March on Washington musical performances at the Lincoln Memorial

On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom included musical performances on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial; gospel singer Mahalia Jackson performed, and multiple choirs and musicians provided music that preceded Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'I Have a Dream' speech. The event drew an estimated 250,000 attendees and was broadcast and reported nationally. Music at the march is frequently cited in histories of the civil rights movement and of public performance in Washington, D.C.