'It Was Clear That the March Would Be Peaceful'

Gwen Gibson | Alexandria, Virginia

In 1963, I was the newest reporter in the Washington bureau of the New York Daily News and, to my regret, was not assigned to cover the March on Washington. But I was there for the beginning as a sympathetic spectator. Even now, more than 40 years later, I still have vivid memories of that hot sunny day in August of 1963 when some 250,000 people gathered in Washington, D.C., at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial, and showed the world how to stage a massive protest with grace and dignity.

There had been widespread fear of rioting during the march. Government and private employers, including some newspapers, urged “nonessential” employees to stay home. Many congressmen gave their staffs the day off.

None of the fears was warranted. From the start it was clear that the march would be peaceful, prayerful, and joyous. And I still remember the joy in the air. It was contagious. You could see and almost feel it in the faces, words, and songs of the participants who were marching for jobs and freedom.

I arrived near the Ellipse about 9:30 a.m. and started mingling with the demonstrators, including three women from Alabama who I remember for their big hats and warm smiles. They carried brown lunch bags and one, like so many in the crowd, carried her family Bible. On their first trip to Washington, they were walking on air, knowing they were making history.

"I still have vivid memories of that hot sunny day in August of 1963."

Two young men I talked with had walked some 50 miles from around Fredericksburg, Virginia, and were still trying to get the dust off their shoes. My new friends and I walked together to the grounds of the Washington Monument, staging area for the march. Along the way I bought an “I Was There” button for 25 cents.

I left the scene about noon as the crowd was pressing toward the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial, where the official program was held. I joined several other reporters at a friend’s house to watch the big program on television.

The great contralto Marian Anderson transported the crowd singing, “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.” Mahalia Jackson did likewise when she belted out the spiritual “I’ve Been 'Buked and I’ve Been Scorned.”

By the time Martin Luther King made his historic “I Have a Dream” speech, my friends and I--all “hard-nosed” reporters--were in tears. For the marchers, King’s speech, with all its Biblical cadences, was the watershed moment that made their long journey worthwhile.