Unidentified Men
Description
Remembering Martin Luther King, Memphis, Tennessee, April 8, 1968On the day before Martin Luther King’s funeral in Atlanta, Coretta Scott King led a massive, peaceful march in Memphis that honored her husband’s memory by supporting the striking sanitation workers whose cause had drawn King to that city. Walking silently with her children and Ralph Abernathy at her side, Mrs. King was followed by thousands of marchers, carrying signs that read "HONOR KING: END RACISM"; "I AM A MAN"; and "UNION JUSTICE NOW!" At the conclusion of the march, a number of speakers addressed the crowd, including the Reverend Jesse Jackson, labor leader Walter Reuther, and antiwar activist Benjamin Spock, who declared, "It’s not enough to mourn Martin Luther King. We must act to implement what Dr. King wanted." The strike by sanitation workers that King had backed was settled on April 16, when Memphis city officials met the strikers’ demands for recognition of their union and guaranteed wage increases.
Image
Gelatin Silver Print
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution; gift of Eastman Kodak Professional Photography Division, the Engl Trust, and Benedict J. Fernandez
