The March on Washington was the biggest civil rights demonstration of its time. On August 28, 1963, about 280,000 people from around the U.S. took part in the march to protest racial discrimination and demonstrate support for major civil rights legislation pending in Congress.
Organized by A. Philip Randolph, a civil rights and labor leader, and Baynard Rustin of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the march involved such major civil rights organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee, the Congress of Racial Equality, and the SCLC. White religious groups such as the National Council of Churches and the American Jewish Congress also supported the march.
Meant to be an all-inclusive tribute to non-violence, the march was also opposed by many. President John F. Kennedy feared that backlash to the demonstration in Congress would make it harder to pass civil rights legislation. Both the AFL-CIO and Malcolm X and the Nation of Islam also criticized the event, with Malcolm X referring to it as the "farce on Washington."
Today, the march is best remembered for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s famous "I Have a Dream" speech delivered in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Copyright © 2002 Educational Broadcasting Corporation, Inc.
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