This fresh, insightful account of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom documents the event from initial idea through behind-the-scenes planning to the tensions and triumphs of the day. One critical early question was whether Bayard Rustin would play a key organizing role; there was hesitancy among some Civil Rights leaders because Rustin was gay, but A. Philip Randolph knew Rustin brought essential skills. Sexism among the organizers meant that the insistence of the one woman among them, Anna Arnold Hedgeman, on including women speakers—many women played critical organizing roles in the Movement—went largely unheard. John Lewis’s planned speech criticizing the shortcomings of Civil Rights Act legislation before Congress angered some, and whether Lewis would take the stage was being negotiated almost up to the moment he stepped up to the podium. There was also tension with the Kennedy administration over the March, and myriad logistical questions to answer. And then there was the biggest question of all: Would people come? Throughout, there are also memorable and gratifying stories of women and men who served in less visible roles behind the scenes. End matter of this terrific contribution to literature for youth about the Civil Rights Movement includes additional facts, questions to consider, notes, an index, and more. (Ages 12 and older)