On the 45th Anniversary of the Peace March on Washington

These extraordinary pictures were taken by Hodgepodge reader Dee from Las Cruces, NM and she writes about this day:

I was there that hot August, 1963 day in Washington, D.C. to witness
the Peace March led by Martin Luther King. I was a young teacher living
in D.C. at the time and drove my apartment-mate to work at 7 in the
morning because we were not sure she could get there otherwise. I
remember seeing lots of full-size passenger buses beginning to come into
town that early in the morning and line up in parking lots set aside for
them. Cathie, the roommate, had her office in the National Science
Foundation on Constitution Avenue. We all feared violence; we really
were not sure what to expect. I stayed the whole day down at the NSF
Bldg. and gradually, very gradually, made my way down to the front door,
then out to the sidewalk, then out into the street and then, ultimately
into the crowd and right up near the front to hear the speech. The
reality of that day is that there was NO violence; just thousands of
people who, with great peace and love in their hearts, believed in their
cause and wanted us all to know how they felt. They sang and laughed and
were joyous as they marched along and were happy to have a chance to
"get their cause out there". They were all very friendly to me, very
kind, made way for me to go along and forward. I will never forget it.
Always having been curious, I made my way almost to the steps of the
Lincoln Memorial and could clearly see Martin Luther King as he spoke.
I did take pictures - I'm so glad I did. I was 24 and raised in
northern Virginia but was lucky enough to know what black people I did
from a perspective of tolerance (I had British parents) and love (those
who worked in the households I knew well, including my own, taught me so
much in the way of housekeeping and loved me greatly). I have been very
fortunate to experience this in my life - ultimately it would prepare me
for teaching the first black student in a public school in Alexandria,
Va. just a year later. I would not trade this life experience with these
dear people for anything. They were true to their deep belief in love
and kindness wherever possible, no matter what the circumstances.

To read or hear his speech go to:
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Dee thank you so much for sharing your pictures and story.