The March.

August 23, 2013 2:11 PM

The March (1963, restored) from the US National Archives.
posted by feelinglistless (7 comments total)

This looks great, but it feels like it should go here.
posted by Going To Maine at 2:57 PM on August 23, 2013

Also available: a short called The Bus. (12m)
posted by Twang at 5:48 PM on August 23, 2013 [1 favorite]

Great footage!

This would have benefited from a longer FPP writeup to draw in more attention.
posted by intermod at 7:43 PM on August 23, 2013

This almost moved me to tears. What a great speech, and the faces in that crowd - seeing their hopes for true equality beginning to be realized to some small degree, and a larger vision forged right in front of them. Hope was given with that speech, and marching orders as well. Wow!
posted by Vibrissae at 1:08 AM on August 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

I really loved looking at those faces, wondering what had brought them here. The perfectly put together little old lady getting the button -- how many earlier civil rights events had she attended? What did she think of this journey, this point? The white boys and girls, were they rebelling against their parents, or coming with them? I smiled when I saw the UAW hats -- Walter Reuther was of course a key white supporter, and many northern auto plants employed blacks who had come as part of the Great Migration. A reminder of how important a role unions played in this era. And what of later? How many of them came to lead their communities, become makers of change, or bringing up the next generation? Not so much what became of them, but what did they become?
posted by dhartung at 3:09 AM on August 24, 2013 [1 favorite]

Thanks so much for posting this. In 1963 I was 15 years old. Of course I was aware of this march, but, until I saw this film, I had no idea of the magnitude of the power... Thanks... a new perspective, a new important perspective.
posted by HuronBob at 9:38 PM on August 24, 2013

That was great. What I loved most was seeing all those people contributing to the event, the row upon row of people making sandwiches, stapling placards. A good reminder-- the news shows only the famous people and the successful event, but never (or rarely) the hard work of so many people that make social justice become real.

And, oh, the singing!


Thank you for posting!!!
posted by chapps at 10:42 PM on August 24, 2013