Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the 20th century’s greatest heroes and humanitarians – not just a civil rights trailblazer but a fearsome champion for the rights of working people. As the nation observes his 91st birthday, his words and deeds still move us to action.
Throughout his life, Dr. King made the explicit connection between racial and economic justice. He believed that the civil rights movement and the labor movement shared the same fundamental goals. He exposed the fraud of so-called “right-to-work” laws. And he understood the union difference – the way that a voice on the job empowers all working people, their families and their communities.
Dr. King holds a special place in AFSCME history. In 1968, he traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, in support of Local 1733 sanitation workers who had gone on strike to protest poverty wages and deplorable working conditions. It was there that he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.
Though Dr. King’s life was cut short, AFSCME has not stopped working toward his dream of a society where everyone can live and work in freedom, safety and dignity. Thank you for continuing the struggle and carrying his work forward.
In solidarity,
Lee Saunders
AFSCME President
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AFSCME | 1625 L St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20036
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