Observed the first Monday in September, Labor Day is an annual celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers. The holiday is rooted in the late nineteenth century, when labor activists pushed for a federal holiday to recognize the many contributions workers have made to America’s strength, prosperity, and well-being.
A number of states observed this holiday on a local level during the 1880’s, and Labor Day became a national holiday on June 28, 1894. While it is important to recognize the contributions of workers to our society, it is equally important to recognize that many workers do not receive wages that enable them to have economic security or even to live above the poverty line. This kind of economic injustice is also directly related to the history and legacy of racism in our nation. Throughout his ministry and leadership of the modern Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King lifted up the connection between racial and economic justice. The actual name of the famous March on Washington on August 28, 1963 was The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The first picture posted above is from that March and features Dr. King with other marchers who carry signs demanding jobs. In his book reflecting on the events of 1963 entitled Why We Can’t Wait, Dr. King challenged white Americans to make the connection between racial and economic injustice:
Many white Americans of good will have never connected bigotry with economic exploitation. They have deplored prejudice, but tolerated or ignored economic injustice. But the Negro knows that these two evils have a malignant kinship.
Especially during the last year of his life, Dr. King became more explicit about poverty caused by racial and economic injustice. He was murdered in Memphis, TN on April 4, 1968 while supporting a strike by sanitation workers. The second picture posted above shows strikers carrying the now iconic sign “I Am A Man.” Dr. King did not live to see the fulfillment of the Poor People’s Campaign that he helped to organize. The purpose of that campaign was to bring thousands of poor people of all races from across the country to Washington, DC to engage in nonviolent direct action to secure legislation for greater economic justice for all. The videos posted below come from the last year of Dr. King’s life and clearly show his focus on economic justice. This part of his life and work are much less familiar to most people, but we cannot understand the fullness of his witness apart from this. It remains an ongoing challenge in our day in which unemployment rates still vary by race and the “racial wealth gap” continues to show the need for connecting racial and economic justice. Please take the time to watch the short videos to get a sense of Dr. King’s commitment to and call for economic justice for all.