What Was a Racially Motivated Incident in the 1960s?
One of the most publicized racially motivated incidents in the 1960s was the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. This march was led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and took place on August 28, 1963.
The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom that ended on the Mall in Washington, D.C., was one of the largest demonstrations ever to be recorded in United States history. It saw a unification of almost all major civil rights organizations as people from all walks of life came together to demonstrate that white and black people could work together and should be afforded equal rights.
Before this demonstration took place, there had been several other demonstrations held by smaller groups of students and other activists who staged sit-ins in various racially segregated restaurants in order to protest the inequality. Later, the sit-ins became inspirational and led to formation of Freedom Riders who were people from all races and ages that would board buses, trains and planes headed toward the deep South to challenge laws that were facilitating segregation and inequality.
The success achieved by these small mostly peaceful protests led to the formation of many others, culminating in the March on Washington.
