Through the Lens: Rosa Parks and the Million Man March

On a weekend honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Bloomfield Patch photographer Veronica Yankowski shares her memories of the Million Man March in Washington DC.

I was an ambitious 21-year-old photographer when I set out on a journey that would change my life forever. I was young, blonde, white and decided to cut classes on Oct. 16, 1995 to document the Million Man March in Washington, DC.  I knew this event was going to be historic and I just had to be there. 

I was studying the Civil Rights Movement in college and dreamt of meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  I wished I was a child of the 60's. I would have protested, marched and fought for the causes I believed in.

By attending the march, I hoped to have experiences similar to those who had attended Dr. King's speeches decades earlier.  Family and friends were concerned about my safety, as there were whispers of potential violence surrounding the event.  The controversial Louis Farrakhan was giving the keynote address. My political views differed from his but I went anyway because I wanted to experience a peaceful, historic and emotional day.

And it didn't disappoint.

The people from all over the country I met were friendly and gracious; they helped me leap over barricades, carry my camera bag, gave me advanced notification of upcoming speakers, and shared their stories.  They allowed me to photograph their families and private moments. 

There was one speaker that I was just dying to see: Rosa Parks.  I knew she was going to speak at some point, but I had no idea when.  I was eating lunch when I heard she would be at the podium in about 15 minutes and I literally ran through half a million people to get the photograph that I cherish most in my collection.  I ran, I leapt, I pushed, I hopped...and there, right in front of me. She was only 20 yards in front of me.  She waved to the crowd and I was in awe. 

But in my rush to reach the stage, I was only able to take two photographs. I prayed that I would get at least one useable image.  There were no digital cameras at the time so I had no way of knowing if I captured the image until the film in my Nikon 8008 was processed a few days later. 

A videographer had jumped right in front of me as I snapped off two more frames, and remained there until Parks was ushered off the stage.  I began to cry, afraid that I missed a defining moment in my life. I thought that a mental image was all I was going to have of this courageous lady.

I remember picking up my photographs two days later at the lab.  I sorted through them as quickly as I could, five rolls if I remember correctly, looking for that specific shot. 

And there it was!  She was waving, smiling and looking so alive.  She wore a vibrant smile, complemented by a hat that had the words "freedom" printed on it.  I almost cried as the other shot I took was obstructed by the aggressive videographer. Nevertheless, I GOT IT!!!