Remembering Memphis
Civil rights leaders, King's family, and AFSCME have played large roles in remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the years following his assassination. With memorial marches held in Memphis on April 4 each year, Dr. King's legacy has not been forgotten.
The striking members of Local 1733 have not been forgotten either. On April 29, 2011, the 1,300 sanitation workers who participated in the 1968 strike were inducted into the U.S. Department of Labor's Labor Hall of Fame. Eight of the original strikers attended the ceremony. A video about the induction can be viewed here.
Kennedy honors King
AFSCME International President Jerry Wurf watches as Reverend Ralph Abernathy (right), leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, welcomes Senator Ted Kennedy to the rostrum at the one year memorial for Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis in April 1969. (Date: 1969-04-03)
1st King anniversary
15,000 supporters jam Memphis City Hall Plaza during a commemoration ceremony on the first anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. (Date: 1969-04-03)
12th King anniversary
AFSCME leads a march in Memphis in 1980 to commemorate the 12th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Creator: Withers, Ernest C., 1922-2007; Date: 1980-04-04)
20th King Anniversary
Martin Luther King III speaks at an event commemorating the twentieth anniversary of his father's assassination in the Memphis Mason Temple where King, Jr. delivered his "I have been to the mountaintop" speech. (Date: 1988-04-03)
20th King anniversary
T. O. Jones, the first president of Memphis Local 1733 and leader of the 1968 sanitation workers strike, speaks at an event commemorating the twentieth anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Then president of Local 1733 Taylor Rogers looks on. Jones speaks at the Memphis Mason Temple where Dr. King delivered his "I have been to the mountaintop" speech. (Date: 1988-04-04)
Department of Labor Hall of Fame
AFSCME Memphis Local 1733 members who participated in the 1968 sanitation workers strike were inducted into the Department of Labor's Labor Hall of Fame. Front row, left to right: Joe Warren, Russell Walton, Cleo Smith, Herbert Parson. Back row, left to right: Alvin Turner, Baxter Leach, Ozell Ueal. (Creator: Watkins, Fred; Date: 2011-04-29)