Before the Dream: FDR and Executive Order 8802

Park Event · National Mall and Memorial Parks · Aug 27, 2026 · 10:30 AM–11:00 AM

President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 in 1941, banning discrimination in defense industry jobs. This action came after civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph threatened a mass march on Washington.

Join us to learn how Randolph, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and labor advisor Anna Rosenberg worked behind the scenes to help make this early civil rights victory possible.

Source: National Park Service (public domain).