Who were the men with white hats behind Martin Luther King when he gave his "I have a dream" speech in 1963?

by nonexistentfool

I have heard many different explanations, including:

  1. Members of the Nation of Islam
  2. Identifying with Nehru during the India independence movement
  3. United Auto Workers' union members
  4. Security for the march
  5. MLK's own security

Here's an image for reference: http://imgur.com/5sAxqYS

MrDowntown

Security. The men in white caps were mostly visiting police and firemen, recruited to work security. The man to the left of Dr. King is Charlie Jackson, a Jersey City detective. Many of King's followers wore Indian Congress Party caps, because of its association with nonviolence.