Wednesday, May 20, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Getty Center, Los Angeles
In May 1963, Los Angeles was the site of the Freedom Rally, the largest civil rights demonstration in the city to date. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed a crowd of nearly 40,000, telling them: “The most important thing that you can do is set Los Angeles free, because you have segregation and discrimination here, and police brutality.” The new Getty publication [*Marching West: The Los Angeles Civil Rights Movement in Photographs*][1] features dynamic stories from the civil rights era in Los Angeles and explores how photography played an integral role in advancing the fight for Black equality. Join authors Dr. Karin L. Stanford and Mark Speltz as they share images and stories from the book that reveal ties between local and national civil rights efforts. For in-person attendees, a book signing with the authors follows the program. Limited quantities of the book *Marching West* will be available for purchase before and after the program. The exhibition *Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955-1985* will be open until 6:45pm. Parking is $10 after 6pm. [1]: https://shop.getty.edu/products/marching-west-the-los-angeles-civil-rights-movement-in-photographs-9781606069899?srsltid=AfmBOop6OGRUk72gQ2hAIWMDL5xdNluR4r8Z92M1ECqZsMxU8BWTgmRh