Fifty years ago Martin Luther King, Jr. flew to Memphis to support sanitation workers during a strike. In 1968 the working conditions were so dangerous for trash collectors that two men were killed on the job. The workers organized to demand better working conditions and higher pay. In a climate of racism they demanded to be treated with humanity and respect as men. When King traveled to Memphis, he was assassinated. Listen to this story to hear how Memphis has changed in the last 50 years.
Story Length: 11:52
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September 2, 2015
7:14
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a famous speech at the March on Washington in 1963 known as the "I Have A Dream" speech. The year before, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave a speech in Rocky Mount, N.C that anticipated the famous speech. A recording of the first known version of the "I Have A Dream" speech was recently discovered by a professor at North Carolina State. Listen to hear about this speech and the memories of someone who heard it first as a high school student in 1962.
Read MoreDecember 3, 2014
3:43
Fifty years ago, on June 21, 1964, three young men went missing. They were part of Freedom Summer, an effort to register black residents to vote in segregated Mississippi. They were murdered by the local Ku Klux Klan. When their bodies were found a month later, the outrage led to the passage of civil rights protections. On November 24, 2014 President Obama posthumously awarded these three men the highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, to honor their sacrifice and work towards equality.
Read MoreNovember 28, 2014
8:16
In 1961 the FBI targeted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to be wiretapped because of his affiliation with a former communist leader. Their efforts became personal when Dr. King spoke badly of the FBI. Wiretapping of Dr. King’s motel rooms exposed that he was unfaithful to his wife and this led to an effort by the FBI to expose his extramarital affairs by going to the press. But the media didn’t bite, and Dr. King remained unscathed and able to lead the Civil Rights Movement.
Read MoreFebruary 24, 2014
5:13
During Black History month, it’s important to learn about the small protest that sparked the civil rights movement. Four black teenagers demanded service at an all-white lunch counter in 1960. One of those protesters recently passed away and this story reflects on his life and impact.
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