It became clear that nothing would change without strong
government action, and it was also evident that this would not
occur unless the entire Afro-American community could exert
united, political pressure.
Early in 1941, A. Philip Randolph put forth the idea of a gigantic
March on Washington, and he expressed the belief that a hundred
thousand Afro-Americans could be organized to participate in such
an undertaking. The immediate response from most of the leaders
of both black and white America was one of skepticism. Most of
them felt that there was too much apathy in the Afro-American
community for such a grandiose scheme to be taken seriously.
Nevertheless, interest on the grass-roots level gradually grew
and Randolph's idea was transformed into a project involving
scores of organizers all across the country, all of whom were
working diligently to enlist potential marchers. In the meantime,
Randolph began to formulate the complex plans for organizing
the actual march. By late spring, skepticism had turned to worry.
Many government leaders and finally President Roosevelt himself
tried to talk Randolph into canceling the march.
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