Library Celebrates 60th Anniversary of March on Washington With Special Programming for All

The Ferguson Library is hosting a variety of special events through August 28 to mark the 60 years since the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, when a quarter of a million people rallied to demand an end to segregation as well as fair wages, voting rights and civil rights protections. For event details, along with dates, times and registration requirements, click here.

The commemoration is underway with the exhibit Who Can Vote? A Brief History of Voting Rights in the United States at the Main Library. The display, on view through August 21, examines the history of American voting rights and the role the U.S. Constitution played in determining who could vote. A reproduction of the original March on Washington program is also display at the Main Library and South End and Harry Bennett branches.

Among the special events are an opening ceremony August 13 that featured a screening of the digitally restored James Blue 1964 documentary, The March, memories shared by special guests and a performance by the Union Baptist Church Choir.

Continuing every day during library hours starting August 14, the Main Library and the Harry Bennett Branch will present a continuous screening of the PBS documentary, Eyes on the Prize, the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched the movement.

In addition to events geared for families and children (see related blog post), the commemoration also includes an August 27 closing ceremony featuring music and poetry, and two screenings August 28 of the 2013 documentary, The March: The Story of the Greatest March in American History, narrated by Denzel Washington. Both will be held at the Main Library.