Correspondence, posters, flyers, programs, press releases, clippings, photographs, calendars, schedules, financial records and organizing kits that document the proceedings and efforts of March on Washington committees and other participating groups in the preparatory interval preceding the march, as well as the interim events that took place throughout the course of the march itself. The 1987 National March on Washington was a six-day political rally for sexual minority rights that began on October 11, 1987

The first March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights took place on October 14, 1979. In the wake of this March, 1979 Marchers and activists such as Joyce Hunter, Steve Ault, John O’Brien, Ray Hill and Howard Wallace began an open political discussion in reaction to two salient sociocultural developments swept over the country. Primarily, the perceived rise of homophobia under the aegis of the Reagan administration, as well as what was then understood as grossly inadequate government response to the AIDS crisis, fomented political sentiments. These sentiments were made manifest in a document penned by Ault and Hunter that proposed a new march. This document was circulated among national lesbian and gay organizations and conferences, raising political consciousness about the prospect of a march. Another event that triggered an animated response from the gay and lesbian community was the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the Hardwick v. Bowers case, which prohibited sexual acts between same-sex consenting adults in private settings. This Court ruling, which occurred mere days before the first organizing meeting on July 17, 1986 in New York City, instilled the March on Washington movement with refreshed purpose and direction. During this July conference, conference participants drafted a call for a new march and began preparations for a larger conference in November of 1986 to which all lesbian and gay affiliated organizations would be invited. The November conference hammered out the politics, major logistical issues, and organizing structure; moreover, two keystone actions—a non-violent civil disobedience action at the Supreme Court and day of lobbying on Capitol Hill—were planned.

3.7 Linear Feet 1 archive box, 1 archive carton, 1 archive flat box, 1 archive binder box

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