A. Philip Randolph (1889–1979) and Walter White scheduled the March on Washington for July 1, to follow the NAACP’s Annual Convention in Houston, Texas, held from June 24 to June 29, 1941. The threat of launching the massive demonstration from the convention persuaded President Franklin Roosevelt to issue Executive Order 8802, which banned discrimination in defense industries and government departments, and set up the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) to investigate and monitor hiring. The theme of the convention was “The Negro in National Defense.”