Poor People's Campaign
Encyclopedia
Organized by Martin Luther King, Jr.
and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
, the Poor People's Campaign addressed the issues of economic justice and housing for the poor in the United States King said, “We believe the highest patriotism demands the ending of the war and the opening of a bloodless war to final victory over racism and poverty”.
. King told his aides that the SCLC
would have to raise nonviolence
to a new level to pressure Congress into passing an Economic Bill of Rights for the nation’s poor. When reporters asked King about the campaign’s tactics, he sidestepped specific details and focused on the moral dimensions of the crisis. The Poor People’s Campaign held firm to the movement’s commitment to non-violence. “We are custodians of the philosophy of non-violence,” said Martin Luther King, Jr.
at a press conference. “And it has worked”. King originally wanted the Poor People's Campaign to start in Quitman County, Mississippi
because of the intense and visible economic disparity there. On March 18, 1968, King visited the town of Marks, Mississippi
. He watched a teacher feeding schoolchildren their lunch, consisting only of a slice of apple and some crackers, and was moved to tears. After King's death, the Southern part of the Campaign began in Quitman County, riding a train of mules to Washington, D.C.
.
Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, and the SCLC
recruited from Mississippi
to Illinois
and people of all walks of life came from across the nation. Most volunteers were women and many had been involved in other civil rights protests. The media often discouraged those within the movement who were committed to non-violence. Instead of focusing on issues of urban inequality and the interracial efforts concerted to address them, the media concentrated on specific incidences of violence, leadership conflicts and protest tactics.
was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The SCLC and other leaders decided to continue the campaign in King’s honor. A month later on May 12, 1968, demonstrators began a two-week protest in Washington, D.C.. The same month thousands of poor people of all races set up a shantytown known as “Resurrection City.” The city was closed down in mid-June and the economic bill of rights was never passed.
Undeterred, the SCLC organized a protest caravan, driven by mule-power, to work its way down to the Republican National Convention
in Miami Beach, Florida
in early August. Later that month, the Poor People's Campaign was in town for the turbulent Democratic Convention
in Chicago, where the demonstrators got caught in the midst of the extreme violence in the streets surrounding the convention site.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
, the Poor People's Campaign addressed the issues of economic justice and housing for the poor in the United States King said, “We believe the highest patriotism demands the ending of the war and the opening of a bloodless war to final victory over racism and poverty”.
Purpose
Jobs, income and housing were the main goals of the Poor People’s Campaign. The campaign would help the poor by dramatizing their needs, uniting all races under the commonality of hardship and presenting a plan to start to a solution. Under the "economic bill of rights," the Poor People's Campaign asked for the federal government to prioritize helping the poor with a $30 billion anti-poverty package that included a commitment to full employment, a guaranteed annual income measure and more low-income housing. The Poor People’s Campaign was part of the second phase of the civil rights movement. While the first phase had exposed the problems of segregation, King hoped to address the "limitations to our achievements" with a second, broader phase.Planning and strategy
Planning for the Poor People’s Campaign began during a five day retreat on November 27, 1967 in Frogmore, South CarolinaFrogmore, South Carolina
Frogmore is an unincorporated community in Beaufort County, South Carolina, United States, along U.S. Route 21. Halfway between the Beaufort and Hunting Island State Park, the Frogmore area is primarily rural with easy access to the coast. The Beaufort airport is approximately three miles from...
. King told his aides that the SCLC
SCLC
SCLC may refer to:* The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an American civil rights organization* Small cell carcinoma of the lung* San Cristóbal de las Casas, a city in Chiapas, Mexico* Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration...
would have to raise nonviolence
Nonviolence
Nonviolence has two meanings. It can refer, first, to a general philosophy of abstention from violence because of moral or religious principle It can refer to the behaviour of people using nonviolent action Nonviolence has two (closely related) meanings. (1) It can refer, first, to a general...
to a new level to pressure Congress into passing an Economic Bill of Rights for the nation’s poor. When reporters asked King about the campaign’s tactics, he sidestepped specific details and focused on the moral dimensions of the crisis. The Poor People’s Campaign held firm to the movement’s commitment to non-violence. “We are custodians of the philosophy of non-violence,” said Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
at a press conference. “And it has worked”. King originally wanted the Poor People's Campaign to start in Quitman County, Mississippi
Quitman County, Mississippi
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 10,117 people, 3,565 households, and 2,506 families residing in the county. The population density was 25 people per square mile . There were 3,923 housing units at an average density of 10 per square mile...
because of the intense and visible economic disparity there. On March 18, 1968, King visited the town of Marks, Mississippi
Marks, Mississippi
Marks is a city in Quitman County, Mississippi, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,551. It is the county seat of Quitman County...
. He watched a teacher feeding schoolchildren their lunch, consisting only of a slice of apple and some crackers, and was moved to tears. After King's death, the Southern part of the Campaign began in Quitman County, riding a train of mules to Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
.
Volunteers and participants
Poverty afflicted a diversity of races, regions and backgrounds. Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, and the SCLC
SCLC
SCLC may refer to:* The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an American civil rights organization* Small cell carcinoma of the lung* San Cristóbal de las Casas, a city in Chiapas, Mexico* Supply Chain Leadership Collaboration...
recruited from Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
to Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
and people of all walks of life came from across the nation. Most volunteers were women and many had been involved in other civil rights protests. The media often discouraged those within the movement who were committed to non-violence. Instead of focusing on issues of urban inequality and the interracial efforts concerted to address them, the media concentrated on specific incidences of violence, leadership conflicts and protest tactics.
Unsuccessful Ending
Martin Luther King, Jr.Martin Luther King, Jr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was an American clergyman, activist, and prominent leader in the African-American Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for being an iconic figure in the advancement of civil rights in the United States and around the world, using nonviolent methods following the...
was assassinated on April 4, 1968. The SCLC and other leaders decided to continue the campaign in King’s honor. A month later on May 12, 1968, demonstrators began a two-week protest in Washington, D.C.. The same month thousands of poor people of all races set up a shantytown known as “Resurrection City.” The city was closed down in mid-June and the economic bill of rights was never passed.
Undeterred, the SCLC organized a protest caravan, driven by mule-power, to work its way down to the Republican National Convention
1968 Republican National Convention
The 1968 National Convention of the Republican Party of the United States was held in at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Dade County, Florida, from August 5 to August 8, 1968....
in Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
in early August. Later that month, the Poor People's Campaign was in town for the turbulent Democratic Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
The 1968 Democratic National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at the International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois, from August 26 to August 29, 1968. Because Democratic President Lyndon Johnson had announced he would not seek a second term, the purpose of the convention was to...
in Chicago, where the demonstrators got caught in the midst of the extreme violence in the streets surrounding the convention site.
External links
- Weekend America: Resurrection City
- March commemorating the 35th anniversary of the Poor People's Campaign
- Memphis Civil Rights Digital Archive
- "Poor People's Campaign", King Encyclopedia
- Class Resurrection: The Poor People's Campaign of 1968 and Resurrection City
- John BlakeJohn Blake (journalist)John Blake is a British journalist and publisher. He lives beside the River Thames near London with his wife Diane.-Debut:Blake first came to prominence in the early 1970s as a pop columnist for the Evening News in London...
. King's final crusade: The radical push for a new America. CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, 2008-04-01 - Poor People's Campaign