Rare photos of the March on Washington

Rare photos of the March on Washington

Philadelphia-based photographer Jack T. Franklin was just a teenager when he first picked up a camera. Born in 1922, Franklin served as a photographer in the U.S. Army during WWII and later spent decades as a freelance photojournalist documenting social and political issues, including the civil rights movement.

It is fitting then, that Franklin was present for the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 2013. On the 50th anniversary of that historic day, enjoy these rarely seen photographs taken by Franklin, including this image of marchers en route to the Lincoln Memorial.

Franklin passed away in 2009. Thousands more of his images of African-American life are held in the permanent collection of the African-American Museum in Philadelphia.

Credit: Jack T. Franklin courtesy Charles L. Blockson