"I AM Story" Podcast Celebrates the Workers Who Led the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Commitment to Racial and Economic Justice

On the 55th anniversary of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike, AFSCME invites union members and all those interested in the American labor movement, civil rights, and the fight for racial and economic justice to hear the stories of working people at the center of the the monumental events that marked the last days of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s life.

The I AM Story Podcast is a miniseries that follows the history of the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike as told by those who experienced it firsthand. We tell a narrative that envelops listeners, transporting them back to the streets of Memphis, as well as the sanctuary of The Mason Temple, the homes of the workers and the union hall where these American heroes took a stand against injustice.

In the heart of the racially segregated South, black sanitation workers faced poverty wages and degrading, dangerous conditions on the job.

The city refused to act.

But after two sanitation workers were crushed to death on the job, 1,300 workers said enough was enough and went on strike. They marched in the streets demanding dignity and respect, holding signs that declared “I AM A MAN”. They wanted recognition of their union… and their humanity.

Martin Luther King Jr. joined the strikers and delivered his historic "Mountaintop" speech just days before his death in Memphis.

I AM STORY, A new podcast from AFSCME, the union that represented those strikers, tells the incredible story of the people who demanded their humanity and changed the course of American history. The podcast includes historic footage of labor, civil rights, and religious leaders of the day, as well as new interviews with figures like Martin Luther King III and Rev. James Lawson.

Subscribe and listen to I AM STORY wherever you get your podcasts or visit IAMSTORY.com.