March on Washington Movement Flyer, Missouri Historical Society Collections, A2132-00005

March on Washington Movement Flyer, Missouri Historical Society Collections, A2132-00005

The Peoples Finance Building hosted the St. Louis branch of the March on Washington Movement, one of the most active chapters in the country. Defense production was booming in the city as the U.S. prepared to enter WWII. However, these jobs weren’t going to African Americans. The threat of thousands of black workers marching on the capital was enough to force FDR to sign Executive Order 8802, outlawing racial discrimination in federal defense hiring.

https://mohistory.org/collections/item/A2132-00005