1968 Sanitation Strikers Speak to Young Activists

January 13, 2012

This post from Memphis AFSCME Local 1733 was written by Eli Magana.

Students from Texas Christian University meet with AFSCME Local 1733 activists from the 1968 sanitation strike.

This week, while touring historical places of the Civil Rights Movement in the South, students from Texas Christian University learned about community organizing and leadership by meeting with activists who participated in that historic struggle.

Their journey would not have been complete without a trip to Memphis Local 1733, where they heard testimonies from three of the original 1968 sanitation strikers: Baxter Leach, Alvin Turner and Elmore Nickelberry. In his remarks, Nickelberry shared, “Because we stood together and organized ourselves we were able to gain respect. That is how we changed things back then and that is what we have to do now.”

Meeting with the sanitation strikers was life-changing, according to Corey Bennett, an African American student majoring in computer science. “Without them I wouldn’t be able to do the things I can do today,” he realized.

When the students return home, they will put what they learned to action. Professor Max Krochmal, the leader of the group, said, “It was a great opportunity for these students to hear from these great activists who made it happen.”