Photo by flipperman75.

Supposing you don’t want to fight the crowds and traffic to make it down to the National Mall tomorrow to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington, worry not, there are still plenty of other places around the city to commemorate.

Over in Upper Northwest, the National Cathedral will be celebrating the historic anniversary by ringing the Cathedral carillon—an iconic set of bells located in the Cathedral’s central tower—at 3:00 p.m., the exact time that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his legendary “I Have a Dream” speech 50 years ago. According to a press release, the bells “will join with houses of worship across the country to ring out in honor of the anniversary by playing hymns and spirituals.” The hymns and spirituals that will be played are “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” “We Shall Overcome,” and “My Country ’Tis of Thee.”



And for all you history buffs, The National Cathedral has an little-known connection with Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement, which makes this event all the more interesting. The Cathedral’s fifth dean, Very Reverend Francis B. Sayre, Jr., was an prominent figure of the Civil Rights movement and “flew to Alabama in March of 1965 to join Dr. King on the final leg of the voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery,” according to the release. Dr. King was eventually invited to preach in 1968 at the Cathedral. Furthermore, the peal bells in the carillon were actually installed in the Cathedral in September of 1963, so it’s also the 50th anniversary of the bells. History!

So, if you’d like to commemorate in a more divine sort of way, with less traffic and crowds, head over to the National Cathedral, check out the legendary bells in action, and join in song.