Today is the 50th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, yet when I ask the young people in my community they believe it’s the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which unfortunately for many of them is the only thing they know of Dr. King’s accomplishments. I find it ironic the media chooses to elevate his speech as the most important event of the day fifty years later – back in August, 1963 on the day after the March, only the Associated Press thought Dr. King’s speech was worth reporting about or reprinting excerpts of. At the time, the most important news of the day was that more than 200,000 black people had descended on D.C. to protest and there was no violence – a fact that left white America in serious shock. In the wake of The March thoughtful members of the public had to ask themselves who the real sources of racial violence were if it wasn’t “militant Negroes”.
Last night PBS aired a documentary entitled, “The March” that chronicles the history of the 1963 March on Washington through the eyes of the organizers and participants. The documentary examines among other things, the relationship between March proponents and the Kennedy administration, which up to that point was considered somewhat equivocal in its support for civil rights and racial equality. Dr. King and other prominent civil rights leaders announced their plans for The March on Washington one day after President Kennedy delivered an address from the Oval Office calling for federal civil rights legislation. Because of the prevailing political climate and racial intransigence of southern Democrats, many believed Kennedy’s proposal was too little, too late and doomed to fail.
Over the past week we’ve been treated to many accounts of the events of those days including discussions about pressure on the principal sponsor and proponent of The March – A Philip Randolph, founder and leader of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first national union of black workers – to distance himself from his protege and chief organizer – Bayard Rustin, a gay black intellectual who was also a socialist pacifist. I was fortunate to have the opportunity to know Mr. Randolph and to work with Bayard Rustin almost a decade after The March receiving my earliest political education at his feet.
I understood from Bayard Rustin, the principal agenda of The March – conveniently overlooked by media and historians – was to promote economic justice as the necessary partner to racial justice – that’s why it was promoted as the March for Jobs and Freedom. A Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin had dedicated their lives to promoting economic democracy as a necessary condition to true racial justice. As committed democratic socialists, they understood the importance of government in leveling the field to enable workers to insure the economy works for their advancement, not just for the comfort of owners and investors of capital. Randolph and Rustin understood what many don’t know or have forgotten – racism is a creation of capitalism and is generally subservient to its interests – not the other way around…..
As I contemplate the anniversary of The March on Washington my thoughts go to a historic discussion about civil rights that’s as relevant today as it was when it took place 50 years ago. The conversation is between a group of men who were civil rights giants: James Farmer of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), Malcolm X (the Nation of Islam), Alan Morrison (Senior Editor. Ebony Magazine) and Rev. Wyatt Tee Walker (Special Asst. to MLK, Jr. at the Southern Christian Leadership Council). The show was The Open Mind a public affairs program that has aired for more than 50 years, hosted consistently by one man, Richard Heffner who moderated this thought-provoking discussion entitled: Race Relations in Crisis: Civil Rights at the Crossroads. The show was taped on June 12, 1963 the day after Pres. Kennedy had announced his proposed civil rights legislation and the same day Dr. King and other civil rights leaders endorsed A. Philip Randolph’s proposal for a national March on Washington.
The discussion addresses conflicting opinions both within and without African-American communities about whether or not the U.S. was capable of overcoming anti-black racism and living up to its ideals as a free, open and democratic society and if so, what were the best means of bringing that about? Would progress be achieved as a result of direct action in the streets or did those tactics undermine substantive policy reform? Could incremental change ever reach the masses in need or would it require a major ‘revolution’ to shift the power relationship between blacks and whites? These were among the major inquiries pursued during this wide-ranging 90 min. discussion back when talk shows really were about having pointed, yet civil debates about issues of national import between people with divergent perspectives.
A bonus to the show is the last 30 mins. which was taped in 1993 with the two survivors of the first conversation – James Farmer and Wyatt Tee Walker. They reflect on how the intervening 30 years have impacted their views of racial justice and the potential for change in the U.S. The conversation continues, as does the struggle for justice….
Tags: 50th Anniversary, Bayard Rustin, I Have a Dream speech, King, March, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Martin Luther King, Philip Randolph, Washington, Wyatt Tee Walker
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