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March on Washington Movement of the 1940s
In early 1941, union leader A. Philip Randolph proposed a black-led march on Washington to protest segregation in military training. March on Washington Committee chapters soon formed to prepare for a July 1 march. The proposal attracted thousands of attendees, alarming Roosevelt so much that he issued an executive order before the march banning discrimination from military training. The MOWM groups continued on for several years, laying the foundation for future grassroots effort. -
Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom
A. Philip Randolph and a young Martin Luther King Jr. led a march on Washington to commemorate the third anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education that desegregated the school system. At this march, King gave his famous "Give Us the Ballot" speech that pushed for black voting rights. This, among other public speaking events, catapulted King to fame. -
Planning for the 1963 March on Washington
Randolph and a close associate, Bayard Rustin, had seen how successful the pressure a march could bring onto the government, but had also seen how that success could be taken away over time. In 1961, the two began planning with other civil rights leaders a march on wealth inequality and its effects on black Americans. -
Council for United Civil Rights Leadership formed
Commonly referred to as the "Big Six", this organization included six well-known civil rights leaders and their groups. Besides Randolph, the Big Six included James Farmer of the Congress of Racial Equality, John Lewis of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Roy Wilkins of the NAACP, Whitney Young of the National Urban League, and Dr. King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference. With all these groups came an expanded direction: a March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. -
Goals are Decided
The Big Six decided on nine goals to achieve with the march: passage of civil rights legislation, elimination of school segregation, creating public works programs, ending discrimination in hiring, setting a $2 minimum wage, defunding discriminatory programs, enforcing the 14th Amendment by reducing congressional representation from states that disenfranchise citizens, broadening fair labor laws to excluded areas, and authorizing the issuing of injunctive suits where rights are violated. -
Kennedy meets with civil rights leaders
President Kennedy had been pushing for an updated civil rights bill in Congress since his inauguration, but he was concerned that a potential march on Washington would scare lawmakers away. After a meeting with several leaders of the march however, including Dr. King, Kennedy gave his endorsement. -
The March takes place
Approximately 250,000 converged at the Lincoln Memorial after traveling through D.C. to listen to several presenters. Speakers included Randolph, Walter Reuther of the UAW and AFL-CIO, and John Lewis, while musical guests included Mahalia Jackson and Bob Dylan. Dr. King spoke last, delivering his "I Have a Dream Speech" speech that grabbed the attention of the entire nation. The political momentum this march created would push the passage of both the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Act.