I AM 2018
AFSCME-COGIC I AM A MAN EVENTS
BACKGROUND
In 1968, Memphis sanitation workers went on strike to demand fair wages and safe working conditions.
That spring, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. traveled to Memphis to join the strikers — members of AFSCME Local 1733 — in solidarity. On April 3, he delivered his prophetic “Mountaintop” speech at the historic Mason Temple, the global headquarters of Church of God In Christ (COGIC). Less than 24 hours later, he was killed.
Next year marks the 50th anniversary of this watershed moment.
On April 2-4, 2018, AFSCME, COGIC, and civil, human and workers’ rights leaders will gather in Memphis for a series of events honoring Dr. King’s legacy and the courage and sacrifice of the sanitation workers.
This is more than a commemoration; it is a call to action.
The I AM 2018 campaign, whose theme is taken from the strikers’ iconic slogan, “I AM A MAN”, will train and mobilize activists to make change in their communities in 2018 and beyond. The initiative will include organizing, community actions and strategic partnerships.
The I AM 2018 campaign will connect the legacy of the strikers and Dr. King to current issues facing our nation.
Dr. King believed there can be no racial justice without economic justice. He believed that labor rights, civil rights and human rights are all one and the same, and for his devotion to these values, Dr. King paid the ultimate price. We will build a movement of dedicated activists who can continue the un nished work of realizing Dr. King’s dream.