This book was so good and is so necessary for every young person and every adult. I learned so much about the March for Freedom, and was fascinated to learn about the behind-the-scenes work that took place to get everything where it needed to be. So many moving parts, hardworking people, and so much bravery was necessary for the event to take place. To see the success and the the cooperation of this historic event gives me hope that we can overcome and push back against bigotry and prejudice.

I learned so much about the key players in the civil rights movement and especially about the Black feminist movement. Gloria Steinem did too! What an eye-opening book this was! I recommend this for all schools, libraries and book clubs.

Go beyond feel-good mythology to explore the political maneuvering, debate, sexism and logistics behind the most influential and largest political protest of its era – the 1963 March for Jobs and Freedom. Central to the story is Bayard Rustin, whose homosexuality led to efforts to sideline his contributions and/or discredit the march. This well researched exploration of the radical underpinnings and impressive organization that led to King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech, knocks the dust off the iconic event, bringing it to life and providing questions and procedures for aspiring activists and students of history. Myriad period photographs, ephemera, and first-person accounts add immediacy. While a handful of chapters pose questions to the reader, the quality varies and some of the meatiest are never asked. Wondering why it is the civil rights, and never the jobs message, that is remembered would have more impact than pondering why the march was held on Wednesday. Socialist economics were at the heart of the event and it is unfortunate that while the text addresses this, the context provided is either wordy or facile. A very useful resource for classroom teachers who can capitalize on the many strengths and supplement the few deficiencies. Backmatter includes additional considerations, source notes, image credits, and an index. Thanks to Farrar Straus Giroux and NetGalley for an Advance Readers Copy in return for an honest review.