March+on+Washington

=March on Washington=

August 28 1963
//250,000 supports all marching for equality and freedom//

On the 28th August, 1963, the March on Washington attracted more than 250 000 people (80% of which were African Americans), in a peaceful demonstration to promote Civil Rights and economic equality for African Americans (Core-Congress of Racial Equality, 2006). The masses of people walked from Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial. As it was far larger than any other previous demonstrations, the march had an obvious impact, both on the passage of civil rights and on nationwide public opinion. The march was organized by a group of civil rights and religious organisations and was initiated by A. Philip Randolph who was an international president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, President of the Negro American Labor Council and Vice President of the AFL-CIO. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have A Dream" speech was delievered here, on the steps of the lincon memorial. It was MLK jr's most insperational and famous speech and spurred the hearts of the quater million people marching and an audience of millions that watched it on television. According to the U.S News & World Report (September 9, 1963) the following were demanded by the protestors:
 * 1) Passage of "meaningful" civil-rights legislation at this session of Congress- no filibusting.
 * 2) Immediate elimination of all racial segregation in public schools throughout the nation.
 * 3) A big program of public works to provide jobs for all the nations's unemployed, including job training and a placement program.
 * 4) A federal law prohibiting racial discrimination in hiring workmen- either public or private.
 * 5) $2-an-hour minimum wage, across the board, nationwide.
 * 6) Withholding of federal funds from programs in which discrimination exists.
 * 7) Enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment, reducing congressional representation of states where citizens are disenfranchised.
 * 8) A broadened Fair Labor Standards Act to include currently-excluded employment areas.
 * 9) Authority for the Attorney General to institute injunctive suits when any constitutional right is violated.

media type="youtube" key="PbUtL_0vAJk" height="385" width="480" Martin Luther King Jr - I have a dream [] [] []