#scurlock studios

August 28th commemorates the 53rd anniversary of the March on Washington, D.C., for Jobs and Freedom. The March brought together roughly 250,000 Americans from all over the country and a variety of backgrounds in support of the passage of a civil rights bill to end racial segregation in schools, racial discrimination in hiring and housing, support the creation of jobs for the unemployed, and establish the minimum hourly wage at $2. While fear of the potential for violence led to the presence of a large police force and earlier attempts to dissuade organizers by politicians, the result was a peaceful demonstration with a powerful message of joy and hope for the future that culminated with Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech.

The March was televised and covered by media, and one of the members of the crowd documenting the events of the March was Robert S. Scurlock. The Scurlock family were professional African-American photographers based in Washington, D.C., and the family had a long history of photographing important moments in the black community; for example, Addison Scurlock, Robert’s father, photographed Marian Anderson’s 1933 performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after she was denied the right to perform at Constitution Hall. Robert’s documentation of the March on Washington is represented by color slides and photographs in the Scurlock Business Records at the Archives Center of the National Museum of American History.

On August 27th, 1983, a 20th anniversary march occurred to address the progress made, the current issues, and the work that still needed to be done to achieve the message of the first march. Once again, Robert Scurlock photographed the events and created slides of the 20th anniversary of the March on Washington, D.C.