Program from the March on Washington: Museum Object and Cultural History

The object in the museum catalogue

Program from the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom at the Lincoln Memorial. The program is a single page folded in half to create a booklet. The top of the front page has the march title and date in large black letters underlined by a black decorative border. It reads "MARCH ON WASHINGTON/ FOR JOBS AND FREEDOM/ AUGUST 28, 1963." Below the line is the program title in large black block print "LINCOLN MEMORIAL PROGRAM." Below the program title are two columns of text. The column on the left lists the kind of events during the program and the column on the right lists who is participating in the given event and their affiliation. At the bottom center is bold, black text that reads "WE SHALL OVERCOME."

Inside, on the left hand page is an essay, in black print, of the aspirations and goals of the march. Under the essay are the names and affiliations of the movement leaders and supporters. On the right hand page is a formal list of demands of the movement.

The back page is a map of part of the National Mall. It shows the marcher's route, beginning at the Washington Monument and around the reflecting pool to the Lincoln Memorial. It also shows three zones for bus parking for the marchers.

Materials, dates and provenance

• Date: August 28, 1963
• Printed by: Unidentified
• Used by: Dr. Samuel Y. Edgerton Jr., American, 1926 - 2021
• Subject of: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, American, founded 1963
• Type: programs
• Medium: ink on paper
• Dimensions: H x W: 11 x 8 1/2 in. (27.9 x 21.6 cm)
• Place used: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
• Topic: African American
• Topic: Activism
• Topic: Civil Rights
• Topic: Labor
• Topic: Local and regional
• Topic: Politics
• Topic: Race relations
• Topic: Segregation
• Object number: 2013.187.2
• Credit Line: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Samuel Y. Edgerton
• Data Source: National Museum of African American History and Culture

Sources and reuse

Catalogue descriptions and facts adapted from National Museum of African American History and Culture through the Smithsonian's official Open Access dataset. This record explicitly marks its metadata CC0 1.0; formatting and selection have been changed. The displayed image also has an explicit CC0 designation. The underlying object's rights statement is: No Known Copyright Restrictions Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.