March on Washington
Date: April 25, 1993
Key Figures: John Prowett
Local Mentions: Memphis Pride, Inc.
Synopsis:

On April 25, 1993, LGBTQ+ activists from across the country descended on Washington, D.C., for one of the largest marches for LGBTQ+ rights in history. This national movement reinvigorated Memphis’ local activism, sparking a new wave of organizing and community engagement. Inspired by the march, Memphis’ John Parrott organized a local Pride march in June, gathering activists at Peabody Park’s gazebo despite pouring rain. This moment helped launch Memphis Pride, Inc., which would oversee future Pride celebrations, legal advocacy efforts, and visibility campaigns. The March on Washington proved that local change was part of a greater national movement, energizing Memphians to fight harder for equality in their own city.

March on Washington

A Catalyst for Local Action
April 25, 1993

On April 25, 1993, LGBTQ+ activists from across the country gathered in Washington, D.C., for what would become one of the largest demonstrations for equality in U.S. history—the March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay, and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. Among the sea of banners and voices demanding justice, a contingent of Memphis activists stood, absorbing the energy of a movement that refused to be ignored. When they returned home, they carried that momentum with them, sparking a new era of LGBTQ+ advocacy in Memphis.

One of those activists was John Prowett, who wasted no time in channeling the spirit of the national march into local action. That June, he organized Memphis’s own LGBTQ+ march, leading a procession through the city streets despite heavy rain. The march culminated in a rally at Peabody Park’s gazebo, where speeches rang out in defiance of the storm, a fitting metaphor for a movement that had always endured in the face of adversity.

That same year, the energy from Washington led to the birth of Memphis Pride, Inc., a formalized effort to ensure that Pride events in the city were more than just scattered gatherings—they would become a sustained movement. With new leadership and structure, Memphis Pride grew into a force for advocacy, visibility, and celebration.

The 1993 March on Washington was a turning point for Memphis’s LGBTQ+ movement. It transformed individual passion into collective action, proving that local activism could be part of a national fight for equality. The rain-soaked march in Memphis that summer was more than just an event—it was the beginning of a movement that would shape Pride in the city for decades to come.