CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT: MARCH ON MONTGOMERY (TV)
Summary
This program contains live news coverage of the arrival in Montgomery, Alabama, of a civil rights march that began on March 21, 1965, in Selma, protesting discrimination against blacks in voter registration. Marchers, led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., are followed down Dexter Ave. to the Statehouse. Commentary by correspondents Lew Wood and Alexander Kendrick describes the reception of the march in Montgomery. Correspondent Nelson Benton, on the Courthouse steps, outlines the marchers' itinerary and spots celebrities who include Andrew Young, Joan Baez, James Baldwin, and Harry Belafonte. After the Rev. Ralph Abernathy gives a welcoming speech, Belafonte, Baez, Leon Bibb, and Mary Travers along with the entertainment committee perform "Go Tell It on the Mountain," and "Michael Row the Boat Ashore"; Len Chandler leads the folksingers and marchers with "Move When the Spirit Moves You," and all join in singing "We Shall Overcome." Speeches are delivered by Whitney Young, Jr., executive director of the National Urban League, and the director of the Civil Rights Department of the AFL-CIO. The Rev. Ralph Abernathy gives a brief sermon and introduces Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose speech ("How Long? Not Long...") describes the history of segregation and calls for fair voting registration procedures. Correspondent Alexander Kendrick speculates on the reaction of Southern whites. The speech is followed by singing and a benediction. Correspondent Lew Wood, in the Statehouse, speculates on Alabama Governor George Wallace's reaction to the march. Correspondent Bill Plante interviews members of the crowd, including two priests, after which the crowd begins to disperse.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: March 25, 1965 1:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:06:46
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: T79:0049
- GENRE: News
- SUBJECT HEADING: Blacks - Civil rights; Blacks - Politics and suffrage; Folk songs, American; Montgomery, Ala. - Demonstrations, 1965; U S - Civil rights; African-American Collection - News/Talk
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV, 1965
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Alexander Kendrick … Reporter
- Nelson Benton … Reporter
- Bill Plante … Reporter
- Lew Wood … Reporter
- Ralph Abernathy
- Joan Baez
- James Baldwin
- Harry Belafonte
- Leon Bibb
- Len Chandler
- Martin Luther King, Jr.
- Mary Travers
- George Wallace
- Andrew Young
- Whitney Young