--- title: Books, Movies and More About the March on Washington description: These resources, recommended by the team behind a VR re-creation of the March on Washington, can help take you back to 1963. canonical: https://time.com/5882157/march-on-washington-reading-list/ author: TIME Staff article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2020-08-27T17:00:41.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T04:55:47.976Z article:section: History og:title: Books, Movies and More About the March on Washington og:description: What was it like to be there on that day in 1963? These resources offer a glimpse og:url: https://time.com/5882157/march-on-washington-reading-list/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt997a97746b050bb2/698a11a3929fad7affbf67a0/crowd.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2405 og:image:height: 1353 og:image:alt: March On Washington For Jobs And Freedom og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Books, Movies and More About the March on Washington twitter:description: What was it like to be there on that day in 1963? These resources offer a glimpse twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt997a97746b050bb2/698a11a3929fad7affbf67a0/crowd.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Ahead of the 'Get Your Knee Off Our Necks' March, Revisit the Original March on Washington With These Books, Films and More > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. 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They are at time.com/newsletters and are separate from a paid subscription. by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Aug 27, 2020 5:00 PM UTC  A huge crowd gathered on the Mall between the Lincoln and Washington Monument during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom A huge crowd gathered on the Mall between the Lincoln and Washington Monument during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Robert W. Kelley—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [TIME Staff](https://time.com/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Aug 27, 2020 5:00 PM UTC On Friday, when participants in the “Get Your Knee Off Our Necks” Commitment March converge on Washington, D.C., they will do so to call for action on a number of concerns that may seem unique to 2020—a year set apart by a pandemic, an election and calls for police reform in the wake of George Floyd’s death. But the marchers will also be observing the anniversary of the Aug. 28, 1963, March on Washington. That day remains famous as the venue for Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech and resonant for its still-urgent calls for equality. Earlier this year, TIME Studios released _The March,_ a [groundbreaking immersive experience](https://time.com/the-march/) that re-created the event in virtual reality—a process that required many months of research to understand not only what it was like to be there on that day, but also the larger context surrounding the march and what led to it. In light of the anniversary, members of that team shared the resources they found most valuable for understanding that day, the civil rights movement and the history of non-violent demonstration in the U.S. Here are some suggestions for what to read, watch and listen to, from Mia Tramz and Alton Glass, _The March_ co-creators; Wesley Jones, historian and _The March_ producer; Lily Rothman, TIME senior editor and _The March_ producer; and Karcheik Sims-Alvarado, assistant professor of Africana Studies at Morehouse College and historical adviser on _The March_. [The March, _an immersive exhibit, is currently closed to the public due to COVID-19\. Sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter for updates on re-opening_ ](http://time.com/newsletter-history) ## Read: **The** **_March_** **graphic novel series by John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell** Co-author Andrew Aydin was a historical consultant and writer on TIME’s _The March,_ and [this graphic novel series](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781603093002) was something I returned to again and again as we were developing and researching the project. Based on the life and work of Congressman John Lewis, the authors used primary sources to create a vivid graphic novel about Lewis’ childhood growing up in the South, his work as a young man in the civil rights movement, and his eventual election to Congress. It changed my understanding not only of the civil rights movement, but of the brilliance of the people who organized it, and the risks they and so many others took to make change in our country. — _Mia Tramz_ **_Origins of the Civil Rights Movements: Black Communities Organizing for Change_** **by Aldon D. Morris** [Aldon Morris examines](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9780029221303) the ten years preceding the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and how the culmination of local black movements since the _Brown_ _v. Board_ decision ushered in a new generation of civil rights activists. They were young and old, rural and urban, Christian and Muslim, Northern and Southern, poor and middle class, and nonviolent and radical. United by their shared experiences of racial oppression and indignity, they arose to become a new voice for freedom and equality. — _Karcheik Sims-Alvarado_ **_Down the Line: The Collected Writings_** **by Bayard Rustin, introduction by C. Vann Woodward** The collecting of [letters and speeches written by Bayard Rustin](https://books.google.com/books/about/Down%5Fthe%5FLine.html?id=Hyt2AAAAMAAJ) helps readers to learn and appreciate the organizational strength of the master strategist of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. For nearly two decades leading up to the historic gathering of 250,000 demonstrators in Washington, D.C., Rustin, alongside labor organizer A. Philip Randolph, worked to address the low-wage poverty and racial discrimination experienced by African American workers. As a nonviolent practitioner, he influenced a younger generation of activists to use civil disobedience to dismantle Jim Crow laws, customs and traditions in America. — _Karcheik Sims-Alvarado_ **News from 1963** While the distance of time can lend invaluable perspective to our understanding of historic events like the March on Washington, contemporary accounts are also a key part of the puzzle when it comes to capturing what it was like to be there on the day. Many newspapers and magazines that covered the civil rights movement in real time have searchable digital archives that allow you to flip through journalistic accounts of 1963 and what came before and after. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention TIME’s own coverage; start with the issue that [proclaimed Martin Luther King Jr. the Man of the Year for 1963](https://time.com/vault/issue/1964-01-03/page/1/) and explore from there. — _Lily Rothman_  Martin Luther King Jr. addressing crowd of demonstrators outside the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Francis Miller—The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty Images ## Look: **Archival photography** When going through all the archival images I was curious about one of the signs at the March that read [PRINCE EDWARD](https://www.loc.gov/item/2013649725/). This took me on a journey into how vital education was during the movement. In Prince Edward County, Va., they decided to [close their schools](https://www.virginiahistory.org/collections-and-resources/virginia-history-explorer/civil-rights-movement-virginia/closing-prince) system to avoid integration during that time and seek private funding. I discovered Prince Edward was the prototype that led to the American private school system. Education is justice and quality education continues to be a major fight across the world. Something we must not take for granted. — _Alton Glass_ **Civil Rights History Project oral interviews** The Library of Congress has amassed an amazing primary collection of primary resources, most impressive of which is the [Civil Rights History Project.](https://www.loc.gov/collections/civil-rights-history-project/about-this-collection/) Here you can find long-form autobiographical interviews from surviving civil rights activists, many of whom have died since their interviews. It remains a readily accessible database for first-person accounts of the movement. _— Wesley Jones_ **_Eyes on the Prize_** This [14-part documentary](https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/eyesontheprize/) fundamentally changed the way I understand our country and its history. Produced by Blackside Productions, the series interviews the major players of the Civil Rights Movement—including not only the movement’s leaders and activists, but also their most fierce and racist opponents. It is a singular work that every American, but especially white Americans, should watch—and return to many times. It is accompanied by the Eyes on the Prize reader, which collects transcripts of the countless interviews done for the series in their entirety, capturing important information that the filmmakers weren’t able to include in the documentary. — _Mia Tramz_ **“The March,” U.S. Information Agency, Dir: James Blue, 1964** [“The March” is a documentary](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQYzHIIQ1O4) that was produced by the U.S. government for international distribution. It was the single best video resource of the day, and since it was produced by the U.S. government, the footage has been reused multiple times. It was recently restored for the march’s 50th anniversary. _— Wesley Jones_  Leaders of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. Left to right: Mathew Ahmann, Floyd McKissick, Martin Luther King Jr., Eugene Carson Blake and Cleveland Robinson Robert W. Kelley—The LIFE Picture Collection / Getty Images ## Listen: **_Freedom March on Washington: August 28, 1963_** **(20th Century Fox Records)** The live recording of the 1963 March on Washington comprises speeches given by Black leaders representing various organizations—including its youngest presenter, John Lewis. It is important to revisit the speakers’ words, especially the first half of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, to be reminded that the march was a labor demonstration coupled with the demand for voting and civil rights protection. — _Karcheik Sims-Alvarado_ **WGBH’s Openvault** WGBH houses the [complete collection](http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog?f%5Baccess%5D%5B%5D=All+Records&f%5Bseries%5Ftitle%5D%5B%5D=March+on+Washington+for+Jobs+and+Freedom) of the public radio broadcast from the day. Over the 17-hour broadcast, you can hear the actual audio from the march, pre-recorded interviews, onsite interviews, speeches and performances from the day, and reporters’ commentary. Since this a continuous broadcast, you can calculate the actual times of the day’s events. — _Wesley Jones_ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5882157/march-on-washington-reading-list/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5882157/march-on-washington-reading-list/"},"headline":"Ahead of the 'Get Your Knee Off Our Necks' March, Revisit the Original March on Washington With These Books, Films and More","datePublished":"2020-08-27T17:00:41.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T04:55:47.976Z","description":"What was it like to be there on that day in 1963? 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