9ES.7 March on Washington, 1983. Article title: Gay presence scattered at King march

Description

In 1983, a large public march was planned in Washington DC to celebrate racial progress for African Americans and protest racism still present in society. Marches such as this have been an important part of African American history, especially during the desegregation era of the 1950s and 1960s. While planning the march, a number of black gay organizations asked to be included in the march. This caused controversy. Some of the march organizers supported letting gay people in the march, while some of them opposed the idea. This article is also available through the DC Public Library Special Collections.