Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968

This story is about the 1968 Memphis sanitation worker strike. The story is told from the perspective of a child named Lorraine, whose parents are involved in the strike. Lorraine witnesses various community members talk about their experiences during months of labor organizing. The community is abuzz when Lorraine shares that Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King will be in Memphis to support the sanitation workers. As Lorraine’s family and other sanitation workers listen to Dr. King talk about “getting to the Promised Land” on April 3^rd, 1968, they feel more empowered than ever to continue striking. On April 4^th, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, TN. In the aftermath of Dr. King’s death, Memphis workers are more resolved than ever to stand up for labor rights. The sanitation workers’ protest against unjust treatment has a lasting legacy in the city of Memphis and the United States.