Searching for Memories of the March on Washington in 1963

The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) will present a program at 2 pm Saturday, June 18 about the March on Washington August 28, 1963 to accompany the Smithsonian’s traveling exhibition Changing America: The Emancipation Proclamation, 1863 and the March on Washington, 1963. The exhibit arrived in Peterboro on June 1^st and was installed for an opening program on June 4.NAHOF extends a special invitation to people who have memories of the March to bring those recollections, experiences, souvenirs, etc. to the program to share.

Tim McLaughlin PhD, professor emeritus Cazenovia College and Vice-President of NAHOF will describe the Changing America project that commemorates two pivotal achievements on their 150^th and 50^thanniversaries. One hundred years separate the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington, yet the events are profoundly linked together in a larger story of liberty and the American experience. Both were the result of people demanding justice. Both grew out of decades of bold action, resistance, organization, and vision.

The Changing America project was created to commemorate these two events. The Emancipation Proclamation committed the nation to ending slavery after tens of thousands of African Americans claimed freedom for themselves during the Civil War. In the years following, the U.S. Congress passed constitutional amendments abolishing slavery, expanding citizenship rights, and giving black men the right to vote. On August 28, 1963, hundreds of thousands of people gathered for the biggest demonstration ever seen in the District of Columbia—a demonstration to mark the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. Millions of people around the world watched the march on television. Marchers came in buses, trains, cars, trucks, airplanes, and on foot, from all over the country, to demand that the commitments of 1863 be fulfilled for all Americans. Representatives of many races, classes, and ideologies prayed together, listened to electrifying speeches and stirring music, and called on people to work together to make the nation’s founding principles of liberty and equality a reality for all.

The traveling exhibition is presented by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture and the National Museum of American History in collaboration with the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The development and tour of Changing America are made possible by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH): Exploring the human endeavor. The public is encouraged to attend the Changing America exhibit and program at 5255 Pleasant Valley Road, Peterboro NY 13134. Admission is free. For more information: 315-280-8828,nahofm1835@gmail.com, www.nationalabolitionhalloffameandmuseum.org.