A Day Like No Other: Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington
The Day of the March
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was planned to bring to the forefront the need for change. These changes, or demands as they were referred to, were included in all of the advance planning documents and programs for the event. Organizers called for a “comprehensive civil rights bill” to put an “end to segregation in public accommodations, decent housing, integrated education and the right to vote” among other things. The day began with a group of organizers meeting with members of Congress to officially present these demands and ended with Dr. King, A. Philip Randolph, Whitney Young, John Lewis, and other leaders of the march meeting with President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House where they discussed the need for stronger civil rights legislation.
Stanley Tretick (1921–1999). [Organizers of the March on Washington, from left, Walter P. Reuther, Roy Wilkins, John Lewis, Rabbi Joachim Prinz, Whitney Young, Floyd McKissick, and Martin Luther King, Jr., enter congressional chambers with a group of men to officially present their demands], August 28, 1963. Photographic print. LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (044.00.00)
© Stanley Tretick, for Look magazine
United Press International. Activity Abounds in the Press Tent on the Monument Grounds 8/27 in the Shadow of the White House, August 28, 1963. Gelatin silver print. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (037.00.00)
United Press International. A Negro Girl Sings and Claps Her Hands as D.C. National Guard Trucks Roll Along Constitution Avenue Here 8/28 before the Start of the Civil Rights March on Washington, August 28, 1963. Gelatin silver print. New York World Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (038.00.00)
United Press International. Crowds at the Memorial for Demonstration, August 28, 1963. Gelatin silver print. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (039.00.00)
The long awaited day finally arrived. One August 28, 1963, thousands poured into Washington, D.C., in buses, planes, trains, automobiles, and any other means of transportation. They were steadfast and determined. Participants were prepared to be seen and wanted the world to hear their message being delivered by the various speakers scheduled on the program. But most importantly, they were peaceful—a crowd of 250,000 people from just about every profession, background, and social class; from every race and denomination; and from across the nation and even from other countries—all coming together for one important day to deliver one important message. Truly a day like no other.
United Press International. Leaders of the March on Washington Lock Arms and Put Hands Together as they Move along Constitution Avenue. [Walter Reuther is partly visible at extreme right. A. Philip Randolph is second from right. Roy Wilkins is third from right. The Rev. Martin Luther King is eighth from right.] Gelatin silver print. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection. Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (040.00.00)
United Press International. Like Everyday Tourists. [Four men wield cameras as they photograph various scenes during the March on Washington, August 28th]. Gelatin silver print. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (041.00.00)
Stanley Tretick. [A. Philip Randolph, seated, and John Lewis, standing, with a group of men, in front of the statue of Abraham Lincoln at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington.], August 28, 1963. Photographic print. LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (042.00.00)
© Stanley Tretick, for Look magazine
United Press International. The Rev. Martin Luther King Delivers His Address at the Lincoln Memorial During the Civil Rights March on Washington, August 28, 1863. Gelatin silver print. New York World-Telegram and the Sun Newspaper Photograph Collection, Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress (043.00.00)
