A Savannah man reflects on taking part in the March on Washington after 60 years
Ralph Stell participated in the march in 1963 with the local NAACP detachment.
Updated August 27, 2023 10:14 am EDT
It was a call for economic and racial equality that drew thousands to the National Mall in Washington, DC 60 years ago. Ralph Stell from Savannah belonged to this group and at the age of 18 he was hoping for change. “The most important thing I remember is hearing from Dr. Martin Luther King and his speech moved and motivated me. The way he spoke about how we are equal, and that for me was the most outstanding thing about this trip,” said Stell. The trip to the big Civil Rights Day was organized by his mother, WW Law, and many others who are part of the local chapter of the NAACP were. “We organized it, we did car washes, we sold dinners, we did whatever you can do to make extra money.” “The trip happened,” Stell said. He says the trip to the march opened his eyes to the segregated world of Savannah in the 1960’s. “Growing up here as a kid, I was walking down Broughton Street and there was a white guy. I had to step aside, get off the sidewalk, get on the curb, let them pass and then come back,” Stell said. He’s grateful now for how far the country has come. “I feel huge about what has been achieved in these 60 years. You know, there’s still work to be done, but you have to acknowledge where we are now compared to sixty years ago,” Stell said.
SAVANNAH, Georgia —
It was a call for economic and racial equality that drew thousands to the National Mall in Washington, DC 60 years ago.
Savannah’s Ralph Stell was among that number and was hoping for a change at 18.
“I remember most of all that Dr. To have heard Martin Luther King and his speech moved and motivated me. How he talked about us being equals, and that for me was the most outstanding thing about this trip,” Stell said
The trip to the big Civil Rights Day was organized by his mother, WW Law, and many others who belonged to the local chapter of the NAACP.
“We organized it, we did car washes, we sold dinners, we did whatever you can do to make extra money to run the trip,” Stell said.
He says traveling to the march opened his eyes to the segregated world of Savannah in the 1960s.
“Growing up here as a kid, I was walking down Broughton Street and there was a white person. I had to step aside, get off the sidewalk, get onto the curb, let them pass, and then come back,” he told Stell.
He is now grateful for how far the country has come.
“I feel great about what has been achieved in these 60 years. You know, there’s still work to be done, but you have to acknowledge where we are now compared to sixty years ago,” Stell said.
