NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The Rev. Al Sharpton led a large pro-DEI “March on Wall Street” on Thursday to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Hundreds of people took part in the march, which began at Foley Square and traveled down Broadway. Marchers stopped at 26 Federal Plaza—which has become a symbol of Trump’s immigration crackdown—as well as at the African Burial Ground National Monument, the largest known resting place of enslaved and freed Africans in the country.
The march was timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Marchers chanted “When we fight, we win together” and “This is what democracy looks like.”
“We come to Wall Street rather than Washington this year to let them know: you can try to turn back the clock, but you can’t turn back time," Sharpton said as he kicked off the 45-minute march, adding they were going to “keep the dream alive on Wall Street.”
Marchers ultimately made their way past the famous Charging Bull statue before gathering at Whitehall Street for a number of speeches.
Mayoral candidate and Assemlyman Zohran Mamdani was among the lawmakers in attendance.
The event was billed as a march to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back DEI initiatives.
“Corporate America wants to walk away from Black communities, so we are marching to them to bring this fight to their doorstep,” Sharpton said in a statement ahead of the march.
Trump has moved to end DEI programs within the federal government and warned schools to do the same or risk losing federal money.
In response, Sharpton's civil rights group, the National Action Network, has encouraged consumers to avoid U.S. retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.