As those who were there tell it, Aug. 28, 1963, was a hot, beautiful, sunny day when a quarter-million people made their way to Washington, D.C.
Some, like Rev. Walter Chalmers, were on their way to work when they saw the buses heading to the capitol and decided to go march instead. Others were inspired by Rosa Parks' activism and defiance in the face of inequality to gather at the Lincoln Memorial, picket signs at the ready, to press Washington for change.
Those who gathered under the hot sun for hours would become the eyes of history when the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom ended with Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s iconic "I Have a Dream" speech.
Learn more at Comcast NBCUniversal’s Voices of the Civil Rights Movement.
Those Who Were There
Other Activists, Leaders and Historians Share Perspectives on the March
Editor's Note: A version of this story was originally published on August 26, 2020.
