March on Washington: Throngs mark 'I Have a Dream' anniversary
The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
Jr. addresses a crowd near the Lincoln Memorial during the March on
Washington for Jobs and Freedom in Washington, on August 28, 1963. On
the 50th anniversary of this historic civil rights event we take a look
back through rarely seen color photographs from the day.
Civil rights protesters clap and cheer. An estimated 250,000 people participated in the march.
Civil rights protesters clap and cheer. An estimated 250,000 people participated in the march.
Leaders of the
rally, including King in the center, interlock hands and arms as they
march. The march was organized jointly by James Farmer, of the Congress
of Racial Equality; Dr. King, of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference; John Lewis, of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee; A. Philip Randolph, of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters; Roy Wilkins, of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People; and Whitney Young, Jr., of the National Urban League.
Leaders of the
rally, including King in the center, interlock hands and arms as they
march. The march was organized jointly by James Farmer, of the Congress
of Racial Equality; Dr. King, of the Southern Christian Leadership
Conference; John Lewis, of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee; A. Philip Randolph, of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car
Porters; Roy Wilkins, of the National Association for the Advancement of
Colored People; and Whitney Young, Jr., of the National Urban League.
Protesters sing at the march.
Protesters sing at the march.
A protester sings at the march.
A protester sings at the march.
A demonstrator holds a protest sign at the rally.
A demonstrator holds a protest sign at the rally.
Musician Odetta Holmes plays a song during the march.
Musician Odetta Holmes plays a song during the march.
King stands with Rabbi Joachim Prinz, center, by his side.
King stands with Rabbi Joachim Prinz, center, by his side.
The crowd cheers during the event.
The crowd cheers during the event.
African-American entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. attends the rally.
African-American entertainer Sammy Davis Jr. attends the rally.
Demonstrators crowd together as they listen to civil rights speakers during the rally.
Demonstrators crowd together as they listen to civil rights speakers during the rally.
A woman attends the rally.
A woman attends the rally.
Actor Burt Lancaster speaks to protesters at the Lincoln Memorial at the event.
Actor Burt Lancaster speaks to protesters at the Lincoln Memorial at the event.
Actor Sidney Poitier, left, and Singer Harry Belafonte talk with one another during the march.
Actor Sidney Poitier, left, and Singer Harry Belafonte talk with one another during the march.
Baseball player Jackie Robinson, right, attends the rally with his son David.
Baseball player Jackie Robinson, right, attends the rally with his son David.
A. Philip Randolph, who helped organize the rally, stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
A. Philip Randolph, who helped organize the rally, stands in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Civil rights
leaders from left, Whitney Young Jr., Martin Luther King Jr., Walter
Reuther, Eugene Carson Blake, and John Lewis stand on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial during the march.
Civil rights
leaders from left, Whitney Young Jr., Martin Luther King Jr., Walter
Reuther, Eugene Carson Blake, and John Lewis stand on the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial during the march.
Demonstrators gather around the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial before the beginning of the march.
Demonstrators gather around the National Mall near the Lincoln Memorial before the beginning of the march.
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Two of Martin Luther King Jr.'s children will speak at event
- Obama, former presidents Clinton, Carter headline a second march Wednesday
- March passes King Memorial
- Al Sharpton: Marchers want action, not nostalgia
Thousands rallied at the National Mall to mark the 50th anniversary of the historic August 28, 1963, March on Washington.
Leaders from civil
rights, religious and civic organizations paid tribute to those who
fought and continue to fight for racial equality, but the slate of
demands today has expanded to other hot-button issues.
Income inequality,
discrimination based on sexual orientation and mistreatment of
immigrants were all themes espoused by the dozens of speakers.
"I am a daughter of the
civil rights movement, and as a daughter I am a beneficiary of all the
good that resulted from the hard work, the sweat and tears, and the
blood that was shed by the leaders and doers of that movement," Jennifer
Jones Austin of the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies told the
crowd. "And as a daughter and a beneficiary, I am now the burden-bearer
of this generation's civil rights movement."
That burden, she said, includes equal rights for gays and fights against poverty and gun violence.
Attorney General Eric
Holder credited King's famous words for providing a foundation for the
progress of the civil rights movement.
"Our focus has broadened
to include the cause of women, of Latinos, of Asian-Americans, of
lesbians, of gays, of people with disabilities and of countless others
across this great country who still yearn for equality, opportunity and
fair treatment," he said.
Many speakers invoked the killing of Trayvon Martin as an example of where they see a lack of justice for African-Americans.
Martin Luther King III,
son of the civil rights icon, said his father's vision was a nation
without racial discrimination. "But sadly, the tears of Trayvon Martin's
mother and father reminds us that far too frequently, the color of
one's skin remains a license to profile."
In 1963, "we could not
have imagined we'd be here 50 years later with a black president and a
black attorney general, but that's a measure of how far we have come,"
civil rights activist Julian Bond said. "But still, we march."
August
28, 1963, was one of the most important days for the civil rights
movement. Over 200,000 people gathered on the National Mall in
Washington to hear Martin Luther King Jr. deliver his famous "I Have a
Dream" speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Magnum
photographer Leonard Freed (1929-2006) was there documenting that
historic day.
The crowd gathers at the National Mall.
The crowd gathers at the National Mall.
People sing together during the march.
People sing together during the march.
Though the name March on Washington"is well known, the full title of the gathering the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
Though the name March on Washington"is well known, the full title of the gathering the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
People sing together during the rally.
People sing together during the rally.
Ten
leaders of the civil rights movement met with President John F. Kennedy,
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Labor Secretary W. Willard Wirtz and
Burke Marshall, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division,
in the Cabinet room of the White House during the demonstration.
Ten
leaders of the civil rights movement met with President John F. Kennedy,
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Labor Secretary W. Willard Wirtz and
Burke Marshall, head of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division,
in the Cabinet room of the White House during the demonstration.
People watch and wait for speakers.
People watch and wait for speakers.
Though
the most iconic shot from the March on Washington may be of King waving
to the crowd, Freed moved throughout the crowd finding the faces that
weren't seen in the papers.
Though
the most iconic shot from the March on Washington may be of King waving
to the crowd, Freed moved throughout the crowd finding the faces that
weren't seen in the papers.
The
marchers were entertained by big names such as Ossie Davis, Joan Baez,
Bobby Darin, Odetta, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Jackie
Robinson.
The
marchers were entertained by big names such as Ossie Davis, Joan Baez,
Bobby Darin, Odetta, Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul and Mary, and Jackie
Robinson.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the historic march.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the historic march.
Leonard Freed's March on Washington
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Photos: Leonard Freed's March on Washington
50 years after MLK's freedom call
Minorities have never wished their way to freedom, he said, but have worked their way up, and must continue to do so.
"While I'm elated that
we've come today to march on Washington, we must not only march on
Washington. We must stand for a genuine living wage and jobs. We must
stand to end the 'stand your ground' laws. We must stand against
stop-and-frisk, must must stand against voter suppression," Bishop Darin
Moore of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church said.
Another theme repeated
throughout the event was outrage at the Supreme Court decision that
threw out a key part of the Voting Rights Act.
The court in June
invalidated the formula used to determine which states or local
jurisdictions -- mostly in the South -- could remain under special
federal oversight, requiring approval from Washington before they can
change voting procedures.
That blunted much of the government's enforcement power in states and localities with a history of discrimination at the polls.
"We didn't forget the
price they paid," the Rev. Al Sharpton said, referring to those on the
front lines of the civil rights movement. "We've fought too hard, our
parents shed too much blood, there was too many nights in jail, for you
to take our vote from us now."
Sharpton said organized protests to demand a reinstatement of the provisions are forthcoming.
Kathleen Johnson and
Jean McRae were at the first March on Washington 50 years ago, and as
the crowd grew on Saturday, they reflected on the span in between.
"It was a wonderful
experience (in 1963) because prior to that there were many things going
on in the United States that were not right," Johnson said.
The injustices that existed in 1963 convinced Johnson and her family and friends to attend the march.
"We had to be there. We had to be a part of it," she said.
The fight for equality
that the original march embodied remains a work in progress, McRae said,
which makes Saturday's event so important.
"We need this, especially now," she said.
Both women wore buttons from the march in 1963.
Saturday's event is the first of two rallies to mark the anniversary.
President Barack Obama
headlines another event Wednesday, the exact anniversary of the March on
Washington, where MLK delivered the now-famous speech at the Lincoln
Memorial.
The Wednesday event will
include a longer march through Washington and speeches by Obama and
former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
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