Beyond MLK: On the Women Who Made the March on Washington
Lula Patterson was feeling rebellious. It was the summer of 1963, and Lula, a reporter for the Baltimore Afro-American, had received a story assignment that was as intriguing as it was insulting: She was asked to write a puff piece.
In the summer of 1963, Lula Patterson, a reporter for the Baltimore Afro-American, was assigned to cover the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Her editor described the task as a 'color job on the women,' meaning she was expected to focus on superficial details like clothing, hats, and appearance rather than the event’s significance. This request reflected the common practice in the early 1960s of relegating women reporters to society pages, where they wrote about social events like high teas and cotillions. Patterson, however, recognized the March on Washington as a historic protest demanding racial justice, not a frivolous gathering. She felt the assignment was insulting but remained determined to capture the true essence of the event in her reporting.
The March on Washington took place on August 28, 1963, in Washington, D.C., and drew over 200,000 participants, more than double the estimated 100,000 expected. The event was meticulously organized, with water trucks, sack lunches, and marshals directing crowds. Male leaders marched down Constitution Avenue, while female leaders marched down Independence Avenue. The day began early, with performances by figures like Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Bob Dylan, and Peter, Paul and Mary at Site 3, a stage where dignitaries and activists were welcomed. The march’s scale and organization contrasted sharply with the casual dress of many attendees, who wore practical clothing like slacks, shorts, and sneakers, rather than formal attire.
The March on Washington is most famously remembered for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have a Dream speech, delivered at the Lincoln Memorial. King, the leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), was the final speaker and the most recognizable figure among the male organizers. His speech, which called for an end to racism and envisioned racial harmony, became a defining moment in the civil rights movement. King’s assassination in 1968 and his subsequent canonization as a martyr further cemented his association with the march. However, this focus on King has often overshadowed the contributions of others, including the women who played critical roles in organizing the event.
The March on Washington included a Tribute to Negro Women Fighters for Freedom, but this recognition was not a deliberate homage. Instead, it was a last-minute concession due to pressure to include women. Originally, the program listed four women speakers, but King suggested reducing it to one and extending the event’s duration to accommodate the change. The tribute was poorly remembered even by key organizers like A. Philip Randolph, the march’s creator and master of ceremonies, who struggled to recall the women’s names during the event. This oversight reflects a broader pattern in which Black women’s contributions to the civil rights movement were minimized or erased from historical records.
For decades, the March on Washington has been framed primarily through the lens of King’s speech, obscuring the roles of women and other organizers. Feminist historians have worked to correct this by publishing biographies, collecting oral histories, and curating exhibitions about Black women’s contributions to civil rights. The author of How Bright the Path Grows, Marcia Chatelain, argues that the march was about more than King’s moral vision—it was a collective effort addressing the unfinished business of emancipation and Reconstruction. The book centers the lives of women who were 'seen, yet hardly heard,' highlighting their diverse backgrounds and experiences in the struggle for racial justice.
The women who participated in the March on Washington came from varied backgrounds, including big cities and small towns, elite schools, and street activism. Some were educated professionals, while others learned activism through direct experience. Their roles were not limited to the tribute; many were grassroots organizers, fundraisers, and strategists who had worked for decades on issues like school desegregation, voting rights, and police brutality. Despite their critical contributions, they were often portrayed as mere 'helpmates' to male leaders. The march served as a testament to their resilience and the broader Black freedom struggle, which spanned decades and encompassed multiple forms of resistance.
