joyful. Families picnicked in the grass as singers performed on a nearby stage.

Shortly before 11:30 a.m., the march began. Tom set off with his friends, waving a sign that said “Justice for All.” Looking around, he was struck by how peaceful the protest felt. The violence that people had feared never broke out. 

“There were no disagreements or anything negative,” Tom says. “It gave us pride to know that people from around the country were coming to support the march.”

Young and old, Black and White, Northern and Southern—everyone was standing shoulder to shoulder, marching forward together.  

The Miami airport smuggler was not expecting the parrot eggs to hatch on his journey. The baby birds were crowded into a small suitcase. And they likely would not have survived for long. Luckily, the smuggler was caught. And Reillo came to the rescue just in time.

The baby parrots and unhatched eggs were soon moved to RSCF’s base. There, Reillo and his team had the right tools to give them a shot at survival.

Over the following weeks, RSCF staff cared for the parrots around the clock. (“Just like a real baby!” McGovern says.) They hand-fed the tiny birds special food every hour. They kept them cozy in “nests” of small cups lined with soft cotton.

Little by little, the parrots got bigger and stronger. They grew bright-green feathers. And they started fluttering their wings. They were getting ready to learn to fly.

In the end, all the parrots that hatched survived. “It was an absolute rescue mission,” McGovern says.

The highlight of the march came later that afternoon, when Dr. King took the stage at the Lincoln Memorial for the last speech of the day. By then, more than 250,000 people had gathered, making the event the largest protest in American history at that time.

With his powerful voice ringing out over the crowd, Dr. King urged people to continue pushing peacefully for civil rights. Then, toward the end of his prepared speech, he looked up from his paper and began speaking from his heart.

“I have a dream,” he said, “that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” 

He described his vision for a future in which Black Americans would finally achieve equality. Over and over, he repeated the powerful words he would become famous for: “I have a dream.”

When he finished, the applause was like never-ending thunder. People in the audience laughed, cried, hugged strangers. Some fell to their knees under the weight of their emotion. Standing there in the crowd, Tom felt a new sense of purpose—and a powerful rush of hope. 

Most wildlife trafficking stories do not end as happily as this one.

Trafficked animals are taken from their natural homes. They’re smuggled around the world and held in captivity. These animals often struggle to survive. Even when they do, a sad truth remains: These special creatures have been stolen from the wild forever. Wildlife trafficking is one of the biggest threats to endangered animals worldwide.

Fortunately, world leaders are beginning to come together to stop it. Last year, the U.S. created a new Wildlife and Environmental Crimes Unit. The Unit’s job is to stop wildlife thieves. And the U.S. and other countries are trying new ways to fight trafficking. One method involves training dogs to sniff out animals hidden by smugglers.

In the meantime, Reillo, McGovern, and their team have been working to help the Miami parrots return to the wild. In June 2023, the birds were about to start flying. So RSCF moved them to a parrot rehabilitation center in California. There, they would have more space. Scientists at the center are helping the birds get ready to be released back into nature, in Central America.

It’s a big challenge for birds that were handfed by humans since hatching. The parrots will have to learn survival skills. They’ll need to know how to find their own food and protect themselves from hungry hawks.

But the RSCF team is hopeful that the birds will one day be soaring through the jungle, where they belong. “They have a good shot,” McGovern says.

That hope turned to celebration less than a year later, when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This new law officially banned segregation and discrimination based on race.

Four years after the law was passed, Dr. King was tragically shot and killed because of his belief in equality. But the dream he shared at the March on Washington lived on in the hearts and minds of everyone who heard it—including Tom Ellison.

Now in his 70s, Tom has continued fighting for civil rights throughout his life. He grew up to become a doctor. Today he also mentors young people who want to go into medicine. Inspired by his experience at the March on Washington, Tom reminds them that it’s never too early to start trying to change the world.

“You’re not going to be an active part of the future if you’re not an active part of the present,” he says.

Most wildlife trafficking stories do not end as happily as this one.

Trafficked animals are taken from their natural homes. They’re smuggled around the world and held in captivity. These animals often struggle to survive. Even when they do, a sad truth remains: These special creatures have been stolen from the wild forever. Wildlife trafficking is one of the biggest threats to endangered animals worldwide.

Fortunately, world leaders are beginning to come together to stop it. Last year, the U.S. created a new Wildlife and Environmental Crimes Unit. The Unit’s job is to stop wildlife thieves. And the U.S. and other countries are trying new ways to fight trafficking. One method involves training dogs to sniff out animals hidden by smugglers.

In the meantime, Reillo, McGovern, and their team have been working to help the Miami parrots return to the wild. In June 2023, the birds were about to start flying. So RSCF moved them to a parrot rehabilitation center in California. There, they would have more space. Scientists at the center are helping the birds get ready to be released back into nature, in Central America.

It’s a big challenge for birds that were handfed by humans since hatching. The parrots will have to learn survival skills. They’ll need to know how to find their own food and protect themselves from hungry hawks.

But the RSCF team is hopeful that the birds will one day be soaring through the jungle, where they belong. “They have a good shot,” McGovern says.