Martin Luther King, Jr
January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day became a national holiday in 1986 and is celebrated on the third Monday in the month of January. Although Dr. King was closely associated with nonviolent protests for African Americans he also fought for equality for all to make decent living wages.
The year he was assassinated, 1968, he was slated to have a Poor People’s March in Washington. This was an effort to gain economic justice for poor people in the United States. The focus of his campaign was a multiracial effort which included not only African Americans, but Whites, Mexican Americans, Puerto Ricans and Native Americans aimed at alleviating poverty regardless of race.
King’s intentions were to bring poor people to Washington forcing politicians to see them and to think about their needs. He wanted the participants to come by any means of transportation necessary. He wanted the politicians to see the poor that are here, how they didn’t have any money and that the politicians made them this way and we’ve come to stay until you do something about it.
This included prioritizing money to help the poor. This antipoverty package included a commitment to full employment, a guaranteed annual income measure and more low income housing.
One of King’s concerns was the crisis of unemployment and low wage jobs. The following was taken from a Speech given to the Illinois State AFL-CIO, Springfield, Illinois, Oct. 7, 1965:
What kind of security do we have when jobs can disappear for periods and families must abruptly sink to lower living standards? Why should older workers be put in competition with younger workers; why should Negro workers and white workers compete for jobs?
Where are the unemployed automation has created? Many, numbering millions, are walking the streets. A large proportion are Negroes who are half hidden in the ghettos. Some have found employment in service industries in low-paid jobs largely unprotected by unions in these unorganized trades. Other millions have retired, some on pensions, some on Social Security, others on relief.
Our belief is that any group can suffer when jobs leave the community. Although trade between nations is understandable, it’s important to make sure that Americans are not hurt by this. We can make quality products that can last instead of having cheap imports that have to be replaced in a short period of time. Although we may have to pay higher wages, if the quality is there, in the long run it will have a positive impact for all.
C.M.
Sources: Wikipedia: Poor People’s Campaign
