A belated Happy MLK Day

Most Americans today know that Dr. King  was killed in 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, but fewer know (or remember) why he was there -- to support African American garbage workers, who were on strike to protest unsafe conditions, abusive white supervisors, and low wages -- and to gain recognition for their union. My article in yesterday's American Prospect, "Why He Was in Memphis," recounts King's growing ties with the labor movement his understanding about the  importance of forging close links between the civil rights and labor movements, and his role in the Memphis struggle. If he were alive today, he'd surely be on the front lines of many labor struggles, the fight for a living wage, universal health care, and withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.

William Jones has a piece on a similar theme in The Nation this week.

Also, a new book about the news media's coverage of the civil rights movement offers great insights into both the movement and the media. It is called: The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of a Nation by Gene Roberts and Hank Klibanoff, and it recounts both the strengths and weaknesses of press coverage of the freedom struggle.  Here are Eric Alterman's review of the book in The Nation and Jon Wiener's review in the Los Angeles Times.

My article last year in Dissent, "Rose Parks: Angry, Not Tired," examines some of the myths about the Montgomery bus boycott, when Dr. King first came to national prominence, and the lessons of that battle for organizing.

Keep your eyes on the prize.