March of Washington
by Austin Haws
the march
· March on Washington is a type of protest in which a group gathers in the United States capital of Washington,
· There, the marchers present complain to lawmakers and draw attention to their cause.
· The U.S. civil rights movement began in the 1950’s. But by 1963, racial discrimination remained a problem in many cities and towns.
· It was meant to bring attention to unemployment among black workers and to urge Congress to pass President John F. Kennedy’s civil rights bill.
· Kennedy was assassinated in November 1963, and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson became president.
· Johnson persuaded Congress to pass Kennedy's proposed laws in the Civil Rights Act of 1964
· A number of these leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr., and A. Philip Randolph, organized a massive march in Washington, D.C. The event was called the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
· It was meant to bring attention to unemployment among black workers and to urge Congress to pass President John F. Kennedy’s civil rights bill.
philip Randolph
· Randolph grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, but he moved to New York as a young man. There, he developed an interest in politics and social justice. In 1917, he and a friend,
· Chandler Owen, founded a weekly magazine, The Messenger. The Messenger became the boldest African American magazine and was a voice for black equality.
Backyard Rustin
he devoted most of his life to working for the cause of equal rights
· Rustin worked with for to encourage racial understand
· Philip Randolph and he became active in the Fellowship of settlement for in the early 1940S.
· Rustin became a trusted guide to the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
· during the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955-56. He convinced King to adopt nonviolence and give up armed bodyguards.
Rustin also helped Randolph plan several marches in Washington from 1957 to 1959 supporting school desegregation, but the poor attendance at those marches discouraged him.