Fifty-seven years ago today, on August 28th, 1963, a whole generation marched on America's capital demanding equal rights and opportunities for black Americans. Today, I'm giving away a set of high-resolution, full-color, colorized images for free on Unsplash—it's the first time ever the public has been able to see them. All of these colorized photographs can now be shared, used, and modified for free under the terms of the Unsplash Licence.
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Civil Rights March On Washington
Original black and white negative by Warren K. Leffler. Taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States.
Angela Davis, Half-Length Portrait
Original black and white negative by Bernard Gotfryd. Taken 1974, United States.
The View Of The Huge Crowd From The Lincoln Memorial To The Washington Monument During The March On Washington
Original black and white negative by Warren K. Leffler. Taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. And Mathew Ahmann In A Crowd
Original black and white negative by Rowland Scherman. Taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States.
Marchers With Signs At The March On Washington
Original black and white negative by Marion S. Trikosko. Taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States.
Martin Luther King Press Conference
Original black and white negative by Marion S. Trikosko. Taken August 26th, 1964, Washington D.C, United States.
Poor People's March At Washington Monument And Lincoln Memorial
Original black and white negative by Warren K. Leffler. Taken June 19th, 1968, Washington D.C, United States.
African American Demonstrators Outside The White House, With Signs "We Demand The Right To Vote, Everywhere" And Signs Protesting Police Brutality Against Civil Rights Demonstrators In Selma, Alabama
Original black and white negative by Warren K. Leffler. Taken March 12th, 1965, Washington D.C, United States.
Young Women With Signs Raised Behind Them At The March On Washington
Original black and white negative by Marion S. Trikosko. Taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States.
Negro Voting In Cardoza
Original black and white negative by Marion S. Trikosko. Taken November 3rd, 1964, Washington D.C, United States.
John Lewis Speaking At A Meeting Of American Society Of Newspaper Editors, Statler Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.c.
Original black and white negative by Marion S. Trikosko. Taken April 16th, 1964, Washington D.C, United States.
Demonstrators Sit, With Their Feet In The Reflecting Pool, During The March On Washington
Original black and white negative by Warren K. Leffler. Taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States.
Malcolm X Waits At Martin Luther King Press Conference, Head-And-Shoulders Portrait
Original black and white negative by Marion S. Trikosko. Taken March 26th, 1964, Washington D.C, United States.
Demonstrators Marching In The Street Holding Signs During The March On Washington
Original black and white negative by Marion S. Trikosko. Taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States.
Core-Sponsored Demonstration At Realtor Office Of Picture Floor Plans, Inc.
Original black and white negative by the Seattle Police Department. Taken May 4th, 1964, Seattle, Washington State, United States.
Bus Leaving Near The Washington Monument, After The March On Washington
Original black and white negative by Marion S. Trikosko. Taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States.
Drinking Fountain On The County Courthouse Lawn, Halifax, North Carolina
Original black and white negative by John Vachon. Taken April, 1938, Halifax, North Carolina, United States.
Leaders Of The March Leading Marchers Down The Street
Original black and white negative taken August 28th, 1963, Washington D.C, United States. Photographer unknown.
Thurgood Marshall, Attorney For The Naacp
Original black and white negative by Thomas J. O'Halloran. Taken September 17th, 1957, Washington D.C, United States.
Negro Going In Colored Entrance Of Movie House On Saturday Afternoon, Belzoni, Mississippi Delta, Mississippi
Original black and white negative by Marion Post Wolcott. Taken October, 1939, Belzoni, MS, United States.
28-08-1963 was nearly the same as 28-08-2020 for black people. The only difference is that in 1963 the US had a president who was trying to unite the country instead of a racist narcissist megalomaniac preaching racial inequality, violence and who is trying the best he can to make the United States the most divided nation in the world where white fights black, poor are oppressed by the rich and left and right are willing to murder each other over their political beliefs. His "Make America Great Again" scheme surely paid off.
Nailed it.
Wish everybody understood this
Gretal S does NOT speak for the majority of Americans.
i dare you to read thomas sowell or larry elder so maybe once in your lifetime you can read a different perspective of what black ppl go thru in america .....
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
This is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Donald Trump has done more for this country than any other president in recent history, and he has been a blessing to the black community.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Hahaha! You guys are crazy. Everyone has the same rights as the next person, that was the whole point of the marches back in the sixties and it worked, funny thing is you don't see them destroying cities to get it done, people are dividing themselves now a days. People just don't work for anything anymore, everything should just be given to them.
Your blissful ignorance of government policies to keep black people contained to certain neighborhoods, making it impossible for them to get mortgages to move to better places is really shocking. You obviously aren't aware of the official and systematic discrimination of black people in education, jobs and housing. It's also very likely that you missed that minorities in the USA have been struggling since the 1900's to get the same rights and the same treatment as the next white person. You obviously also missed that the protests didn't work because nothing has changed. What the people were protesting against in 1963 is exactly the same as to what they are protesting against in 2020.
J Sizz what
While I do like black and white photos, it's sometimes interesting to see colorized versions as they add some additional detail. I like these.
As a retired history professor, this sort of thing is what humanises the past for youth. If we had more of this, half my old job of describing the human condition would be easier. I wish that I had this skill and the technology; I would have done this myself years ago. -Dr M, who is colour-blind (reds)
I like your thinking, Dr. M.
these are amazing O.O
28-08-1963 was nearly the same as 28-08-2020 for black people. The only difference is that in 1963 the US had a president who was trying to unite the country instead of a racist narcissist megalomaniac preaching racial inequality, violence and who is trying the best he can to make the United States the most divided nation in the world where white fights black, poor are oppressed by the rich and left and right are willing to murder each other over their political beliefs. His "Make America Great Again" scheme surely paid off.
Nailed it.
Wish everybody understood this
Gretal S does NOT speak for the majority of Americans.
i dare you to read thomas sowell or larry elder so maybe once in your lifetime you can read a different perspective of what black ppl go thru in america .....
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
This is one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. Donald Trump has done more for this country than any other president in recent history, and he has been a blessing to the black community.
This comment is hidden. Click here to view.
Hahaha! You guys are crazy. Everyone has the same rights as the next person, that was the whole point of the marches back in the sixties and it worked, funny thing is you don't see them destroying cities to get it done, people are dividing themselves now a days. People just don't work for anything anymore, everything should just be given to them.
Your blissful ignorance of government policies to keep black people contained to certain neighborhoods, making it impossible for them to get mortgages to move to better places is really shocking. You obviously aren't aware of the official and systematic discrimination of black people in education, jobs and housing. It's also very likely that you missed that minorities in the USA have been struggling since the 1900's to get the same rights and the same treatment as the next white person. You obviously also missed that the protests didn't work because nothing has changed. What the people were protesting against in 1963 is exactly the same as to what they are protesting against in 2020.
J Sizz what
While I do like black and white photos, it's sometimes interesting to see colorized versions as they add some additional detail. I like these.
As a retired history professor, this sort of thing is what humanises the past for youth. If we had more of this, half my old job of describing the human condition would be easier. I wish that I had this skill and the technology; I would have done this myself years ago. -Dr M, who is colour-blind (reds)
I like your thinking, Dr. M.
these are amazing O.O