MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen has introduced a resolution recognizing the 50th anniversary of the sanitation workers strike that brought civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. to Memphis, Tennessee.
Cohen, a Democrat from Memphis, said in a statement Tuesday that the resolution’s co-sponsors include the bipartisan Tennessee delegation of the House of Representatives.
About 1,300 black sanitation workers went on strike after two colleagues died when they were crushed by a malfunctioning garbage truck Feb. 1, 1968.
King came to Memphis to support the strike. He led a march on Beale Street that turned violent. He planned another march but he was fatally shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4, 1968.
Dozens of cities plan a moment of silence Thursday to honor the workers.
Cohen introduces House resolution honoring workers strike
February 1, 2018
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