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Smithsonian NMAAHC

28 Aug, 22 tweets, 14 min read

#OnThisDay in 1963, 250K people made the journey to The #MarchOnWashington for Jobs and Freedom.

Today we recount their stories. #APeoplesJourney

↳ nmaahc.si.edu/march-on-washi…

The #MarchOnWashington sought to pressure Congress to pass civil rights legislation. Many public officials feared that the march would result in violence and proposed a bill in Congress to prevent it. nmaahc.si.edu/march-on-washi…

Every region of the country was present—people of all different races and creeds converged over 50 yrs ago today: bit.ly/2wCwUip

The #MarchOnWashington was a demonstration against the attack on civil rights & jobs. Explore the full program in our collection: s.si.edu/2thOC8J

Three teenage boys hitchhiked from Gadsden, AL to DC a week prior to the #MarchOnWashington—they traveled 675 mi & were some of the 1st to arrive.

Frank Thomas, 17, James Smith, 16 & Robert Avery, 15, made the journey carrying signs that read, “To Washington or Bust.” #MarchOnWashington

Ledger Smith, a 27-year-old Chicagoan truck driver, roller-skated 100 miles to attend the #MarchOnWashington. #APeoplesJourney

The Baltimore Afro-American reported on the 'Roller Man,' beginning his 10-day trip Aug. 17th from Chicago to the #MarchOnWashington.

The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) sponsored several buses to the #MarchOnWashington, traveling 2,700 miles cross-country.

Opera singer Marian Anderson performed at the #MarchOnWashington alongside various musical selections:

#APeoplesJourney

Explore Marian Anderson in our collection today: nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_…

@NAACP

Daisy Bates, an @NAACP organizer, was the only woman who spoke at the 1963 #MarchOnWashington, during the official program. #HiddenHerstory

@NAACP

@NAACP Bayard Rustin was the Chief Organizer of the #MarchOnWashington. As an openly gay black man, he stood at the intersection for equal rights.

@NAACP

@NAACP Learn more about the #MarchOnWashington and the acquisition of #MLK’s advance speech of the “I Have a Dream” speech in our latest press release: s.si.edu/38geFAI

@NAACP

@NAACP Nearly 250,000 people gathered for the #MarchOnWashington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963. Participants came from all over the country in support of the vision for a greater, more equal future. Explore these objects from the march in our collection today: s.si.edu/38nHNWF

@NAACP

@NAACP The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture will display the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s original speech from the 1963 #MarchOnWashington for Jobs and Freedom. Learn more: s.si.edu/38geFAI

@NAACP

@NAACP "This artifact is one of several drafts of the speech written by King and his advisors hours before the #MarchOnWashington began,” said Kevin Strait, Museum Curator at @NMAAHC. s.si.edu/38geFAI

@NAACP

@NAACP “The speech was slotted to be a four-minute closing to the march; however, it became a powerful 16-minute rallying cry for the entire civil rights movement.” - Kevin Strait, Museum Curator, NMAAHC. Read more: s.si.edu/38geFAI

@NAACP

@NAACP For decades, King’s speech has been in the possession of former collegiate basketball player and coach George Raveling, a member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, who was volunteering as security at the 1963 #MarchOnWashington. s.si.edu/38geFAI

@NAACP

@NAACP Recently, Villanova University became the steward of the artifact and has entered into a long-term loan agreement with the museum to display the speech. #MarchOnWashington #MLK

@NAACP

@NAACP The museum has several objects related to King, including the Congressional Gold Medal awarded posthumously to King and Coretta Scott King (2014), a laundry pail used by King during the march from Selma to Montgomery and a program from King’s funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church.

@NAACP

@NAACP NMAAHC will display the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s original speech from the 1963 #MarchOnWashington for Jobs and Freedom. Read the full press release online today: s.si.edu/38geFAI

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At the National Museum of African American History and Culture, we believe that any productive conversation on race must start with honesty, respect for others, and an openness to ideas and information that provide new perspectives.

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[BLOG] The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth: s.si.edu/2IrWZWG #APeoplesJourney

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