Did you either attend or watch the March on Washington 50 years ago?

[gopiscrap]

5 votes, 0 passes | Time left: Unlimited
	I attended
	1 (20%)
	I watched all of it
	1 (20%)
	I watched part of it
	3 (60%)
	I knew it was going on but didn't watch any of it
	0 (0%)
	Heard about it on the news
	0 (0%)
	didn't know it happened
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
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[LuvNewcastle]

1. I wasn't alive. I think my dad was about 14.

[gopiscrap]

3. I had just turned six

my parents were seriously into politics and civil rights and they let me stay up late (we lived in Germany) to watch some of it. I squirmed and read a child's book during most of it, but even then in some unrecognizable way, I sensed that it was momentous.

[JohnnyLib2]

2. Was there live coverage in some areas? Not in Reno at that time.

I was aware, through the news outlets.

[gopiscrap]

4. Yes there were German TV stations covering King's speech live

but not the march or any other part of it...also there were some TV stations covering it, but you can bet none of them we south of the Mason-Dixon line!

[Motown_Johnny]

5. I was 4 months old

[Bluenorthwest]

6. Too young. I first became aware of Dr King when he was murdered, his muder being

another in a string of political killings during my childhood, I already knew the formal definition of 'assassination' which included being a head of State or elected leader. I went to my Mom, poor thing, and asked her why they were saying Dr King was assassinated rather than murdered, because he was not elected nor a head of State. Mom looked at me as if she perhaps regretted having a kid with a dictionary asking such questions at age 8...then she told me that it was the proper word, because he was a leader she said at first 'he was the leader of his people, and he had a dream for them' then she stopped and was lost in thought and the she said 'no, he had a dream for all people, not just his own but all of us, because he belonged to God who sent him. He was sent by God, like Moses in the Bible, not like any other man in our country, like Moses and he knew he would die before he saw that promised dream come true, but he did God's work anyway.'
God bless my Mom.

[gopiscrap]

7. Wow what a great mom

I was 10 and going to a Catholic School in Tacoma...the priest cancelled all classes the next day!

[Bluenorthwest]

8. In retrospect I think that was a decisive moment for Mom personally.

I think she figured out what she thought right there and then.

[gopiscrap]

9. I think it really affected my parents also

about a year and a half before we were in Texas and my dad had picked up a black woman carrying groceries and had her ride in the front seat with him. A cop saw that and he got a civil citation and a 20.00 fine for doing that.

[Bluenorthwest]

13. Wow.

That's just awful. Makes me love your dad!

[gopiscrap]

15. I think that radicalized my parents

My dad was a Roosevelt liberal, but this really changed things for him.

[mike_c]

10. I was living in the Washington DC area 50 years ago...

...but I was eight years old, and MUCH more concerned with tooling around the suburbs on my bicycle than about current events.

[HappyMe]

11. I'm sure I saw all or most of the speech.

I remember seeing some at school (I was 5 at that time). We always watched the news as a family.

[cbayer]

12. I was a child in DC, but both of my parents attended the march.

I watched it from home. I probably knew more about what was going on than the average kid, as my parents were very involved, as was the church.

It had a great impact on me, as did many, many events of the time.

[gopiscrap]

14. Wow that must have been interesting

what type of church were you involved in. About two after the march we moved to Tacoma, Washington and I began attending a private Roman Catholic School. The Franciscan nuns who taught us we very into the civil rights movement and I remember in small child like ways talking about it during religion class.

[cbayer]

18. My father was a minister at a Disciples of Christ Church and deeply

involved with the religious community that was fighting for civil rights.

To say that our home was interesting at the time would be an understatement.

I remain intensely grateful to my parents for educating me early about civil rights and activism.

I am sure you are probably grateful to the nuns who educated you as well.

[gopiscrap]

19. Yes I am grateful

I wish I would have been about 10-12 years older than I am. I would have loved to be a part of all this. I have worked in the ecumenical movement for quite awhile, have run a peace and justice project and have great respect for the Disciples of Christ.

[cbayer]

21. I had the additional fortune of going through the anti-war era

in Chicago, where my father had gone to lead a very progressive, radical church. That one I got to participate in.

So glad you are still involved in fighting for peace and justice. So is my father, now 83. He remains an inspiration to me, but I have never had the calling that he has had.

You and my father may have crossed paths at some point. I just read your profile and you two sound very similar.

[gopiscrap]

22. That might be

I have spent considerable time in Chicago. The last was a week for an organization called Inter-Faith Worker Justice Organization. We had a conference at DePaul University co-sponsored by the United Methodist Church. On a side note, I learned to drive in Chicago and it still shows!

[cbayer]

23. I also learned to drive in Chicago.

Funny story about my mom. She blocked Lake Shore Drive with our station wagon to protest the war.

She's the one who taught me to drive!

At any rate, we were on the south side (hyde park) which was ground zero for a lot of the activism. My father also worked with the gangs on the south side and with Rev. Jackson on projects like Breadbasket.

I grew up thinking most kids were exposed to this stuff. It was quite an eye opener to find out exactly how unique my experiences had been.

[gopiscrap]

24. Yeah, I still drive like I am in Chicago

were you there during the 68 convention? I was very political from very young on having lost my father to the Vietnam War and my mom suffering terribly because of World War II my personal experiences and social justice teachings by the "church" have really formed my political life. I ran for US Congress from the left several years ago and it was over the US involvement in Central America

[cbayer]

25. I was indeed there for the convention.

I had never seen the direct results of that kind of violence and it moved me deeply.

Good for you for running for congress. I thought about politics for awhile, but I don't have the stomach for it and there are too many skeletons in my closets.

Your family background is so different, yet so similar, to my own.

[gopiscrap]

30. That must have been incredible.

I remember seeing it on tv and thinking that the cops were royal assholes and Daley was a prick. Do you still live in Chicago? I love going there!

[cbayer]

34. No, haven't lived in Chicago for awhile.

Was visiting regularly, but not for the last 5 years or so.

I also like going there, though.

[The Blue Flower]

16. Watched it live on b&w tv

I was in junior high school at the time.

[KamaAina]

17. No. I'm only 49. :-)

So I voted "heard about it on the news" -- years later.

[Vashta Nerada]

20. I wasn't born until 20 years later.

[JustAnotherGen]

26. Some of us weren't alive then

My mother and her parents attended though . . . My mom's parents were both born 40 years ahead of their time.

[yesphan]

27. 4 months before

my 7th birthday. Not yet locked into world events.

[egold2604]

28. It was a few months before my 18th birthday

Growing up in DC, we attended many of the civil rights marches. We missed this march, but I watched it on TV.

[liberal N proud]

29. Too young to care

[1-Old-Man]

31. I was there.

[SteveG]

32. My mom attended

My dad and I watched it all on tv. Dad was afraid of potential violence, and he would not let me attend with mom. Dad also had no say in whether or not Mom went. That's how they rolled.

If it matters, Mom, Dad and I are lily white, living in a then segregated state. Mom was an active member of the NAACP.

[gopiscrap]

33. I love your mom!

it's people like that who made the difference!

[steve2470]

35. I was 5 years old

I wasn't reading the newspapers yet.

[Arcanetrance]

36. Wasn't born yet but I can imagine it was truly impressive

[tabbycat31]

37. I was not alive then

ETA my grandmother brought my uncle to the event (he was 2) but I don't think any of her older kids went.

[FSogol]

38. I was minus 2 at the time. My Dad was there. n/t