The Fight for Civil Rights Continues at the NYC Department of Sanitation

On February 12, 1968, 1300 black sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee walked off their jobs in protest, citing years of mistreatment, unsafe and life threatening working conditions, poverty level wages, and their desire to organize under a union to secure a better work environment.  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was enlisted to advance the workers cause, and he rallied them behind the “I Am a Man” declaration and speech.  Sadly, it was during his participation in this action that the Reverend King was assassinated, in Memphis, on April 4, 1968.  The last speech of his life, known as “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” had been delivered only the night before to an audience of striking sanitation workers and their supporters.

Fast forward exactly 45 years, to February 12, 2013.  On this date, 12 black and Latino supervisory personnel with the NYC Department of Sanitation filed a class action lawsuit alleging that a culture of racism exists within their work environment in which they were denied promotions solely on the basis of their race.

Join us at the Clarkie Connection to hear the riveting accounts of these workers as they present the facts of their case, tell us the significance of their filing date, inform us on the status of their lawsuit, and share what we in the community who support their cause can do to help.