EPISODE 5: THE MARCH ## CHAPTER 1: THE PLAN The March on Washington was not Martin Luther King's idea. A. Philip Randolph—the elder statesman of the civil rights movement, founder of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, a man who had been fighting for Black rights since Martin was a baby—had proposed a march on Washington back in 1941. President Roosevelt, fearing the spectacle, had issued an executive order banning discrimination in defense industries to head it off. Now, in 1963, Randolph revived the idea. "We need a massive demonstration," he argued. "Something that shows the entire nation—the entire world—the strength and determination of our movement. We need to bring our people to the seat of power." The planning began in the spring. Six major civil rights organizations came together: the NAACP, the Urban League, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), SNCC, SCLC, and the National Council of Negro Women. They represented different approaches, different constituencies, sometimes different philosophies—but they agreed on one thing: the time for a march had come. Martin was designated one of the key speakers. But he would not be the only speaker. This was a coalition event, a demonstration of unity that transcended any single leader. --- ## CHAPTER 2: THE TENSIONS The coalition was fragile. The more militant members of SNCC wanted to...