Rumor has it that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. might pay a visit to Memphis in the near future. Recent reports in both the Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Press-Scimitar suggest that ministers allied with striking sanitation workers have urged the civil rights leader to come to the city in support of the strike effort.
This Tuesday King will be in the city of Clarksdale in northern Mississippi, less than 80 miles from Memphis, as part of preparations for the upcoming Poor People’s Campaign. Publicly, strike leaders are being tight lipped about the possibility of a visit by King. When asked for comment, Rev. James Lawson, a key strike leader who has previously worked with King, would not corroborate the story.
Covington, Jimmy. “King Implored By Ministers to Come Here.” Commercial Appeal (Memphis, TN), Mar. 14, 1968.
Unknown. “Strike Leaders Await Visit of NAACP Leader.” Memphis Press-Scimitar (Memphis, TN), Mar. 14, 1968.