Political Quotes

“Thank you, Congressman Butterfield, for your leadership as vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, but also for your reminder of our so important history that is linked both to the struggle of African Americans in this country, to the struggle of labor, and for a reminder also historically of the fact that Dr. King was supposed to have had a next place to be when his life was ended on April 4, 43 years ago today. {time} 2050 I would like to take just this moment, if I could, to recount for us the history of the 1968 American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Memphis sanitation workers' strike, the chronology. Beginning on Sunday, January 31 of that year, the rain sent workers home. Then beginning on Tuesday, February 1 of that year, two sanitation workers were killed in an accident on a city truck. Then just days later on Monday, February 12, Memphis sanitation and public employees went on strike after last-minute attempts to resolve their grievances had failed. While the newspapers claimed that 200 workers of the 1,300 remained on the job, really only 38 of 180 trucks moved. The mayor of the city said the strike is illegal, but that his office stood ready to talk to anyone about legitimate questions of the time.…”