This year’s 50th anniversary March on Washington ceremonies have drawn a bevy of Hollywood stars, including Jamie Foxx, Forest Whitaker and Oprah Winfrey.
This, whether younger observers realize it or not, continues the tradition of celebrity activism from 50 years — where albeit in a much more hostile climate, several stars showed their support for the civil rights cause.
Today, Bob Dylan, Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Harry Belafonte and Joan Baez are among the few big name performers who appeared at the 1963 and are still with us today.
They were joined by legends like Marlon Brando, author James Baldwin and perhaps surprisingly, future gun advocate Charlton Heston.
Check out our slideshow of famous faces who showed the courage to back Dr. Martin Luther King’s dream of racial equality 50 years ago this week.