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Speakers, Sophia Campos and Phillip Agnew, from Dream Defenders and United We Dream were told that they could not address the crowd at MOW50.

From The Root:

At least on ceremony, the elders fumbled the passing of the civil rights torch to a new generation as two emergent young leaders were bumped from Wednesday’s program at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington.

Phil Agnew, of Dream Defenders, and Sofia Campos, of United We Dream, separately were cut from the lineup just moments before each was scheduled to address the tens of thousands gathered at the Lincoln Memorial. Their supporters reacted quickly by taking to Twitter, under #OurMarch, and angrily calling the move a snub, which further strains their efforts to gain the recognition and support of established leaders.

A tweet by Alim Gaines said, “It’s obvious, more than ever, that young people have to create their own platform.”

…

Agnew told The Root he’d been standing offstage on the side steps of the Lincoln Memorial when his name appeared on the jumbo screen as the next speaker. He was about to walk to the lectern when a producer for the program told him that his speech had been scratched. He was skipped in favor of the Rev. Al Sharpton.

“It was a timing issue,” Agnew said. “That’s what the lady told me. People had talked too long.”

He said he was invited by the King Foundation, the nonprofit operated and largely controlled by children of Martin Luther King Jr., which was a principal organizer of the event.

Agnew declined to characterize it as a snub: “It’s definitely a disappointment. It was a little moment of panic there, trying to figure out what was going on. But I’m fine. I’m fine. This is a moment I’ll never forget. I still got to speak at a march on Washington. Not too many people can say they had two opportunities.”

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