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The March on Washington
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Photo: MLK Library, Washington, D.C. |
On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom converged at the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, the location of major civil rights demonstrations for the previous sixty years. The march was organized by Bayard Rustin and led by union leader A. Philip Randolph. Over 200,000 Americans participated -- 50,000 of whom were white.
Supporters included clergy of every faith, blue-collar and white-collar workers, and celebrities including Sammy Davis Jr., Marlon Brando, James Garner, Joan Baez, and Bob Dylan. This great march culminated with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s powerful and moving "I Have a Dream" speech. Robert Weisbrot, author of Freedom Bound, called the march "the largest political assembly in American history."
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