The March on Washington was an interracial march by 250,000 blacks and whites on August 28, 1963 in Washington D.C., protesting segregation and job discrimination against blacks in the nation. Also called March for Freedom and Jobs.
Marchers were protesting against segregation in public accommodations and widespread job discrimination against blacks.
Idea originated with A. Philip Randolph, veteran black labor and civil rights leader; organized by Randolph aide, Bayard Rustin.
Specific purpose of march: to highlight general racial injustices against blacks and to pressure Congress to pass the civil rights bill proposed by President John F. Kennedy on June 12.
Specific incidents, summer of 1963, giving impetus to the march:
Attempt by Alabama governor George Wallace to prevent two black students from entering the University of Alabama on June 11.
Assassination of Medgar Evers, black civil rights worker in Mississippi, on June 12.
Leading participants and sponsors: heads of major civil rights organizations—Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and prominent white labor and religious leaders.
March takes place as all-day affair; begins at Washington Monument and ends at Lincoln Memorial.
Highlights of March: music by black and white entertainers; speeches by civil rights leaders.
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