AFRO News preserves firsthand account of civil rights history, returns to March on Washington
BALTIMORE -- It has been six decades since Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous "I Have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington.
One Baltimore newspaper was at the forefront of the historical event.
The Afro-American newspaper, known as the AFRO, has been around since 1892. It was founded by the great-grandfather of its current CEO and publisher, Dr. Frances "Toni" Draper.
"We have been able to tell news from a perspective that you won't hear any place else," Draper said.
The newspaper covered the Emmett Till trial and many other events that shaped the country.
"We covered a whole lot of things in the hope that it would move the needle…make a difference," Draper said.
Draper was a child at the time of the march. Still, she tagged along that day.
"People were peaceful. They were attentive," she said. "It was hot and crowded but people were really convinced about the mission."
People were marching for fair wages and fair treatment that day. The AFRO covered the march from all angles.
"To just say 'civil rights,' that covers a lot of things," Draper said. "But this was a specific march leading to specific legislation, to say we need a fair minimum wage for people based on what they do."
According to the AFRO's coverage of the march, there were roughly 13,000 signs about how public federal dollars shouldn't be used to fund segregation."
Draper noted that you can't teach American history without African-American history, and a person can't fully understand African-American history without firsthand accounts from the people who lived it.
"It made me feel bad as a child to be told I can't drink out of this water fountain but I can drink out of this one," she said. "I can go into a store, and I can buy a piece of clothing, but I can't try it on. That made me feel bad! But it happened, it's a part of history."
The AFRO will cover the 60-year-old march again on Saturday.