March On!™ Festival 2026   |  September 29 - October 6, 2026   |  Celebrating 250 Years of Democarcy: The Unfinished Story      

About

March On! tells the untold stories of the Civil Rights Movement — honoring the icons and the foot soldiers — connecting the past to the present to shape a more just future through Film, Music, Art, Literature, Dance, Scholarship, and First-Person Narratives. Through our annual festival and year-round programs, we invite people to engage with history — helping spark ideas, courage, and the next generation of activists.

March On! envisions a future where the stories of everyday activism are preserved, taught truthfully, and passed from one generation to the next—so that every person understands their power to bend the moral arc toward justice. Through history, storytelling, and shared cultural experience, we bridge divides across generations and lived experiences, strengthen our sense of common purpose, and inspire tomorrow’s foot soldiers to build more just, cohesive, and resilient communities.

Our world, for all its beauty and possibility, feels more fragile and fractured than ever; each of us does our part, but it seems never enough. One necessary condition for healing is truth so that all of us operate from a shared and understood set of facts on how we got to where we are, and what needs to change.

March On!, the product of so many creative and passionate minds and hearts, is a national platform for this conversation; to better tell our stories, to honor those who have paved the way, and to better understand how our story connects to our future.

Thank you for your participation.

Thank you for your story, your contribution, your criticism, and your encouragement.

-Robert Raben

March On! Team

OPAL HOPE BENNETT

Emerging & Student Filmmaker Competitions Director

ISISARA BEY

Artistic Director

KIM CALLINAN

Executive Director

Leigh Davis

Festival Director

Rakia Finley

Operations Director

Kimberly Malhoit

Senior Designer

najma nuriddin

Creative Director

Ibonee Perry

Finance Director

ROBERT RABEN

Founder

March On! Collaborators

  • GALA Consultants: Kimball Stroud Associates
  • Educational and Cultural Collaborations: Robin Harris, Proper Order

March On! Board

The Festival is guided by a team of leaders across the entertainment, policy, and social justice arenas that ensures the success and execution of our vision. 

VICKEE JORDAN ADAMS

Member

 

 

VSG Global

Victoria Bassetti

Member

 

 

Brennan Center for Justice

Joyce Brayboy

Member

 

 

Goldman Sachs

A'Lelia Bundles

Member

 

 

Author

Craig Emanuel

Treasurer

 

Ryan Murphy Productions

Samara Foxx

Member

 

 

Attorney

Stephanie Gold

Secretary

Hogan Lovells

Melissa Maxfield

Member



Comcast

Joseph Olchefske

Member

 


Educator & Entrepreneur

Denielle Pemberton

President



Diversified Search Group

Robert Raben

Founder

 


Raben

Joseph West

Member




Duane Morris