Harmon Wray: An Appreciation

August 06, 2007

When Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to Memphis in 1968 to stand with sanitation workers who were fighting for recognition of their AFSCME union, Harmon L. Wray was there. And when King was assassinated, Wray was so moved that he committed himself to a lifetime of service, joining the Nashville-based Southern Prison Ministry, which served men and women in the nation’s prisons.

Three years ago, Wray marched with AFSCME corrections officers who were protesting a move by the Shelby County Commissioners to privatize the Memphis City Jail. The commissioners backed off and the COs won.

Last week, after 40 years of ministry and activism, Wray died in Nashville of a massive brain hemorrhage. He was 61.

“He was a great ally and an eloquent spokesman for Memphis working families,” says Dorothy Crook, Director of Local 1733. “He leaves behind an inspiring legacy of tenacity, fearless advocacy and passion for justice.”