This poster commemorates the Memphis sanitation workers strike of 1968. A garbage truck crushed two black workmen to death by accident, after local businesses refused to let them take shelter from heavy rain. Strikers’ signs reading “I AM A Man” became iconic.
Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Memphis in support, and he was assassinated soon after speaking to the striking workers. His words at the top of this poster read:
“You’re commanding that this city will respect the dignity of labor… you are reminding not only Memphis but you are reminding the nation that it is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages.”
| Poster Dimensions | 11×17" |
|---|---|
| Print Type | Digital (Union Printed at RLM World Headquarters) |
| Year Created | 2013 |
| Product ID | p940 |
| Categories | Labor, Peoples: African American, Posters |
| Tags | 1968, AFSCME, dignity, economic justice, i am a man, labor, labor movement, martin luther king, memphis, mlk, poverty, racial justice, sanitation strike, strike, wages |
