In 1968, sanitation workers in Memphis took a stand against degrading and deadly working conditions.  

They declared a strike that would lead to a movement that would shake the nation. 

The I AM STORY podcast tells the story of the sanitation workers who dared to declare: I AM A MAN. 

Learn more at http://www.IAMSTORY.com

In 1968, two Memphis sanitation workers, Robert Walker and Echol Cole, were crushed to death in the back of their truck, a horrific accident that was the result of shocking negligence by city leaders.  

The workers had raised a red flag that trucks in the fleet were unsafe. But the city didn’t recognize their union and had no incentive or inclination to make changes. 

This tragedy ignited one of the most courageous worker actions in American history: a two-month strike by the city’s entire sanitation workforce.  

The signs they carried said it all, four words so powerful in their simplicity: I AM A MAN. The strike drew the attention of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who would join the sanitation workers’ fight — in what would be his last campaign. 

This is the I AM Story Podcast. 

Learn more at IAMSTORY.com 

In 1968, Memphis sanitation workers went on strike – for dignity, for respect, for recognition of their basic humanity. Courageously, they declared: I AM A MAN. The strike would draw together the labor movement and the civil rights movement in a way that changed the course of history. The I AM STORY Podcast revisits this struggle, telling the story of this strike and everything that happened next.

Learn more at IAMSTORY.com