"On August 28, 1963,
supporters of racial equality marched 250,000 strong to demand change. The
March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was a turning point for the civil
rights movement. It was the largest demonstration for human rights in the
history of the United States. It was also the first and only occasion on
which major civil rights leaders, including A. Philip Randolph, Martin
Luther King, Jr., Roy Wilkins, Whitney Young, James Farmer and John Lewis,
combined the strength of their organizations to present one united voice.
James Haskins
skillfully traces the events leading up to the March on Washington,
describing the problems of segregation and discrimination against blacks
that produced the violent protests of the 1950s and early 60s.
The March on
Washington also relates the experiences of marchers, organizers, and
witnesses from the first light of dawn on August 28, 1963, until the last
press conference was over. The March lasted only one day, but its
triumphant success was the starting point for a new era of race relations in
the United States."
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