This iconic color from LIFE magazine depicts two leaders of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom standing before the Lincoln Memorial, symbolizing unity, vision, and the national spotlights on the historic demonstration.
The September 1963 issue marks a turning point in American history, as the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom drew more than 250,000 people to demand civil rights and economic justice. Broadcast on national television and covered extensively in the press, the demonstration helped galvanize public opinion, accelerating passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and cementing the roles of movement strategists like Bayard Rustin and A. Philip Randolph in shaping nonviolent mass protest as a tool for transformative social change.
LIFE Magazine Cover: Bayard Rustin and A. Philip Randolph at the Lincoln Memorial, March on Washington 1963. 1963. Color photograph. TimeLife. https://artsandculture.google.com/asset/jgGw03u9zr4Scw.
