Unemployment, Trayvon ruling cast shadow over march anniversary

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President Obama delivers his address on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images)

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President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama walk into the Lincoln Memorial after speaking during the March on Washington commemoration. (Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images)

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President Obama greets Yolanda King, daughter of Martin Luther King III, who looks on alongside his wife, Andrea King. (Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

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President Obama shakes hands with former President Clinton during the commemoration of the March on Washington. (Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

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Rene Henry of Washington joins thousands of others during the commemoration of the March on Washington. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

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President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, along with former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, arrive during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)

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Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) speaks during the commemoration of the March on Washington. (Carolyn Kaster / Associated Press)

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Oprah Winfrey speaks during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)

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Spectators watch President Obama speak during the commemoration of the March on Washington. (Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA)

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Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) waves to the crowd during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)

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Thr Rev. Al Sharpton speaks at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the Lincoln Memorial. (Charles Dharapak / Associated Press)

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On Aug. 28, thousands of peopled attended the “Let Freedom Ring Commemoration and Call to Action” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom at the Lincoln Memorial. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)

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Actor Forest Whitaker speaks during the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images)

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Rev. Joseph Lowery, former president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, speaks at the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington at the Lincoln Memorial. (Charles Dharapak / Associated Press)

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Traditional Maori dancers from Destiny Church in New Zealand perform during the “Let Freedom Ring Commemoration and Call to Action” to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Saul Loeb / AFP/Getty Images)

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People cover themselves with rain ponchos in front of the Lincoln Memorial on the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. (Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images)

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Actor Jamie Foxx speaks during the “Let Freedom Ring Commemoration and Call to Action” to commemorate the March on Washington. (Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images)

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Marchers walk from Capitol Hill to the Lincoln Memorial during the “Let Freedom Ring Commemoration and Call to Action” honoring the 50th anniversary of the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, the landmark civil rights event where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I have a dream” speech. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

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John Mbugua and his son Giovanni Mbugua, 6, of San Jose, left, and Lavon Johnson and his son Mason Johnson, 2, of Fort Meade Md., greet one another while marching with thousands of others during a march honoring the 50th anniversary of the historic 1963 march on Washington. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images)

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People put up with light rain near at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to commemorate the 50th anniversary on the march on Washington, best remembered for King’s stirring vision of a United States free of inequality and prejudice, telecast live to a nation undergoing a phenomenal decade of soul-searching, crisis and change. (Jewel Samad / AFP/Getty Images)

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People take pictures during the “Let Freedom Ring” ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the march on Washington. (Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

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Emcees Soledad O’Brien, left, and Hill Harper open the “Let Freedom Ring” ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the march on Washington. (Shawn Thew / EPA)

By Richard Simon

Aug. 28, 2013 10:23 AM PT

WASHINGTON -- The struggle continues. So said many of those who turned out Wednesday for the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, saying they were there to mark the historic occasion but also to call attention to causes ranging from joblessness to “justice for Trayvon Martin.”

The crowd was smaller than the 1963 gathering as well as Saturday’s commemoration, but began to grow after noon, stretching from the Lincoln Memorial to about a third of the way down the reflecting pool and including young and old, black and white, and people who participated in the 1963 march.

“My mom came down here 50 years ago, so I came down here to be a part of history too,” said Karen Walker, 43, a federal worker from Maryland.

Though the speakers at the Lincoln Memorial were hard to see from a distance, this time there were Jumbotrons on the National Mall.

DOCUMENTS: Coverage of the 1963 March

A number of those attending the anniversary came with a cause.

“I came out because I want to see a change. I want to see Martin Luther King’s dream live on,” said Shirley Poindexter, 65, from Virginia.

She, like others, say some of the dream remains unfulfilled. “We still have a long way’s to go,” she said.

Linda Wills, 59, who attended the 63 march, said the recent Supreme Court ruling striking down a key section of the Voting Rights Act was a major setback to the cause.

“Here we are now 50 years later, and we’ve been set back,” she said. “I’m going to remain a part of the movement until change comes if the Lord lets me live long enough.”

Hiram Brewster, 72, a retired District of Columbia policeman, added, “We’re much better off, much better off, but there’s a lot yet to be done.”

ALSO:

Marchers follow in King’s footsteps

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50 years on, civil rights movement has changed with the times

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richard.simon@latimes.com