M. L. King Jr. Mary Travers Harry Belafonte Charles Neblitt Joan Baez A. D. King Whitney Young.tif
Len Chandler leads Freedom Songs from the Allabama State Capitol steps through the streets of downtown Montgomery, Alabama. Framed by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on one side and his brother, The Rev. A.D. King and National Urban League Executive Director, Whitney M. Young, Jr. on the other, the singers include (left to right) Mary Travers, Harry Belafonte, Charles Neblett of the Freedom Singer, Len Chandler, unknown artist with guitar, and barefooted Joan Baez.
On the fifth day of the Selma-to-Montgomery march, 25,000 civil rights, labor, and religious supporters entered the City of Montgomery to petition the State of Alabama for the right to vote. From the City of St. Jude, along city streets patroled by Army and National Guard troops and lined with spectators and military protectors, the marchers made thier way through segregated neighborhood into downtown Montgomery. On the steps of the State Capitol, an unprecedented array of civil rights leaders and entertainers amplified their voices with stirring oratory and songs of the civil rights movement. The Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March was a milestone leading to passage of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. The Act was signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson on August 6, 1965.