As part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the historic 1963 March on Washington, PBS and LPB will air “The March,” a new documentary about this important event in the Civil Rights Movement, at 8 p.m. tonight.

Narrated by two-time Oscar winner Denzel Washington, this program will tell some of the stories behind the event which featured Dr. Martin Luther King’s famous “I Have a Dream” speech.

The documentary includes interviews with Jack O’Dell, Clarence B. Jones, Julian Bond and Andrew Young. Supporters and other testimonials of the March include Joan Baez, Harry Belafonte and Diahann Carroll. Additional interviewees include Roger Mudd, the CBS anchorman who reported from the March, Clayborne Carson, founding director of Stanford’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute and a participant in the March, and Oprah Winfrey. An encore is planned at 10 p.m. Friday on LPB-HD.

At 9 p.m., LPB-HD will air “Signpost to Freedom: The 1953 Baton Rouge Bus Boycott.” This LPB program tells how the African-American residents of Louisiana’s capital city staged a quiet revolt by refusing to ride city buses.

At 9 p.m. on LPB2, see “Building The Dream,” which recounts the journey of an idea for a national monument honoring Martin Luther King Jr. — from a group of friends talking around a kitchen table to the creation of this permanent symbol — to ensure King’s dream will remain alive for future generations. At 10 p.m. on LPB2, Independent Lens presents “The Powerbroker: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights.” This documentary follows the journey of the most celebrated — and controversial — leaders of the civil rights era from segregated Kentucky to head of the National Urban League.

In addition, the PBS Black Culture Connection website will debut “The March @50,” a provocative five-part web series exploring whether America has delivered on the promises of the March. “Memories of the March,” a series of video vignettes created by PBS member stations, explores additional compelling local stories of the March, providing a variety of perspectives on this historic event and its ongoing legacy.

LPB is also looking for stories from anyone who participated in The March on Washington or knows someone who did and how it affected their life. Visit lpb.org/themarch for more details or you can send your stories and pictures to themarch@lpb.org.

For more information, contact Margaret Schlaudecker at mschlaudecker@lpb.org or 1-800-272-8161, ext. 4276 or 767-4276.

(mgnonline.com)