Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom
Encyclopedia
The Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom was a non-violent demonstration in Washington, DC on May 17, 1957, and an early event of the African-American Civil Rights Movement.
in public schools of the Supreme Court of the United States
, to urge the government to abide by the decision as the process of desegregation was obstructed at local and state levels.
The march was organized by A. Philip Randolph
and Bayard Rustin
. It was supported by the NAACP and the recently founded Southern Christian Leadership Conference
. Adam Clayton Powell Jr influenced the planners not to embarrass the administration and thus the event was organized as a prayer commemoration. A call for the demonstration was issued on April 5, 1957 by Randolph, Martin Luther King, and Roy Wilkins
.
. Mahalia Jackson
and Harry Belafonte
participated in the event. Paul Robeson
and his wife Eslanda attended, but were largely ignored. Among the speakers were Roy Wilkins, Mordecai Johnson, and Martin Luther King. King was the last speaker and it was the first time that he addressed a national audience. It was his first Lincoln Memorial speech and set the agenda for voting rights as an important part of the civil rights struggle against a reluctant administration. About 25,000 demonstrators attended the event to voice their opinion. At its time the event was the largest organized demonstration for civil rights albeit it did not fulfill the anticipated attendance.
followed by the different changes that voting rights for African-Americans will bring about.
It is one of King's major deliveries. The call for voting rights for African-Americans is not only morally right but will lead to change, change for the better for all of America. Leadership is required from the government, from white liberals in the North, white moderates in the South, and from the African-American community. King urged his followers to show love and understanding and abstain from violence.
in 1965. The organizers gained experience and the march laid the foundation for further larger demonstrations in Washington for the Civil Rights Movement.
Background
The demonstration was planned at the occasion of the third anniversary of the Brown vs Board of Education, a landmark decision against segregationRacial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
in public schools of the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
, to urge the government to abide by the decision as the process of desegregation was obstructed at local and state levels.
The march was organized by A. Philip Randolph
A. Philip Randolph
Asa Philip Randolph was a leader in the African American civil-rights movement and the American labor movement. He organized and led the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first predominantly Negro labor union. In the early civil-rights movement, Randolph led the March on Washington...
and Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin
Bayard Rustin was an American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, pacifism and non-violence, and gay rights.In the pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation , Rustin practiced nonviolence...
. It was supported by the NAACP and the recently founded Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
. Adam Clayton Powell Jr influenced the planners not to embarrass the administration and thus the event was organized as a prayer commemoration. A call for the demonstration was issued on April 5, 1957 by Randolph, Martin Luther King, and Roy Wilkins
Roy Wilkins
Roy Wilkins was a prominent civil rights activist in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. Wilkins' most notable role was in his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ....
.
The event
The three-hour demonstration took place in front of the Lincoln MemorialLincoln Memorial
The Lincoln Memorial is an American memorial built to honor the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. It is located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The architect was Henry Bacon, the sculptor of the main statue was Daniel Chester French, and the painter of the interior...
. Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...
and Harry Belafonte
Harry Belafonte
Harold George "Harry" Belafonte, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, actor and social activist. He was dubbed the "King of Calypso" for popularizing the Caribbean musical style with an international audience in the 1950s...
participated in the event. Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson
Paul Leroy Robeson was an American concert singer , recording artist, actor, athlete, scholar who was an advocate for the Civil Rights Movement in the first half of the twentieth century...
and his wife Eslanda attended, but were largely ignored. Among the speakers were Roy Wilkins, Mordecai Johnson, and Martin Luther King. King was the last speaker and it was the first time that he addressed a national audience. It was his first Lincoln Memorial speech and set the agenda for voting rights as an important part of the civil rights struggle against a reluctant administration. About 25,000 demonstrators attended the event to voice their opinion. At its time the event was the largest organized demonstration for civil rights albeit it did not fulfill the anticipated attendance.
Give Us the Ballot
King's oratory is named the "Give Us the Ballot" speech as its key section uses this demand as an anaphoraAnaphora (liturgy)
The Anaphora is the most solemn part of the Divine liturgy, Mass, or other Christian Communion rite where the offerings of bread and wine are consecrated as the body and blood of Christ. This is the usual name for this part of the Liturgy in Eastern Christianity, but it is more often called the...
followed by the different changes that voting rights for African-Americans will bring about.
- "Give us the ballot and we will no longer have to worry the federal government about our basic rights ...
- "Give us the ballot and we will no longer plead to the federal government for passage of an anti-lynching law ...
- "Give us the ballot and we will fill our legislative halls with men of good will ...
- "Give us the ballot and we will place judges on the benches of the South who will do justly and love mercy ...
- "Give us the ballot and we will quietly and nonviolently, without rancor or bitterness, implement the Supreme Court's decision of May 17, 1954."
It is one of King's major deliveries. The call for voting rights for African-Americans is not only morally right but will lead to change, change for the better for all of America. Leadership is required from the government, from white liberals in the North, white moderates in the South, and from the African-American community. King urged his followers to show love and understanding and abstain from violence.
Results
With his oratory King established himself as the "No. 1 leader of 16 million Negroes" (James L. Hicks, Amsterdam News). His call for the ballot eventually led to the Voting Rights ActVoting Rights Act
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of national legislation in the United States that outlawed discriminatory voting practices that had been responsible for the widespread disenfranchisement of African Americans in the U.S....
in 1965. The organizers gained experience and the march laid the foundation for further larger demonstrations in Washington for the Civil Rights Movement.
See also
- Sermons and speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.Sermons and speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr.The sermons and speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. comprise an extensive catalog of American writing and oratory — some of which are internationally well-known, while others remain unheralded, and some await re-discovery.Martin Luther King, Jr...