Which song concluded MLK's 'I Have a Dream' segment at the March on Washington?

• A. We Shall Overcome
• B. A Change Is Gonna Come
• C. This Little Light of Mine
• D. My Country, 'Tis of Thee

Answer: (A)

A powerful communal song served as the emotional capstone of that moment. At the March on Washington, after MLK’s I Have a Dream speech, the crowd joined in singing We Shall Overcome, a gospel-inflected anthem that had become the movement’s signature chant for nonviolent progress and collective perseverance. The moment, often highlighted by Mahalia Jackson prompting King to speak more about the dream, culminated in this hymn-like refrain, reinforcing the unity and hopeful resolve of the march. That connection to the event’s closure—and its enduring association with the civil rights movement—makes We Shall Overcome the best answer. Other songs from the era were part of the broader musical repertoire, but they aren’t remembered as the closing song for that segment.