Black Women in History
Black Women and the March on Washington: The Work of Dorothy Height and Anna Arnold Hedgeman
BY AUTUMN DUNCAN AND CAMERON KATZ via https://www.teenvogue.com/
But at the march, men were front and center.
On August 28, 1963, over 250,000 supporters of the civil rights movement gathered in front of the Lincoln Memorial to call for President Kennedy to initiate a civil rights bill to create fairer treatment and equal opportunity for African Americans. The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was a critical moment in civil rights history, drawing the eyes of people worldwide and over 3,000 media outlets. Most famously, the March served as the backdrop for Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech. And it was effective — soon after, President Kennedy announced plans for a comprehensive civil rights bill. However, despite its major accomplishments, the planning and execution of the March on Washington wasn’t characterized by equality for all.
The history of the March on Washington often recounts the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, Bayard Rustin, who was the March’s chief…