The photograph shows a long, densely populated section of the Reflecting Pool waterfront on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Numerous demonstrators—men and women, Black and White—sit on the concrete edge with their legs in the water; others stand immediately behind them. In the hazy background, the Washington Monument is visible, clearly establishing spatial orientation on the Mall. The scene was captured on August 28, 1963 as part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, when several hundred thousand people gathered on the National Mall. The shared sitting by the water—across racial boundaries—illustrates the character of the protest as a peaceful mass rally. The photograph simultaneously documents the summer heat of the day and the sheer expanse of the assembled crowd along the Reflecting Pool.