Trouble for Workers in Memphis
After the March on Washington, there were many successes for civil rights. In 1964, Congress passed and President Kennedy signed into law the Civil Rights Act. This law guaranteed many of the rights that the March on Washington demanded. In 1965, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. This law outlawed the unjust poll taxes, literacy tests, and other methods that states used to prevent blacks from registering to vote. Still, Dr. King did not feel that all of his goals had been met. He decided that America could not be a just society without equality in employment.
In Memphis, the conditions for black workers were often far worse than those for white workers. The sanitation workers in Memphis were treated terribly, and things became even worse when Henry Loeb became mayor of Memphis. Under Mayor Loeb’s leadership, the sanitation workers were paid so little that they could not even afford to feed their families. The workers had to work long, tiring hours late into the night without any extra pay. Also, they had to drive old trucks that badly needed to be fixed or replaced. These terrible conditions culminated on February 1, 1968 when two garbage collectors in Memphis named Echol Cole and Robert Walker were crushed to death by a malfunctioning truck.
Think about it:
- How important do you think it is to get a good job? Is it possible to be an equal citizen in America if you do not have equal opportunity to get a job?
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Workers Go On Strike
On February 11, 1968, 700 members of the sanitation workers union decided to go on strike. A strike is a nonviolent form of protest in which workers bind together and stop working until their concerns are addressed by their employer. They also protested using the same nonviolent means supported by Dr. King, including a sit-in that pressured the City Council to act to end the strike. The City Council voted to listen to the demands of the sanitation workers and pay them more. But Mayor Loeb refused to recognize the union or listen to any of their demands. The next day, when a group of nonviolent protesters marched to city hall, the police attacked them with tear gas and mace.
The community of Memphis came together against this injustice. Local ministers, including Minister James Lawson, a longtime friend of Dr. King, planned more nonviolent protests against this treatment of black laborers. On March 18, Dr. King himself arrived in Memphis to give a speech to the protesters. He said to them, “You are demonstrating that we can stick together. You are demonstrating that we are all tied in a single garment of destiny, and that if one black person suffers, if one black person is down, we are all down.”[1] Dr. King urged the other workers in the city to join together, and the entire black population of the city decided to go on strike and protest in support of the sanitation workers.
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Chaos Breaks Out
Dr. King returned to Memphis on March 28 for the day of the protest. A giant crowd was in attendance, including thousands of children. By the time Dr. King arrived, he found that the protest was not going peacefully. Instead, a great mob of people were assembled and on the brink of chaos. Violence broke out. Some people broke windows, set fires, and looted shops. A 16-year-old was shot by the police. Minister Lawson tried to lead the people back to the church and away from the streets, but the crowd was out of control. The police used tear gas, clubs, and mace on the crowd.[2]
Think about it:
- Why do you think the protest in Memphis ended in so much violence?
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A Tragedy in Memphis
Dr. King almost did not return to Memphis. But he knew that his work wasn’t done. When he returned to Memphis on April 3, he attended a meeting with a group of sanitation workers, and spoke about life, death, and his own mortality. He said, “I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”[3] The following night, Dr. King was shot to death while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.
News of Dr. King’s death spread across the country, and hundreds of cities mourned his passing. President Johnson worked to end the strike, but Mayor Loeb still did not want to give in to the union’s demands. The strikers marched through Memphis in honor of Dr. King and continued to make demands for equal rights. The city and the union finally negotiated a deal, but it took months before the city finally kept its word and improved working conditions for the black workers.
[1] Martin Luther King, Jr., “Address at Mass meeting at the Bishop Charles Mason Temple,” March 18, 1968.
[2] Walter Rugaber, “A Nergro is Killed in Memphis March,” The New York Times, March 29, 1968.
[3] Martin Luther King, Jr., “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” April 3, 1968.
