Newark, New Jersey was a political hotbed during the time the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr traveled to promote his Poor People’s Campaign. His stop there speaks volumes to how his work grew, but was received differently.
The Poor People’s Campaign for Martin Luther King Jr. was his refreshed advocacy of what he saw as the most vulnerable population in the United States-folks in poverty. Veering away from desegregation, Dr. King broadened his work to focus on the severe racial wealth gaps he saw when he went on a tour of the U.S. So alarmed by the levels of extreme economic disenfranchisement, Dr. King started the Poor People’s Campaign, and a subsequent tour.
What Dr. King did not expect was the rejection of his initiative. Nevertheless, he went on to join labor disputes and other causes attempting to close the growing economic gaps. On Weekly Check In, Newark-based historian, sociologist and activist, Afrika, talks about the political bones of Newark and the time that MLK came to the city.
[give_form id=”7786″]
We’re raising money for Ark Republic and Black Farmers Index. We need your help to keep the wheels churning and the stories flowing. Please donate to organizations committed to keeping you informed with rich, robust stories and great connections to empowered people.
[give_form id=”7786″]
