In 1963 activists were inspired to revive A. Philip Randolph's plan for a march on Washington to bring attention to the attacks on Birmingham children, the murder of Medgar Evers in Mississippi, and the widening economic gap between whites and blacks. On August 28, 1963, leading civil rights organizations sponsored one of the largest peaceful mass events in the history of the movement, the "March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom." The event captured the attention of the nation - and the world. In addition to the 250,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial, millions more watched live televised pictures beamed around the globe.

Although protests and petitions helped desegregate public facilities, civil rights advocates wanted the nation to see that their cause included more than the right to sit on a bus. Civil rights for all Americans - in the North and the South - had to include economic and political rights too, such as equal access to education, jobs, and housing. Planners used this moment to publicly petition the federal government for positive action in civil rights. The March on Washington provided the movement with some of its most vivid and stirring moments including Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech.