Activists, artists, and religious leaders are planning a large gathering in Memphis early next month to launch a new political and civic campaign on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr’s assassination.
The likes of Dr. Bernice King, Martin Luther King III, Common, Danny Glover, and Ambassador Andrew Young will congregate to launch the “I AM 2018” campaign to advance labor and civil rights and tackle issues plaguing low-income communities nationwide.
Over April 2-4 — exactly 50 years after King’s assassination — the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) and Church of God in Christ (COGIC) will bring together activists to hold trainings, voter mobilization programs, and commemoration activities throughout Memphis.
They will also commemorate King’s 1968 “Mountaintop” speech —his last ever— alongside his surviving children, and remember the 1968 Sanitation Strike. Over 100,000 activists will march to honor the struggle and sacrifice of the 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers who marched in 1968 to call for humane working conditions.
“I AM 2018 isn’t just a reflection on the past; it’s a call to action for the future. Dr. King and the Memphis strikers knew that you can’t achieve economic justice without racial justice,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders in a press release.
Find out more about the weekend of events here.