60 years later, 2 Philadelphia men reflect on attending March on Washington
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Sixty years ago on Monday, two Philadelphia men at two different stages of their lives attended the March on Washington.
"I have fairly vivid memories of that day. There was no hostilities there – Black and White – it was really great," Jim Potts said.
Potts' recollection of the March on Washington is as clear as if it were yesterday – some 60 years later.
"The thing that impressed me was the hordes of people," Potts said.
Potts was among the massive crowd of 250,000 people who came from all across the country to participate in the March on Washington. The North Philadelphia native and Air Force Veteran was 31 years old at the time and one of the few Black men working for RCA television.
"When they told me you'll be docked a day's pay if you do go, I gave up a day's pay to go down to Washington D.C. to march and be with that group, talking about changes in our society," Potts said.
At 91 years old now, Mr. Potts recalls a racist moment on a bus when he was just a teenager. It became a motivating factor that led him to the March on Washington.
"The bus driver says, 'One of you fellows in the back, come and change places with this young man here.' And he put his hand on my shoulder. And it dawned on me at that time, that Jim Potts – you're a second-class citizen," he said.
Nothing kept Potts from being in Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.
"I felt extremely good, I felt like I really arrived on the scene of change," Potts said.
"That day was a day that will live in infamy," Dr. Thomas Snowden, another Philadelphian, said.
Snowden was also in the crowd that day. He was just 23 years old at the time and a student at Howard University. He was tasked with picking Dr. King up from the airport and getting him to the march.
"I could not believe the magnitude," Dr. Snowden said. "It was like one of the prophets from old came down."
Two young men who were in the prime of their lives at the time – witnessing what would become an indelible moment in history.
A life-changing moment, that remains crystal clear in their minds.
"That was in 1963," Potts said. "In 1964, what did we have? The Civil Rights Act. We had the Voting Rights Bill in 1965."
"It was a time that changed the world," Dr. Snowden said.
