National Archives Marks 60th Anniversary of the March on Washington With Film Screening
By Michael Davis | National Archives News
WASHINGTON, August 22, 2023 – The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) marks the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom with a film screening and discussion of director James Blue’s 1964 film The March on August 25 at 7 p.m. ET in the William G. McGowan Theater in the National Archives Building.
-A wide-angle view of marchers along the Mall, showing the Reflecting Pool and the Washington Monument, during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.
The film was originally produced by the United States Information Agency (USIA). USIA and Hearst Metrotone News enlisted Blue to direct the documentary. Blue went out with a 14-person sound and camera crew, which was split into seven teams. The teams captured footage while following participants from cities across the United States, including New York, San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, Seattle, Atlanta, Houston, and Chicago, as they prepared to go to Washington, DC. The USIA budgeted a total of $50,000 for the completed production.
August 28, 1963, came to be seen as a pinnacle to an established and ongoing battle for Black civil rights. On this day, hundreds of thousands of people convened in Washington, DC, for the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. These participants joined leaders of civil rights, religious, and labor organizations to support President Kennedy’s proposed civil rights bill. This coalition included well-known individuals, from singer Marian Anderson to future Congressman John Lewis. One of the best-remembered events of the program is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which cemented King’s reputation as a great American speaker and symbol of civil rights.
In 2008, NARA’s Motion Picture Preservation Lab preserved the documentary film, which showcases the historical August 28, 1963, March on Washington. Chriss Austin, Supervisory Motion Picture Preservation Specialist at NARA, led the team to complete a full digital restoration of the film in 2013 to mark its 50th anniversary.
The panel of experts who will discuss the film and the march will include Austin, David A. Frank, professor of rhetoric at the University of Oregon; William Jones, professor of history at the University of Minnesota; and Isisara Bey, artistic director, March on Washington Film Festival.
Attendees should register for the free event and use the Special Events entrance on Constitution Avenue. Seating is limited and will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. The event can also be viewed on YouTube.
This program is sponsored in part by the National Archives Foundation.