On Friday, activists will descend on the nation's capitol for the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington.

On August 28, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famed "I Have a Dream" speech. Americans were glued to their television screens to witness the historic event. Among them was Ambassador Suzan Johnson Cook, who would become the god daughter of Coretta Scott King.

"The march was significant because it was the first time the world saw us mobilize," she said. "The significance now is the world has seen what Black America has known all along: racism has not gone away."

Johnson Cook's appointment by President Obama was an historic one. She is the first African American and woman to hold the position of U.S. Ambassador for International Religious Freedom. She now heads up the Black Women's Chamber of Commerce, whose mission is to promote the economic development and leadership of Black women.

The Ambassador spoke to NY1's Lewis Dodley about how to advance racial equality through community leadership and economic justice.