We’re now less than 2 weeks away from the start of an entire week commemorating the 50th Anniversary of The March on Washington. In making my way through the Newseum the other day, I was impressed with their exhibit about The March, and The media’s role in the Civil Rights Movement as a whole.
But there was something missing. The recognition that The March was one of the more brilliant political campaigns of all time!
Scheduled on the 28th? That was a Wednesday. Back then, Congress didn’t take 5-week summer recesses. The March organizers wanted to make sure Congress was in session and would see all these people, all these voters, marching through the streets.
In 2003, I had a chance to attend events commemorating the 40th Anniversary of The March. I heard the Rev. Walter Fauntroy explain some of the significance of the event. He pointed out that the success of The March wasn’t limited to August 28th. It came when all those marchers went home to their congressional district and told their Congressman “don’t let me see your name on the ballot if you don’t vote for the Civil Rights Act”. And then the next year it was the Voting Rights Act.
August 28th – a day when Democracy descended on the nation’s capital!