Day 2 - Sunday, March 22, 2020, start time 11 am, with special guest Harcourt Klinefelter!

10.3 miles - many restaurants & cafés - 4 parks

Visit: Rijksmuseum, end point: Cinecenter.

Alternative starting points: (A) Europaplein - Subway 52,

(B) Station RAI or (5) Museumplein - Tram 2, 5, 12

In stead of walking, you can go to the special Selma program and screening at cinema Cinecenter, book signing and meet & greet with Harcourt Klinefelter.

Martin Luther King Park > President Kennedylaan > Waalstraat > Merwedeplein - statue Anne Frank, Stolpersteine Frank Family at nr. 37-II > Churchilllaan - statue Wilhelmina Drucker, statue Mahatma Gandhi  > Scheldestraat > (A) Europaplein, Metro 52/(B) Station RAI  > RAI - speech by Dr. King, 1964 > Beatrix Park > Zuider Amstelkanaal > IJsbaanpad > Westlandgracht > Theophile de Bockstraat > Rembrandtpark > Postjeskade >

Surinameplein - Monument of Awareness > Amstelveenseweg > Vondelpark - Mama Baranka, monument for Kerwin Lucas Duinmeijer >
Concertgebouw - Honorary Doctorate to Dr. King,1965 >
(5) Museumplein - Tram 2, 5, 12 - Stedelijk, Van Goghmuseum, Rijksmuseum > Museumstraat > Spiegelgracht > Lijnbaansgracht 236, Cinecenter

The park was named after Martin Luther King, Jr. to honor him after his assassination on April 4, 1968. More

Walk west over President Kennedylaan, and go right to Waalstraat until Merwedeplein.

The Frank family with their two daughters Margot and Anne lived at Merwedeplein 37-II until they had to hide from the nazi's in 1942 in the Anne Frank House (Walk Center). Anne bought her world famous red checkered diary around the corner on Rooseveltlaan 62, in a still existing book shop, Jimmink. In the pavement in front of Merwedeplein 37 are four Stolpersteine to remember the Frank family, by German artist Gunter Demnig, memorials in front of the homes of those who were persecuted and deported in WWII. In Amsterdam are 600 Stolpersteine, in Europe 75,000.

Follow Waalstraat to Churchilllaan.

On Churchilllaan stands the statue " The woman as a free man", in honor of Wilhelmina Drucker (1847-1925), 'Iron Mina', Dutch politician, feminist, writer and peace activist. Together with Aletta Jacobs she founded the association for women's suffrage, realized in 1919. The artist who made the statue, Gerrit-Jan van der Veen, was a very active resistance fighter during WWII, who was shot to death in 1944. In 1970 a korset was burnt at this statue by the second wave feminist activist group Dolle Mina's (named after Wilhelmina Drucker). Follow the Churchilllaan westbound until you reach the statue of Gandhi.

The assassinated Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) was a great source of inspiration to Martin Luther King, Jr. He said: "Jesus gave us the goals and Gandhi gave us the tactics". Gandhi led the non-violent resistance to fight for the independence of India, what was realized on August 15, 1947. What King didn't know is that Gandhi had racist ideas about black Africans. Every year on this location a commemoration takes place on October 2, Gandhi's birthday and the International Day of Non-Violence. Continue and go left, follow Scheldestraat until (A) Europaplein, Subway 52 / (B) Station RAI.

On August 16, 1964, reverend Martin Luther King preached during the European Baptist Conference in the RAI. The speech was broadcasted in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. Watch the video on Andere Tijden.

The Beatrix Park was partly designed by the first female urban Planner in the Netherlands, Jakoba 'Ko' Mulder and opened in 1938. She also designed the Amsterdamse Bos (Walk Southwest). Walk through the Beatrix Park, continue west along Zuider Amstelkanaal, IJsbaanpad, then north along Westlandgracht, walk a long loop through the Rembrandt Park and then go eastbound and walk via Postjeskade to the Surinameplein.

On Surinameplein you see the monument Bon Fu Gron Prakseri, Tree of Life, to remember the shared history of Surinam, the Netherlands and the Dutch Antilles on behalf of the Committee June 30/July 1. Every year the abolition of slavery in the Netherlands, in 1863/1873 is commemorated during the Ceremony of Awareness. Cross the bridge, go right to Amstelveenseweg to the Vondelpark.

The statue Mama Baranka (Mother Rock) in the famous Vondelpark, commemorates Kerwin Lucas Duinmeijer, a 15-yers-old schoolboy of Antillian descent who was stabbed on Dam Square (Walk Center) on August 20, 1983, by a 16-year-old skinhead with a '100% white' tattoo. Every year a commemoration is held so that we never forget where racism and intolerance can lead to. Walk further through Van Baerlestraat to the (5) Museumplein

In the Concertgebouw Martin Luther King was awarded on October 20, 1965, with a honorary doctorate in Social Sciences, by Free University Amsterdam (VU, see Walk Southwest). View the Polygoon News (Dutch, 1965) and read more on the Videos & podcasts page. Visit the Rijks Museum or continue over Museumstraat underneath the Rijksmuseum, continue to Spiegelgracht and go left to Lijnbaansgracht number 236, Cinecenter.

To celebrate 55 years Selma, there is a special program  on Sunday, March 22, at cinema Cinecenter. After a song by a singer of The Voice, a speech by Johan Fretz, a Q&A with Harcourt Klinefelter and the movie Selma will be screened. More info. Around 4 pm the marchers will arrive at the cinema and have a meet and greet with the one and only  real Selma marcher: Harcourt Klinefelter.