The Sanitation Workers Strike Of 1968 - 1713 Words

I am Human should be the words used to describe The Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike of 1968. Reverend Albert Hibbler came up with the sign â€Å"I Am a Man† meaning I am not going to take [expletive] anymore.1However, those words (I Am a Man) come off as a little too aggressive, even slightly imposing, which is something that does not capture the essence of this strike. Because, the sanitation workers were not protesting to impose their will or were even trying to start a fight. What the sanitation workers wanted was to be recognized as a union. They were not asking for extra money or better working conditions, they just wanted to be recognized as a union, nothing else.2 This is something that sounds a bit silly, like they did not want more†¦show more content†¦This starts reaching a tipping point once Henry Loeb is sworn into office. Loeb with the support of whites who want to prevent blacks from making any gains in both any form of power or union.5 Seeks to separate white and black workers from doing the same type of labor, so he starts pushing white workers out of their garbage picking job, some of them do leave while others remain, but in positions of power – including the drivers of the trucks who were usually white – while black sanitation workers were being treated like a lesser being, creating a very clear division. In their job picking garbage, black sanitation workers would start the morning by getting to the workplace, where a roll call was done and if the person doing the roll call did not like the way you responded when they call your name, this person would send you home.6 Because black workers did not have a union to represent them or a place to file a grievance, they would have to swallow this type of mater-slave type of treatment. This was close white workers were getting to almost having a form of slavery in the workplace, since the whiteShow MoreRelatedResearch Paper: Martin Luther King, Jr.887 Words   |  4 PagesLuther King III, Dexter Scott King, and Bernice King. In 1954, when he was 25, he became the pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Kings interest in a strike of black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee in the spring of 1968 reflected his growing concern with economic issues. The workers wanted pay equal to that of whites. Taking time out from planning sessions for the Poor Peoples March, King flew to Memphis on 28 March to participate in a rally of 6000 people.Read MoreAfrican Americans And The Civil Rights Movement1623 Words   |  7 Pageshopes with the New Deal reform and increase in industrial unions, giving them an economic and political stage on which they now had the opportunity to bring forth their demands and start a popular struggle, together. But, as seen in the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers March, African American laborers were still paid very low wages and poor working conditions, with ancient equipment. The working class was looking for mainly labor rights, something they agreed on and could fight for. For the middle classRead MoreEvents to Help End Segregation549 Words   |  2 PagesMem phis Sanitation Strike. On February 1, 1968 in Memphis Tennessee, two African American garbage collectors were crushed to death due to a malfunctioning truck. Due to the city’s response to this recent incident in the neglect and abuse of African American employees, 1,300 African American men from the Memphis Department of Public Works went on strike twelve days later, after the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) agreed to support the strike. TheseRead MoreThe Assassination Of Robert F. Kennedy1048 Words   |  5 Pagesof the 1960s reached a boiling point in 1968, a year that can be considered the most turbulent year in American history. The tumultuous events that took place in 1968 effectively transformed the face of the nation in every aspect; economically, socially, and politically. Failed military tactics, assassinations, and violent civil rights movements were the defining characteristics of 1968. Despite the few good things that came out of that year, much of 1968 was dedicated to rebuilding the country,Read MoreSummary Of IVe Been To The Mountaintop By Martin Luther Kings Speech930 Words   |  4 PagesShortly before Martin Luther King was shot, he gave a powerful speech on civil rights. Martin Luther King’s last speech, ‘I’ve Been to the Mountaintop†, was given during the Memphis sanitation strike in which almost 1000 black workers were on strike for not being treated fairly. On April 3rd, 1968, MLK gave his final speech during the times of nonviolent civil rights protest, â€Å"I’ve Been to the Mountaintop† is remembered by people as MLK asking the black population to go out in the streets withRead MoreThe Civil Rights Movement And The American Civil Movement958 Words   |  4 Pagesdiscrimination against African Americans and to secure legal recognition and federal protection of the citizenship rights enumerated in the Constitution and federal law. The movement was characterized by major campaigns of civil resistance. Between 1955 and 1968, acts of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience produced crisis situations and productive dialogues between activists and government authorities. The movement was led by social activists like Ralph Abernathy, Victoria Gray Adams, Maya Angelou, LouisRead MoreWhat I Have Learned in American Government Roots and Reform1474 Words   |  6 Pageson January 31, 1865, and adopted on December 6, 1865. On December 18, Secretary of State William H. Seward proclaimed it to have been adopted. It was the first of the three Reconstruction Amendments adopted after the American Civil War. On April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was hit by a sniper s bullet. King had been standing on the balcony in front of his room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, when, he was shot. The .30-caliber rifle bullet entered King s right cheek, traveledRead MoreMartin Luther Kings Impact On The Civil Rig hts Movement1030 Words   |  5 Pagespart in the creation and enactment of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 and the Voting Rights Act in 1965. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among other honors. King continued speaking throughout the country until his assassination on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He continues to be remembered as one of the most influential and inspirational African-American leaders in history. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. His name was originally Michael King, Jr. but his fatherRead MoreMartin Luther King Jr Essay1299 Words   |  6 Pages(history.com; Martin Luther King Jr.). On August of 1968, the voting rights act was passed by congress, which allowed all African Americans the right to vote as stated on the 15th amendment. On april 4 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated but is still remembered and honored for all his achievements during the civil rights movement. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. was an act done by the face of racism and hate. In the spring of 1968, Martin luther King Jr. along with other SCLCRead MoreAfrican Americans From The Civil Rights Era Essay1699 Words   |  7 PagesDelana C. Henry Prof. Kim L. Dulaney Cultural Diversity 1020.51 2 October 2015 African Americans 1968-Present Introduction We re not Americans, we re Africans who happen to be in America. We were kidnapped and brought here against our will from Africa. We didn t land on Plymouth Rock - that rock landed on us (Malcolm X). This quotation symbolizes the sentiments of many African Americans past and present who were involuntarily brought to the shores of the United States of America. Since arriving