On 12 February 1968, the Memphis sanitation strike by 1,300 Black sanitation workers began in protest against mistreatment, racist discrimination, dangerous working conditions, and the recent deaths of two workers.
Martin Luther King Jr came to the city to support the strike, as part of his Poor People’s Campaign, which was attempting to fight for both civil rights, and better conditions for working-class people. The second time King came to the city to support the strikers, he was assassinated.
Police killed one person, Larry Payne, during a strike demonstration, and eventually 4000 National Guard troops occupied the city.
But the workers held out and in April, the city caved to most of their demands, including recognition for the workers’ union, AFSCME Local 1733.
Memphis sanitation strike - WCH | Stories
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