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The US will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the March for Jobs and Freedom, the civil rights rally at which Martin Luther King Jr made his historic "I have a dream" speech. President Barack Obama is to mark the occasion in Washington DC with an address from the same spot. Members of the King family and veterans of the march will also be present. Mr Obama, the first black US president, has described the 1963 protest as a "seminal event" in American history. The march was considered a catalyst for civil rights reforms in the US. Dominant force President Obama is due to deliver his address at the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall just after an organised ringing of bells by churches and other groups at 15:00 local time (19:00 GMT), to mark the exact time that Martin Luther King spoke on 28 August 1963. Mr Obama will be joined by former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, as well as prominent African Americans.