August 28, 1963: Building Community Through Collective Discourse
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UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones 5-1-2012 August 28, 1963: Building Community through Collective Discourse Jennifer Nestelberger University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/thesesdissertations Part of the African American Studies Commons, Rhetoric Commons, Social Influence and oliticalP Communication Commons, and the Speech and Rhetorical Studies Commons Repository Citation Nestelberger, Jennifer, "August 28, 1963: Building Community through Collective Discourse" (2012). UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones. 1602. http://dx.doi.org/10.34917/4332583 This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. AUGUST 28, 1963: BUILDING COMMUNITY THROUGH COLLECTIVE DISCOURSE by Jennifer Lynn Nestelberger Bachelor of Arts University of Nevada, Las Vegas 2010 A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Communication Studies Department of Communication Studies Greenspun College of Urban Affairs The Graduate College University of Nevada Las Vegas May 2012 Copyright by Jennifer L. Nestelberger 2012 All Rights Reserved THE GRADUATE COLLEGE We recommend the thesis prepared under our supervision by Jennifer Lynn Nestelberger entitled August 28, 1963: Building Community through Collective Discourse be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Communication Studies Department of Communication Studies David Henry, Committee Chair Erin Sahlstein, Committee Member Thomas Burkholder, Committee Member Stephen Bates, Graduate College Representative Ronald Smith, Ph. D., Vice President for Research and Graduate Studies and Dean of the Graduate College May 2012 ii ABSTRACT August 28, 1963: Building Community through Collective Discourse by Jennifer Lynn Nestelberger Dr. David Henry, Examination Committee Chair Professor of Communication Studies University of Nevada, Las Vegas The August 28, 1963 March on Washington is often remembered primarily for Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, which serves as the pinnacle of civil rights movement oratory. This thesis, in contrast, examines speeches of the leaders of the “Big Six” organizations that preceded King’s well-known words in order to shed light on the complexities of the movement and the outcomes that can result from meaningful dissent. Occurring at a time of division, the March emerged as a symbol of hope for change in the nation. The addresses of the day reflected this hope and helped build a sense of community, not only through their words, but also through the embodiment of a community working together to achieve progress. This thesis argues that through its materialization as a dynamic spectacle, the arrangement of the discourse at the March, and its iconic representation of desired change, the March on Washington constructed community among civil rights activists. This sense of community, in turn, helped urge subsequent action and provided an identity for the African-American community. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my family for being so supportive through this difficult process. My parents, my two brothers, and my sister have shown nothing but love and encouragement through my experience as a graduate student. Without their support I couldn’t have made it through the last two years. I would also like to thank my wonderful fiancé, Derek, for always supporting me and motivating me to try my hardest. Thank you for your patience and words of encouragement that kept me going. I also owe thanks to my friends for their support and empathetic ears. I would also like to express my gratitude to my cohort. I’m grateful to have had such a great group of people to turn to for advice. I also owe my sincerest gratitude to my thesis advisor, Dr. David Henry, who, since my experience as an undergraduate student, has inspired me to work diligently and to work toward achieving my full potential. Thank you for answering the many questions I had and for being patient while I attempted to scribble down every word in your response. Thank you to my committee members, Dr. Thomas Burkholder, Dr. Erin Sahlstein, and Dr. Stephen Bates, for all of your feedback and for your time in this process. I appreciate your suggestions that made this project stronger. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS..................................................................................................iv TABLE OF CONTENTS.....................................................................................................v CHAPTER INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................1 Rhetorical Experience..............................................................................................4 Social and Political Context of the March...............................................................5 Literature Review...................................................................................................10 Analytical Approach..............................................................................................18 Organization of Chapters.......................................................................................21 CHAPTER 2 CONTEXTUAL DETAILS OF THE MARCH........................................27 Activism in the Civil Rights Movement................................................................29 Issues and Events Leading to the March................................................................32 Background of Organizations Involved in the March............................................35 Collaboration and Planning of the March..............................................................42 The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.................................................57 CHAPTER 3 CONSTRUCTING COMMUNITY THROUGH THE MARCH.............67 Community Building and Civic Communion........................................................71 The March on Washington as a Dynamic Spectacle.............................................77 Arrangement of the March on Washington...........................................................92 Iconic Representation of Agency in the Community...........................................105 CHAPTER 4 CONCLUSION........................................................................................121 August 28, 1963...................................................................................................121 Review of the Analysis........................................................................................123 Implications and Value........................................................................................126 Limitations and Future Directions.......................................................................130 BIBLIOGRAPHY...........................................................................................................136 VITA...............................................................................................................................140 v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION The American public remembers August 28, 1963 as one of the most significant moments in the civil rights movement and in the history of the United States. On this day, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place as a monumental demonstration urging social change. This event exhibited the powerful ability of collective action to alter the course of American history. One hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed, approximately 250,000 people gathered in the nation’s capital. The majority of marchers were middle class African-Americans, a quarter were white and about 15% were students. Altogether, they comprised the largest and best-remembered demonstration in American history.1 Along with the abundance of people comprising the physical audience, media from all over the world captured this historic moment. Media coverage surpassed that of John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address just years before.2 This unprecedented attention to the March formed not only an enormous audience, but a diverse collection of listeners who would be captivated by the messages conveyed during the March. Six civil rights organizations--Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters (BSCP), Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), and the National Urban League--united to arrange the March. While each of these organizations had unique goals, they agreed that the nation needed to undergo significant change if it were to live up to its