I Cared I was There: Illinois Rally for Civil Rights, Soldier Field, June 21, 1964

Chicago, IL: Rally Program Committee, 1964. Good. [Chicago, IL]: [Rally Program Committee], 1964. First Edition. Octavo six-paneled brochure (21cm); halftone portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr. to upper panel. Previous folds; fortunately for the cause, though unfortunately for this example, the top half of the rear panel, which featured an order blank to "Pledge to Work for Civil Rights and Human Dignity for All Americans" was removed and hopefully filled out by the original owner. Still, Good and sound overall, despite this rather substantial loss.

Exceptionally scarce promotional brochure to what would be one of the largest civil rights rallies, second only to the 1963 March on Washington. The rally opened with two hours of jazz and gospel music, as well as a 5000-voice choir conducted by Mahalia Jackson. Speakers included MLK, whose portrait adorns the upper panel, James Farmer, James Foreman, and Roy Wilkins, among many others. About ten days later, on July 2nd, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

OCLC locates just one example as of April, 2026, at Notre Dame. Additional information provided by the University of Notre Dame Archives article "Illinois Rally for Civil Rights 1964," retrieved online.