The March on Washington

1973: Preface to the 1979 March on Washington

In 1973, LGBT leaders and organizations launched the first major attempt to bring gays and lesbians to Washington, DC in a visible and vocal demonstration for civil liberties and recognition.  The National Gay Mobilizing Committe operated out of an office in the student union at the University of Illinois' Champaign-Urbana campus.  Coming only four years after the Stonewall resistance galvanized the struggle for gay civil rights and while many local gay and lesbian activist organizations were still working to establish local civil liberties, the first campaign for a march never achieved the threshhold of support that could bring it to fruition.  Still the discussions in November 1973 in Illinois and debate around the country helped define the organization and issues that would six years later successfully bring thousands of gays, lesbians, transgendered persons, and bisexuals to the nation's capital.

David Aiken's papers provide some of the background of 1973's discussions and organization.
 

Aiken's article November 12, 1973, summarizing the issues involved in bringing a march to Washington, DC

National Gay Mobilizing Committee documents

1979 the first March on Washington

In the wake of the Milk/Moscone assassinations, the Anita Bryant campaign to roll back protections extended to sexual orientation, and years of community building around the nation, the support for a massive demonstration in the nation's capital grew.  Once again, there were strong reservations on the part of those who worried that anything less than massive numbers would negate the demonstration and undermine political activism.  However, by the late summer of 1979 it was clear that the March would be a large media-catching event.  Locally, the National Coalition of Black Gays and the DC Coalition of Black Gays supported the March from the beginning.

Both groups were also involved in planning and holding the first Third World Conference, held at Harambee House on Georgia Avenue.  The Third World Conference concluded with a march by persons of color down Georgia Avenue to the Mall where they joined the March on Washington.  This walk down Georgia Avenue was the first public demonstration by lesbians and gays in the heart of the African-American areas of the city.

The plans for the 1979 March were determinedly more inclusive of persons of color and the transgenedered.  The souvenir booklet for the March includes an article by Jim Kepner summarizing GLBT activism leading to the March and an article by Brandy Moore detailing the preparations for the March.  For the logistical handout and list of speakers, click here.  For collateral events in DC during the march weekend, click here.

To read through the 45 page souvenir program for the March, click here.  (This is a large Acrobat file and will take some time to load.)

The entire program from the March platform and from the Third World Conference was broadcast live by the Friends radio program, Washington, DC's gay and lesbian radio station, over WPFW-FM.   The Rainbow History Project includes these tapes in its archives.
 

The Concert at the Sylvan Theatre
The night before the March (October 13, 1979) Robin Tyler hosted the concert for the first March on Washington at the Sylvan Theatre near the Washington Monument.  Washington, DC's Friends Radio program taped the concert.  Among the artists available on the surviving radio tapes are Maxine Feldman (doing Closet Sale and Angry Athis), the Freedom Sound Jazz Ensemble, the LA Gay Men's Chorus, Casselberry-Dupre (doing Waters of Babylon, Take it to the Limit, Farina, and The Last Pioneers).  The tapes also include remarks by Rev. Troy Perry, Audre Lorde, and Tori Osborne.

See the March
Noted Washington, DC photographer Patsy Lynch has generously lent Rainbow History a selection of her photographs from the 1979 March on Washington.  To see the portfolio of photographs, click here.

Listen to the March
Washington, DC's Friends Radio program broadcast the march weekend, including the program from the platform and the Third World concert.  Some of these files, especially the musical takes, are a bit large and may take a while to download.

From Friends Radio,
all selections copyright Stonewall Nation Media Collective and Rainbow History Project.  Now available for listening for the first time in 25 years.

recording live at the Third World Conference concert on October 12, 1979 at Harambee House, Washington, DC.
(these are Windows Media files and some may take a while to download because of their size)

Audre Lorde reciting Harriet

Audre Lorde reciting Between Ourselves

Audre Lorde reciting Meat to Eat

Blackberri playing two of his songs
 

recording live at the National March on Washington stage on October 14, 1979, Washington, DC.

Audre Lorde keynote speech

Allen Ginsberg reading his poetry, including a warning to Congress

Juanito Ramos and Armando Gaetan speaking for 3rd World gays and lesbians

"AC/DC" by Gotham

"Eat the Rich" by Blackberri

"A Gentle Angry People" by Holly Near and Meg Christian