|
March on Washington Movement flyer, ca. 1941.
Using the organizational power of the BSCP, Randolph formed a March on Washington Committee (MOWC) to urge 10,000 blacks to "march on Washington for jobs in national defense and equal integration in the fighting forces." Scheduled for July 1, 1941, the threatened mass protest forced President Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802 on June 25, banning racially discriminatory employment in defense industries and the federal government, and creating the wartime Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) to investigate complaints. Randolph "postponed" the march on June 28 via radio. Photograph courtesy: A. Philip Randolph Institute. |