Bob Adelman Archive Bob Adelman Archive

Marching along side the reflecting pool, protestors en route to the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument and Capital Dome in the backround. Washington, D.C. August 28, 1963.
Marching along side the reflecting pool, protestors en route to the Lincoln Memorial with the Washington Monument and Capital Dome in the backround. Washington, D.C. August 28, 1963.
March on Washington, 1963.
March on Washington, 1963.
A marcher from Clarksdale, Mississippi. March on Washington, 1963.
A marcher from Clarksdale, Mississippi. March on Washington, 1963.
High spririted Movement celebrate. The long deffered promise of racial equality is now on the national adgenda. Washington, D.C.  August 28, 1963.
High spririted Movement celebrate. The long deffered promise of racial equality is now on the national adgenda. Washington, D.C. August 28, 1963.
Proud determined marchers approach the Lincoln Memorial,  Washington, D.C.  August 28, 1963.
Proud determined marchers approach the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. August 28, 1963.
Proud determined marchers approach the Lincoln Memorial,  Washington, D.C.  August 28, 1963.
Proud determined marchers approach the Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C. August 28, 1963.
Honored guest, Rosa Parks, heroin of the Movement, awaits the opening remarks. Washington D.C. Augist 28, 1963
Honored guest, Rosa Parks, heroin of the Movement, awaits the opening remarks. Washington D.C. Augist 28, 1963
The Dreamer dreams: King ends his speech with the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”   Washington,  D.C.  1963
The Dreamer dreams: King ends his speech with the words of the old Negro spiritual, “Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!” Washington, D.C. 1963
Amen, brother: enthusiastic march participants as King speaks, Washington, D.C.  1963-


“As King made his urgent call to the nation for action, spontaneously chanting his never-to-be-forgotten dream, his plea was answered by a rising crescendo of roars, cheers and thunderous clapping. By the power and urgency of his appeal, the mass and unity of his supporters, you just knew ‘His truth is marching on.’”
Amen, brother: enthusiastic march participants as King speaks, Washington, D.C. 1963- “As King made his urgent call to the nation for action, spontaneously chanting his never-to-be-forgotten dream, his plea was answered by a rising crescendo of roars, cheers and thunderous clapping. By the power and urgency of his appeal, the mass and unity of his supporters, you just knew ‘His truth is marching on.’”
A study in impatient patience, voter applicants line up then wait — and wait and wait — to register,  Registrar of Voters office, Clinton, East Feliciana Parish, LA 1964
A study in impatient patience, voter applicants line up then wait — and wait and wait — to register, Registrar of Voters office, Clinton, East Feliciana Parish, LA 1964
A candidate ponders what he’s hearing as voter-registration organizer Frank Robinson offers assistance,  Sumter,  South Carolina.  1962
A candidate ponders what he’s hearing as voter-registration organizer Frank Robinson offers assistance, Sumter, South Carolina. 1962
CORE worker Danny Williams canvassing at a woman’s house, West Feliciana Parish, LA 1964
CORE worker Danny Williams canvassing at a woman’s house, West Feliciana Parish, LA 1964
Joining the flock, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. 1963

“In West Feliciana, an overwhelmingly black parish where no person of color had voted in the twentieth century, volunteer Mimi Feingold urged members of a church congregation to try to vote. She then joined hands with them to sing, ‘This Little Light of Mine.
Joining the flock, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. 1963 “In West Feliciana, an overwhelmingly black parish where no person of color had voted in the twentieth century, volunteer Mimi Feingold urged members of a church congregation to try to vote. She then joined hands with them to sing, ‘This Little Light of Mine."
Woman filling out a sample registration form in Frank Robinson’s office, Sumter, SC 1962
Woman filling out a sample registration form in Frank Robinson’s office, Sumter, SC 1962
Man examining sample registration form in Frank Robinson’s office, Sumter, SC 1962
Man examining sample registration form in Frank Robinson’s office, Sumter, SC 1962
Woman being “pinned” by Frank Robinson after registering to vote, Sumter, SC 1962
Woman being “pinned” by Frank Robinson after registering to vote, Sumter, SC 1962
All-night vigil at the 1964 Democratic National Convention,   Atlantic City,   New Jersey.  1964
All-night vigil at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, Atlantic City, New Jersey. 1964
Reverend Carter, expecting a visit from the Klan after he has dared to register to vote, stands guard on his front porch,  West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. 1964-


“After Reverend Carter had registered to vote, that night vigilant neighbors scattered in the woods near his farmhouse, which was at the end of a long dirt road, to help him if trouble arrived. ‘If they want a fight, we’ll fight,’ Joe Carter told me. ‘If I have to die, I’d rather die for right.’ “He told me, ‘I value my life more since I became a registered voter. A man is not a first-class citizen, a number one citizen, unless he is a voter.’ After Election Day came and went, Reverend Carter added, ‘I thanked the Lord that he let me live long enough to vote.’”
Reverend Carter, expecting a visit from the Klan after he has dared to register to vote, stands guard on his front porch, West Feliciana Parish, Louisiana. 1964- “After Reverend Carter had registered to vote, that night vigilant neighbors scattered in the woods near his farmhouse, which was at the end of a long dirt road, to help him if trouble arrived. ‘If they want a fight, we’ll fight,’ Joe Carter told me. ‘If I have to die, I’d rather die for right.’ “He told me, ‘I value my life more since I became a registered voter. A man is not a first-class citizen, a number one citizen, unless he is a voter.’ After Election Day came and went, Reverend Carter added, ‘I thanked the Lord that he let me live long enough to vote.’”
Ceremony for slain minister James Reeb on the steps of the courthouse, Selma 1965
Ceremony for slain minister James Reeb on the steps of the courthouse, Selma 1965
Dr. King eulogizes the slain civil rights crusader, the Rev. James Reeb, at the Brown Chapel. Selma Alabama. 1965
Dr. King eulogizes the slain civil rights crusader, the Rev. James Reeb, at the Brown Chapel. Selma Alabama. 1965
Sheriff Jim Clark. Selma, Alabama. 1965.
Sheriff Jim Clark. Selma, Alabama. 1965.
Hard stare: A young woman penned in by Sheriff Jim Clark’s posse glares as her fellow demonstrators chant, “No more Jim Clark over me,”  Selma,  Alabama.  1965
Hard stare: A young woman penned in by Sheriff Jim Clark’s posse glares as her fellow demonstrators chant, “No more Jim Clark over me,” Selma, Alabama. 1965
Confrontation. Selma, Alabama. 1965.
Confrontation. Selma, Alabama. 1965.
Answering King’s call for support from the religious community, nuns join the protests,  Selma,  Alabama 1965
Answering King’s call for support from the religious community, nuns join the protests, Selma, Alabama 1965
Dr. King leads a protest march around the state capital in Montgomery Alabama protesting the treatment of black demonstrators and voter applicants in Selma, Alabama prior to the Selma to Montgomery march. Montgomery, Alabama. 1965.
Dr. King leads a protest march around the state capital in Montgomery Alabama protesting the treatment of black demonstrators and voter applicants in Selma, Alabama prior to the Selma to Montgomery march. Montgomery, Alabama. 1965.
King is exultant after a federal judge, Frank Johnson, rules that the Selma-to-Montgomery march can proceed, Montgomery,  Alabama.  1965
King is exultant after a federal judge, Frank Johnson, rules that the Selma-to-Montgomery march can proceed, Montgomery, Alabama. 1965
Crossing over: King leads the Montgomery-bound marchers over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which was already famous for shocking scenes of police brutality,   Selma,  Alabama.  1965
Crossing over: King leads the Montgomery-bound marchers over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which was already famous for shocking scenes of police brutality, Selma, Alabama. 1965
Crossing over: King leads the Montgomery-bound marchers over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which was already famous for shocking scenes of police brutality,   Selma,  Alabama.  1965
Crossing over: King leads the Montgomery-bound marchers over the Edmund Pettus Bridge, which was already famous for shocking scenes of police brutality, Selma, Alabama. 1965
During the Selma to Montgomery March. 1965.
During the Selma to Montgomery March. 1965.
King leading marchers on the second day of the Selma to Montgomery March. Alabama Route 80.
King leading marchers on the second day of the Selma to Montgomery March. Alabama Route 80.
King rests and changes his socks on the second day of the Selma to Montgomery March. Alabama Route 80.
King rests and changes his socks on the second day of the Selma to Montgomery March. Alabama Route 80.
Martin Luther King, wearing a borrowed hat, on the Selma to Montgomery march, Alabama, 1965
Martin Luther King, wearing a borrowed hat, on the Selma to Montgomery march, Alabama, 1965
Marcher on the historic Selma to Montgomery March, 1965 Martin Luther King Highway.
Marcher on the historic Selma to Montgomery March, 1965 Martin Luther King Highway.
Selma to Montgomery march, Alabama. 1965
Selma to Montgomery march, Alabama. 1965
“With helicopters whirring above and the 54 miles of highway closely guarded by U.S. Army troops and the Alabama National Guard, the march into the Cradle of the Confederacy, Montgomery, was the greatest display of the power of the people’s right to peacefully petition since Gandhi’s Salt March to the sea. King’s ultimate faith in American justice was rewarded by the military’s
protection, by President Johnson’s vow that ‘we shall overcome’ and by Johnson’s call for passage of a voting rights bill.”  1965
“With helicopters whirring above and the 54 miles of highway closely guarded by U.S. Army troops and the Alabama National Guard, the march into the Cradle of the Confederacy, Montgomery, was the greatest display of the power of the people’s right to peacefully petition since Gandhi’s Salt March to the sea. King’s ultimate faith in American justice was rewarded by the military’s protection, by President Johnson’s vow that ‘we shall overcome’ and by Johnson’s call for passage of a voting rights bill.” 1965
King and Coretta Scott King arriving outside Montgomery on the fourth day of the Selma to Montgomery March. Alabama Route 80. 1965.
King and Coretta Scott King arriving outside Montgomery on the fourth day of the Selma to Montgomery March. Alabama Route 80. 1965.
Leading a throng of 25,000 marchers, King enters the downtown, Montgomery, Alabama.  1965
Leading a throng of 25,000 marchers, King enters the downtown, Montgomery, Alabama. 1965
The marchers are cheered by workers at a cab stand that was one of the bulwarks of the Montgomery bus boycott ten years earlier, Montgomery, Alabama. 1965.
The marchers are cheered by workers at a cab stand that was one of the bulwarks of the Montgomery bus boycott ten years earlier, Montgomery, Alabama. 1965.
Officers guard the entrance of the state capitol, on whose steps Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as president of the Confederacy, Montgomery, Alabama.  1965
Officers guard the entrance of the state capitol, on whose steps Jefferson Davis took the oath of office as president of the Confederacy, Montgomery, Alabama. 1965
King before a forest of microphones as he addresses the crowd, Montgomery 1965
King before a forest of microphones as he addresses the crowd, Montgomery 1965
King addressing the crowd at the conclusion of the march, Montgomery 1965
King addressing the crowd at the conclusion of the march, Montgomery 1965
King speaks to the crowd, Montgomery, Alabama.1965
King speaks to the crowd, Montgomery, Alabama.1965
King speaks to the crowd, Montgomery, Alabama.1965
King speaks to the crowd, Montgomery, Alabama.1965
King speaks to the crowd, Montgomery, Alabama.1965
King speaks to the crowd, Montgomery, Alabama.1965
Reverend Martin Luther King at the Antioch Baptist Church. Camden, Alabama, 1966.
Reverend Martin Luther King at the Antioch Baptist Church. Camden, Alabama, 1966.
A new day dawns: Voters, most of them about to fill out their first-ever ballots, line up at the courthouse,  Camden, Alabama. 1966-

“The Voting Rights Act of 1965 changed everything, outlawing literacy tests and other barriers. It made it possible for thousands of black officials to eventually be elected in the South, and it certainly helped in
the election of two white southerners to the presidency. It was a large
factor in the gradual decrease of racial tension throughout the South. In a rare show of unity, more than forty years after the Voting Rights Act was passed, Congress renewed the measure unanimously.”
A new day dawns: Voters, most of them about to fill out their first-ever ballots, line up at the courthouse, Camden, Alabama. 1966- “The Voting Rights Act of 1965 changed everything, outlawing literacy tests and other barriers. It made it possible for thousands of black officials to eventually be elected in the South, and it certainly helped in the election of two white southerners to the presidency. It was a large factor in the gradual decrease of racial tension throughout the South. In a rare show of unity, more than forty years after the Voting Rights Act was passed, Congress renewed the measure unanimously.”
Having his say: An illiterate first-time voter casts his ballot orally under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act as an FBI agent looks on,  Camden,   Alabama.  1966-

“During the debate on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Dr. King argued strenuously that illiterate blacks should have the right to cast their ballots orally. He justified his position by pointing out the poor quality of education offered in separate-but-equal schools.”
Having his say: An illiterate first-time voter casts his ballot orally under the provisions of the Voting Rights Act as an FBI agent looks on, Camden, Alabama. 1966- “During the debate on the Voting Rights Act of 1965, Dr. King argued strenuously that illiterate blacks should have the right to cast their ballots orally. He justified his position by pointing out the poor quality of education offered in separate-but-equal schools.”
Making his mark, one of the first African Americans to cast a vote under the new law exercises his franchise,  Camden, Alabama.  1966
Making his mark, one of the first African Americans to cast a vote under the new law exercises his franchise, Camden, Alabama. 1966
The Man: Prince Arnold stands in front of the courthouse. He is the first black sheriff elected under the Voting Rights Act in Wilcox County, Alabama.
1980
The Man: Prince Arnold stands in front of the courthouse. He is the first black sheriff elected under the Voting Rights Act in Wilcox County, Alabama. 1980

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