Thousands March to Demand Reparations

Raising red, black and green flags and clenched fists, thousands of African American activists descended on the National Mall, demanding reparations from the U.S. government for centuries of slavery and racism against blacks.

The assembly for Millions for Reparations was modest by Washington standards, as the rally filled a small swath of the grassy expanse near the Capitol.

But organizers called it an important event for the grass-roots movement, which has gained momentum over the last several years, with prominent lawyers and professors now calling for compensation to the descendants of slaves for free labor and decades of Jim Crow laws they say are responsible for the economic and social ills in the black community.