King’s short battle for the working poor…
We all think of Martin Luther King, Jr. as an advocate for racial justice. But he was also an advocate for economic justice.
He was about to embark on his second mission, beyond desegregation, that included a battle for worker rights in the shape of better wages and better working conditions for the working poor. The next movement – the Poor People’s Campaign.
“This is a highly significant event,’’ King said in 1968, ‘‘the beginning of a new co-operation, understanding, and a determination by poor people of all colors and backgrounds to assert and win their right to a decent life and respect for their culture and dignity’’
Right before King was assassinated, he took up the battle of sanitation workers in Tennessee who were fighting for better working conditions.
This from The National Archives:
During a heavy rainstorm in Memphis on February 1, 1968, two black sanitation workers had been crushed to death when the compactor mechanism of the trash truck was accidentally triggered. On the same day in a separate incident also related to the inclement weather, 22 black sewer workers had been sent home without pay while their white supervisors were retained for the day with pay. About two weeks later, on February 12, more than 1,100 of a possible 1,300 black sanitation workers began a strike for job safety, better wages and benefits, and union recognition.
Who knows what he would have done for workers’ rights at that volatile time in our nation’s history.
Worker rights have come a long way since his death. But they still have a long way to go. Minimum wage is still horrifically low. Safety is still a major concern for many workers. And discrimination in the workplace is still rampant.
What do you think King is thinking as he sits on the Mountaintop?
“If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?” But then the Good Samaritan came by. And he reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”.
That’s the question before you tonight. Not, “If I stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to all of the hours that I usually spend in my office every day and every week as a pastor?” The question is not, “If I stop to help this man in need, what will happen to me?” “If I do no stop to help the sanitation workers, what will happen to them?” That’s the question.
Let us rise up tonight with a greater readiness. Let us stand with a greater determination. And let us move on in these powerful days, these days of challenge to make America what it ought to be. We have an opportunity to make America a better nation.
January 21st, 2008 at 11:18 am
Excellent observation. It was not until I went to the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis (the site of King’s death) did I get a full appreciation to the mission that King was leading. I’ve highlighted this on my blog as well as pointing out some other good posts for the day.
January 21st, 2008 at 12:17 pm
Eve,Martin Luther King was a wonderful example for all men and he explained so wonderfully what he was about and what he was doing in the “letter from Birmingham jail”. He pointed out very rightly the we white leaders, clergymen and others did very little to support him which was a great disappointment to him.
As I have written to you before and I think Martin would agree there is only one race here on earth and that is the “race of the children of God”, who need to work very hard at loving one another, building up the family and not tearing it down by the evils in our society such as abortion and divorce. It is not know within the African American community that 1/3 of all abortions performed today will be on black women and that Margaret Sanger is winning her goal to “eliminate the Negro race”, which she stated in a letter to Dr. Clarence Gamble.
I appeared on a “black” radio station a few years ago and made this point and the call in’s were in disbelief that this was going on.
So, I agree with your observations about Dr. King and honor his legacy. Take care, Norm
January 21st, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Great obsevation. The bottom line is that we have to stand up and fight for what we know to be right. It may cost a great deal.
January 21st, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Norm, You make some great points about King, but I don’t believe abortion and divorce are tearing down our society. What is tearing down our society is the evil within men and women towards other men and women because they are not like them, or make choices they would never make.
January 21st, 2008 at 5:40 pm
Dr. King was a terrific man. I recall my horror when he was killed. Nevertheless, he would be appalled at the shakedown artists running his legacy now.
Regarding some of the specifics in your editorial,
I regret some workers were killed in bad weather. We have that happen around here too. Mostly DOT highway workers, emergency workers, and highway patrol. Thank God the national trend, of work place fatalities, has been downward on a straight line since at least ten years before OSHA was created. I suspect that fact doesn’t fit the template.
If you want to know WHY workers were sent home while supervisors stayed, check the punishment reward mechanism built into the labor law regulations regarding exempt and non-exempt workers. The supervisors are required to be paid anyway. Thus, keeping them to do any work makes economic sense. It’s Management 101 – What gets rewarded gets done. Hmm. Bet that inconvenient fact doesn’t fit the liberal template either.
Finally, I agree with your support for a higher minimum wage. In fact, I think the minimum wage should be $100/hour. That way, everyone can afford to support their family. Everyone would be go back to work. Everyone would be happy? Right? Right?
Of course, there would be some drawbacks. A McD’s Hamburger would be $75. A head of lettuce about $35. Gasoline about $60/ gallon. But, hey. Everyone is making at least $100/hour. Right?
Hmm. Guess you might not like that comment either. Oh well, never let economic reality get in the way of the playbook.
January 22nd, 2008 at 10:36 am
Come on. It seems a bit silly to suggest minimum wage should be $100. Why not discuss the fact that minimum wage is under $8 an hour? Let’s be generous and say it’s $8 an hour. That translates to $320 a week, or $16,640 annually. Tell me how an individual sustains him or herself on that kind of income in today’s economy? Don’t worry, you don’t have to pay $75 for your Big Mac fix to make a difference. But what about paying a few pennies more? That could make a big difference in a hard-working individuals economic life, no?