![]() ![]() Among them were notable names: Josephine Baker, Marlon Brando, Harry Belafonte, Sammy Davis Jr., James Garner, Charlton Heston, Paul Newman and Sidney Poitier. After all, they set a goal of 100,000 to attend the March on Washington.īut on August 28 - despite the heat in the nation’s capital, which reached 87 degrees Fahrenheit with uncomfortable humidity - people started showing up en masse. ![]() While everything was meticulously planned, the organizers still worried there may not be the turnout they hoped for. King said 'it would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment' Kelley/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty Images ![]() Leaders of the March on Washington (L-R): Joachim Prinz, Eugene Carson Blake, Martin Luther King Jr., Floyd McKissick, Matthew Ahmann and John Lewis Photo: Robert W. “I am now going upstairs to my room to counsel with my Lord,” he said, according to The Guardian. Respecting his view, the mention of the dream was cut from the speech. Walker had the strongest opinion: “Don’t use the lines about ‘I have a dream.’ It’s trite, it’s cliche. The idea of the “dream” had actually been one that King long talked about, almost like a theme throughout his previous speeches. and 8 Black Activists Who Led the Civil Rights Movement 'I have a dream' was originally cut from the speech And still others wanted Martin to direct his remarks to the students, Black and white, who would be marching that day.” Some, however, worried that biblical language would obfuscate the real message - reform of the legal system. Others were more inclined for Martin to deliver a sort of church sermon, steeped in parables and Bible quotes. “Cleve, Lawrence and I saw the speech as an opportunity to stake an ideological and political marker in the debate over civil rights and segregation. “As we ate sandwiches, our suggestions tumbled out,” Jones remembers. Of course, everyone had their own take, which became a challenge to juggle. “Cleveland Robinson, Walter Fauntroy, Bernard Lee, Ralph Abernathy, Lawrence Reddick and I joined him, along with Wyatt Walker and Bayard Rustin, who were in and out of our deliberations.” “So that evening he had a cross-section of advisers present to fill any blind spots,” Jones wrote. “It was with this odd start, hiding in plain sight, that 12 hours before the March on Washington began, Martin gathered with a small group of advisers to hammer out the themes of his speech.”Įven though King was happy with the draft, he had wanted to get as much input as possible. ![]() “We met in the lobby rather than in a suite, under the assumption that the lobby would be harder to wiretap,” Jones wrote in the Washington Post. “I would deliver four strong walls and he would use his God-given abilities to furnish the place so it felt like home.”Įven though they knew the importance of the speech, with the logistics, they only gathered as a group at the Willard Hotel the evening before the speech. “When it came to my speech drafts, often acted like an interior designer,” Jones said, according to The Guardian. The first draft was written by Stanley Levison and Clarence Jones, two of his advisers. To carefully craft the right words, King turned to his inner circle. Even though he was limited to five minutes, his goal was clear: To make a speech with impact on the nation “like the Gettysburg address.” He confided in a team of trusted advisors The three major television networks at the time - ABC, CBS and NBC - had all promised to cover the event, so King knew the stakes were high. Philip Randolph had reached out to him and other prominent figures in the movement to organize the march followed by three hours of speeches. The Baptist minister, who was also the head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was known as a powerful orator, but the bulk of his audience had been within the African American community. He had already been a leader in the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955 and the Greensboro sit-in movement in 1960 and was known for his 1963 Letter from Birmingham Jail, where he was taken after a peaceful demonstration. King wanted the speech to be 'like the Gettysburg Address'īefore he stepped up to the podium that day, King was already known on the national stage for his civil rights work. waves to participants at the March on Washington on AugPhoto: Bettman/Getty Images ![]()
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