Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream”, speech, 60 ago became a national memory. His words and photos of King waving at a crowd of at least 200,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial were reprinted for decades in history books.
While many people say today that King’s speech is the most important part of the march it was just one of several historic moments in the largest civil rights protest of the country at the time. People from all over the country and world gathered to show their support for civil liberties of Blacks and other marginalized groups, as well as equal employment opportunities.
Many prominent Black figures were present, including John Lewis who became a member in Congress and gospel singer Mahalia, who sang “I’ve Been ‘Buked, and i’ve been Scorned”, just before King took the podium.
In an age when the race was tearing apart the nation, this display of unity was rare. This historic day is reflected in archival photographs, which all echo the call for change.
