http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/http://gallery.pictopia.com/providerasset/1/pictopia_logo.pnghttp://gallery.pictopia.com/providerasset/1/pictopia_logo.pngCivil rights Photos in Gallery from The Commercial Appeal en-usFri, 25 Feb 2011 09:40:41 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838605/Maxine Smith (left), longtime executive secretary of the Memphis chapter of the NAACP, and Rev. Ezekiel Bell (center) were among those arrested and photographed at police headquarters March 5, 1968, as Asst. Chief Henry Lux (right, with radio) watched. At one point, Smith said she was ordered into a men's restroom that was in use. "Only after one of the ministers being arrested joined me in asking that I not be sent into this urinal did the officer change his order." - Maxine Smith (By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Robert WilliamsFri, 25 Feb 2011 09:40:41 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838605/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838605&size=128&m=1298655641.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838605&size=128&m=1298655641.0Maxine Smithhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838605/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838608/A crowd turns out to see "Montgomery to Memphis" at the Malco March 24, 1970. Although several movies about King's life have been televised, the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize winner has only been on the silver screen once. The documentary was shown once in theaters on this date and featured commentary from Harry Belafonte, Sidney Poitier, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward and Ruby Dee, among others. ( By Sam Melhorn / The Commercial Appeal )Mon, 22 Nov 2010 13:55:18 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838608/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838608&size=128&m=1290462918.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838608&size=128&m=1290462918.0mlkmovie70http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838608/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838615/The daily sanitation strike marches resumed March 29, 1968 - one day after rioting left Main and Beale littered with bricks and broken glass and dappled with blood. The city was taking no chances on a repeat of the violence: National Guardsmen blocked off Beale Street. (By Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal)Barney SellersSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:38 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838615/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838615&size=128&m=1275193538.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838615&size=128&m=1275193538.0Sanitation Strike(2)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838615/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838616/T.O. Jones, Local 1733 president, listens to AFSCME president, Jerry Wurf, February 19, 2007, at a rally at the United Rubber Workers of America union hall on Firestone. Wurf came to town to champion union recognition, higher pay, union dues checkoffs and more equitable grievance procedures for disciplined or fired employees. Local union leaders had also protested a city practice of sending sewer and drain workers home on rainy days without a full day’s pay when they could not do their regular jobs. Wurf told supporters the strike was a fight by men asserting their humanity — not just a struggle for higher pay. (by Vernon Matthews / The Commercial Appeal)Vernon MatthewsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:38 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838616/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838616&size=128&m=1275193538.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838616&size=128&m=1275193538.0tojoneshall4http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838616/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838617/City Councilman Wyeth Chandler (who succeeded Henry Loeb as mayor of Memphis in 1972) talked with local AFSCME president T.O. Jones at a Feb. 22, 1968 Public Works Committee meeting during the sanitation strike. The council chamber, which held 422 seats, was crowded with more than 700 strikers clamoring for attention. Union leaders, ministers and workers rejected an offer to move to The Auditorium. The event was dubbed the "City Hall Sit-In" by local newspapers. "I felt that these persons (council members) who were elected would see and would understand the problems of the community. But it seems they were on a different stand altogether on this thing...they were split on different things," said T. O. Jones. (By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Bob WilliamsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:38 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838617/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838617&size=128&m=1275193538.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838617&size=128&m=1275193538.0Wyeth Chandler(4)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838617/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838598/During the tenure of O.T. Jones Sr., Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke to an overflow crowd at Mason Temple on March 18, 1968. (By Vernon Matthews / The Commercial Appeal)Vernon MatthewsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838598/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838598&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838598&size=128&m=1275193521.0Martin Luther King(2)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838598/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838611/The long-heralded mule train leg of the Poor People's campaign moved out of Marks, Mississippi May 13, 1968 after a brief delay when a leader of the train was arrested for obstructing traffic. Fifteen wagons and 29 mules were in the procession as it moved out behind a Mississippi Highway Patrol car en route to Batesville, Miss. ( By Vernon Matthews / The Commercial Appeal)Vernon MatthewsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838611/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838611&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838611&size=128&m=1275193521.0Poor People's Marchhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838611/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838599/The dignity of the march on behalf of striking Memphis sanitation workers March 28, 1968, soon gave way to disorder; hope turned to horror. Bernard Lee cleared the way for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. Behind Lee is Rev. Henry Starks and Roy Turks (right) of the Invaders, a loosely knit group of young activists. Witnesses said a group of about 200 youths began breaking windows and looting along Beale Street about 20 minutes after the march began. Police moved in with tear gas and nightsticks. March participants scattered, running for shelter. By day's end, one person was dead and more than 60 were injured. King agonized over what had happened and vowed to return to lead a peaceful mass march. On Wednesday, April 3, King again returned to Memphis. That night, more than 2,000 listened as he gave his famous "Mountaintop" speech at Mason Temple. The next day, at 6:01 p.m., an assassin's bullet struck Dr. King as he stood on the balcony outside room 306 of the Lorraine Motel. (By Sam Melhorn / The Commercial Appeal)Sam MelhornSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838599/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838599&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838599&size=128&m=1275193521.0Martin Luther King(3)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838599/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838612/U.S. Attorney General Ramsey Clark framed by reporters at Memphis Metropolitan Airport April 5, 1968 as he solemnly said there was a "great amount of physical evidence" uncovered in the slaying of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King was assassinated April 4 as he stood on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel. During another press conference at the Federal Building later that day, Clark said evidence "indicates a single individual. There is no evidence of a widespread plot." On April 11, the FBI inadvertently revealed they were seeking a Birmingham man, Eric Starvo Galt, for questioning in the murder. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover announced April 19 that a 15-day check of the fingerprints of more than 53,000 wanted criminals established that Galt was a Missouri prison escapee named James Earl Ray. He was arrested June 8 in London and returned to Memphis July 19. He pleaded guilty to the murder March 10, 1969, and received a 99-year-sentence. (By Charles Nicholas / The Commercial Appeal)Charles NicholasSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838612/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838612&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838612&size=128&m=1275193521.0Ramsey Clarkhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838612/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838600/At City Hall plaza Monday, April 8, 1968, a man wept. Coretta Scott King spoke to thousands of people - the poor, the powerful, the famous and the unknown - as they crowded the plaza. "How many more must die before we can really have a free and true and peaceful society? How long will it take?", she asked. A day later, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was eulogized at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church during a nationally televised funeral. Talks on the sanitation strike between the City of Memphis and union officials resumed after King's death and continued through Easter weekend April 13-14. King was assassinated April 4 as he stood on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel. (The Commercial Appeal)The Commercial AppealSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838600/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838600&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838600&size=128&m=1275193521.0Martin Luther King(5)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838600/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838613/About 800 strikers took their message to the streets for the first time Feb. 13, 1968 marching more than three miles to City Hall from the United Rubber Workers of America union hall on Firestone. The group was so large it had to assemble in The Auditorium, a downtown concert hall, before it could be addressed by the mayor and union leaders. Memphis garbage trucks remained silent and unmanned Feb. 12. - the first day of a sanitation strike that would mix tragedy and triumph, death and dignity. Almost 1,000 of the city's 1,100 sanitation workers did not report to work after discussions about wages and job conditions broke down between the city and Local 1733 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Sanitation laborers were paid $1.80 an hour and crew chiefs (truck drivers) $2.10 an hour. The minimum wage in 1968 was $1.60 an hour. Two weeks earlier, two sanitation workers were crushed to death in a garbage packer. Worker's compensation was not part of the job package. "The city had not come to grips and had not made any kind of concessions with the men as employees....They (the men) had reached the end of the line as far as they were concerned," said Local 1733 president T.O. Jones.(By Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal)Barney SellersSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838613/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838613&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838613&size=128&m=1275193521.0Sanitation Strike#2http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838613/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838601/A Memphis policeman stands watch as the man who served as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s right-hand, the Rev. Ralph Abernathy, assumed leadership of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference April 5, 1968 at the Lorraine Motel and promised to make the Monday April 8 march that King had planned. He also vowed to take up the scheduled "Poor People's Campaign" in Washington D.C. Coretta Scott King came to Memphis in a chartered airplane that morning to take her husband's body home to Atlanta. Earlier, hundreds of mourners filed past his open casket at R.S. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home on Vance. Dr. King was assassinated at 6:01 p.m., April 4, as he stood on the balcony outside room 306 at the Lorraine. At the time of his death, King was on his third trip to Memphis in support of striking sanitation workers. ( The Commercial Appeal)The Commercial AppealSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838601/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838601&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838601&size=128&m=1275193521.0Martin Luther King(6)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838601/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838606/(arc4-max-jpeg) On June 7, 1954, Memphis State College officials refused requests for admission of blacks to the college's summer term for the third time in less than two weeks. Awaiting an audience in the Administration Building were (left to right) Mardest Knowles, Nellie Peoples, Joseph McGhee, Ruth Booker and Elijah Noel. During a brief classroom meeting, J.M. Smith, president of the school, asked for transcripts of their high school records which none had with them. At that point, Smith read from a statutory provision listed in the school's catalog under admission requirements: "White persons, residents of the state, who have completed the full four-year course of an approved high school will be admitted to Memphis State College"...."That's all the authority I have. Until I am told differently, we will limit enrollment to white students," said Smith, the former state commissioner of education. The denial was appealed to the State Board of Education which on August 12, 1954 voted unanimously to refuse admission to the prospective students. Memphis State (by then it was a University) would not begin its' first integrated term until September 1959 when eight students reported for classes on the 18th. (By Charles Nicholas/The Commercial Appeal)Charles NicholasSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838606/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838606&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838606&size=128&m=1275193521.0MEMPHIS STATE COLLEGEhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838606/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838614/(Garbage Trucks) Memphis garbage trucks remained silent and unmanned Feb. 12, 1968 - the first day of a sanitation strike that would mix tragedy and triumph, death and dignity. Almost 1,000 of the city's 1,100 sanitation workers did not report to work after discussions about wages and job conditions broke down between the city and Local 1733 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Sanitation laborers were paid $1.80 an hour and crew chiefs (truck drivers) $2.10 an hour. The minimum wage in 1968 was $1.60 an hour. Two weeks earlier, two sanitation workers were crushed to death in a garbage packer. Worker's compensation was not part of the job package. (By Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal)Barney SellersSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838614/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838614&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838614&size=128&m=1275193521.0Sanitation Strike#4http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838614/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838602/A youth hoisted an upraised fist - a symbol of black power - as the airplane carrying Coretta Scott King and the body of her husband departed Memphis for Atlanta April 5, 1968. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated the day before as he stood on the balcony outside room 306 at the Lorraine Motel. At the time of his death, King was on his third trip to Memphis in support of striking sanitation workers. In a taped 1968 sermon of Dr. King's that was played at his funeral, he said: "Every now and then I think about my own death, and I think about my own funeral. Every now and then I ask myself, 'What is it that I would want said?'....Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize. That isn't important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards....I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace....That I was a drum major for righteousness." (By Charles Nicholas / The Commercial Appeal)Charles NicholasSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838602/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838602&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838602&size=128&m=1275193521.0Martin Luther King(7)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838602/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838607/James Meredith speaks to reporters at the Peabody Hotel, in Memphis, Tenn. prior to the start of his march June 5, 1966 as Butch Horn, 21, of Memphis, holds up a confederate flag behind him. The next day, Meredith was shot on Highway 51 about two miles south of Hernando, Miss. as he was leading the 'March Against Fear' to encourage blacks to exercise their voting rights. Meredith, who defied segregation to enroll at the University of Mississippi in 1962, completed the march from Memphis, Tenn., to Jackson, Miss., after recovering from his wounds. (By Dave Darnell / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838607/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838607&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838607&size=128&m=1275193521.0meredith10 copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838607/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838603/Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, Coretta Scott King, and three of the couple's four children led a memorial march through downtown Memphis Monday April 8, 1968. Rev. Ralph Abernathy and many other well known civil rights and union leaders were among an estimated 19,000 people from across the nation participating. Mrs. King and others spoke to the mass of mourners from a platform at City Hall plaza. "Those of you who believe in what Martin Luther King stood for - I would challenge you today to see that his spirit never dies. We are going to continue his work to make all people truly free and to make every person feel he is a human being," said Mrs. King. At the time of his death, April 4, Dr. King was on his third visit to Memphis in support of striking sanitation workers. (The Commercial Appeal)The Commercial AppealSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838603/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838603&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838603&size=128&m=1275193521.0Martin Luther King(8)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838603/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838595/Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. prayed with others who participated in a 220-mile march from Memphis to Jackson, Miss., on June 7, 1966, a day after James Meredith was shot. From left to right are Rev. William Smith, Memphis minister; Robert Green, Southern Christian Leadership Conference staff member; Floyd McKissick, national director of Congress of Racial Equality; King; Stokely Carmichael, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee; and Bernard Lee, a King aide. King and twenty-one marchers had driven from Memphis to this spot two miles south of Hernando where Meredith had been shot. They set out on a six mile march down Highway 51 South. After a brief shoving encounter with Mississippi Highway Patrolmen who pushed them off the highway onto the shoulder of the road, the marchers continued on to a point near Coldwater, Miss. In back (center to right) are Rev. H. Ralph Jackson in sunglasses, Hosea Williams, Cleveland Sellers, program director for SNCC asst. to Carmichael/SNCC and Rev. Andrew White, general officer of the National AME Churches. (By Fred Griffith / The Commercial Appeal)Fred GriffithSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838595/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838595&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838595&size=128&m=1275193521.0Martin Luther King Jr.(3)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838595/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838596/Martin Luther King Jr. (left) and his father, Martin Luther King Sr., are shown at the Memphis airport in a May 1(?), 1963 photograph. The two were attending a two day meeting of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King Jr. founded and headed as president. The night before, Rev. King Jr. spoke before a mass rally at Metropolitan Baptist Church. "Some people think the federal government is going to give the negro his freedom on a silver platter. But Mr. Kennedy isn't going to do any more than we make him do. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor - it is demanded by the oppressed," he said. Rev. King Jr., who had been jailed in Birmingham recently for demonstrating on Good Friday, returned there May 1 where he awaited a contempt of court hearing on the incident. (by Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Robert WilliamsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838596/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838596&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838596&size=128&m=1275193521.0Martin Luther King Jr.http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838596/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838604/The airplane carrying the body of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Atlanta flew past the flags of Memphis, Tennessee and the United States which were flying at half-staff Friday, April 5, 1968 at Memphis Metropolitan Airport. Sen. Robert Kennedy chartered the plane to take Coretta Scott King and the couple's children to Memphis to accompany his body home. In his 1989 autobiography, "And The Walls Came Tumbling Down," Ralph Abernathy wrote: "As I recall, there were about thirty-five of us on the plane, with the casket in the rear. It was a solemn trip, and most of us stared out the window and thought our own thoughts. As for me, I thought about Juanita (his wife) and the children - and how they might have felt had it been my body en route to Atlanta in a metal box. I also thought about the future, already crowding in on me with measuring tape, ready to fit me for the next casket." Dr. King was assassinated April 4 as he stood on the balcony outside his room at the Lorraine Motel. At the time of his death, King was on his third trip to Memphis in support of striking santitation workers. (By Charles Nicholas / The Commercial Appeal)Charles NicholasSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838604/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838604&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838604&size=128&m=1275193521.0Martin Luther King(9)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838604/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838609/Marvis LaVerne Kneeland (left) and Rose Blakney were among eight black students who joined 4,500 white students in classes at Memphis State University September 18, 1959. (The Commercial Appea filesl)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838609/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838609&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838609&size=128&m=1275193521.0MSU Integrationhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838609/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838597/Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. marched with others who participated in a 220-mile march from Memphis to Jackson, Miss., on June 7, 1966, a day after James Meredith was shot. Just left of King is Floyd McKissick, national director of Congress of Racial Equality. To King's right is Stokely Carmichael, chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. King and twenty-one marchers had driven from Memphis to this spot two miles south of Hernando where Meredith had been shot. They set out on a six mile march down Highway 51 South. After a brief shoving encounter with Mississippi Highway Patrolmen who pushed them off the highway onto the shoulder of the road, the marchers continued on to a point near Coldwater, Miss. ( By Fred Griffith / The Commercial Appeal)Fred GriffithSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838597/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838597&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838597&size=128&m=1275193521.0Martin Luther King(10)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838597/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838610/U.S. Army trucks ringed the Oxford, Miss. courthouse and soldiers blocked off entrances to the square October 1, 1962, in the wake of demonstrations that spread from the University of Mississippi campus to downtown following the admission of James Meredith, the first black student enrolled at Ole Miss. The eve of his admission was marked by riots that killed two people and injured more than one hundred. The square remained virtually deserted throughout the day. ( By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal )Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:21 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838610/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838610&size=128&m=1275193521.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838610&size=128&m=1275193521.0numeredith copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838610/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838590/Escorted by troops of the 101st Airborne Division, some of the nine black students leave a U.S. Army automobile to enter Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas September 26, 1957. The second day at the newly integrated school was relatively quiet. (By Lloyd Dinkins/The Commercial Appeal)Lloyd DinkinsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838590/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838590&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838590&size=128&m=1275193505.0lrock8 copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838590/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838582/James Meredith at the University of Mississippi Monday, October 1, 1962 with Ole Miss Registrar Robert Ellis. Riots erupted the previous night as Meredith arrived on campus to become the first black to attend the school. In his 1966 book, "Three Years in Mississippi", Meredith described the encounter: "Inside the room behind a desk sat Ellis, the Registrar. He was a lone stand-out, the only man on the scene with spirit - a spirit of defiance, even of contempt, ifnot hatred. Doar (John Doar of the U.S. Justice Dept.) stated our purpose and the Registrar pointed to a group of forms to be filled out by men. I looked at them and filled out all but one - my class-schedule form. As I studied it, obviously Ellis knew what was on my mind. One course on my schedule, not only was a duplicate of one with the same title which I had already completed with the grade of A, but when I got to the class, I found that the instructor was using the very same textbook. Ellis said to me "Meredith (he is the only official at the university who did not address me with the usual tide of courtesy), you may as well sign." I tried to discuss the matter with him, but it was no use. I signed and decided to take the matter up through other channels. The schedule was later changed to suit my needs". (By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Bob WilliamsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838582/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838582&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838582&size=128&m=1275193505.0James Meredith 1962http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838582/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838579/Elizabeth Eckford sits on a bench near Little Rock's Central High School September 4, 1957. Eckford was turned away by Arkansas National Guardsmen, who were instructed by Gov. Orval Faubus not to allow nine black students to enter the school, despite federal court orders. Eckford and the other black students known as The Little Rock Nine were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Bill Clinton in 1999. (By Lloyd Dinkins / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838579/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838579&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838579&size=128&m=1275193505.0eckford2 copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838579/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838583/Burned cars and uprooted signposts litter University Circle in front of the Lyceum at the University of Mississippi in Oxford, Miss. the morning of October 1, 1962. Riots erupted the previous night as James Meredith arrived on campus to become the first black to attend the school. (By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838583/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838583&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838583&size=128&m=1275193505.0James Meredith2http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838583/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838591/The tensions erupted into violence for the first time Feb. 23, 1968. Disagreement over what sparked the incident continues: Was it because marchers rocked a police car? Or did a police car first cross into the strikers’ lane and graze a woman? What is certain is that police sprayed Mace into the faces of marchers — including ministers — near the Goldsmith’s department store at Main and Gayoso. The protesters, some blind from Mace, dispersed in confusion. ‘‘Our . . . position was that the police would not have Maced ministers of the white community . . . knowing they were ministers. . . . We felt this was done because we were black.’’ — Dr. H. Ralph Jackson, director of the Minimum Salary Department of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (The Commercial Appeal files)  Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838591/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838591&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838591&size=128&m=1275193505.0mace2 copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838591/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838584/Chief U. S. Marshal James P. McShane arrived in Oxford, Mississippi Sunday, September 30, 1962 to lead federal officers onto the campus of the University of Mississippi. Following a night of violence which left two dead, James Meredith became the first black to be enrolled in the school. ( By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838584/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838584&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838584&size=128&m=1275193505.0James Meredith4http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838584/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838592/The tensions erupted into violence for the first time Feb. 23, 1968. Disagreement over what sparked the incident continues: Was it because marchers rocked a police car? Or did a police car first cross into the strikers’ lane and graze a woman? What is certain is that police sprayed Mace into the faces of marchers — including ministers — near the Goldsmith’s department store at Main and Gayoso. The protesters, some blind from Mace, dispersed in confusion including these men who took refuge in a nearby alley. (The Commercial Appeal files) 11x 14Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838592/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838592&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838592&size=128&m=1275193505.0mace3a copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838592/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838585/An Ole Miss student, on the way to class, protects his eyes from tear gas which still lingered over the Lyceum area Monday morning, October 1, 1962. Violence erupted the night before after James Meredith arrived on campus to be enrolled as the first black to attend the school. He was registered at 8:30 Monday morning. (By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Bob WilliamsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838585/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838585&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838585&size=128&m=1275193505.0James Meredith5http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838585/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838593/Jim Crow dictated separate entrances for whites and blacks at Memphis theatres, such as the Malco at Main & Beale, in 1954.( (By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal) NOTE: This photograph was made on or about January 8, 1954. The woman pictured is Miss Ruth Priest, 27. According to the caption, dozens of police cars responded to Main and Beale following the snatching of 14 half dollars by a young boy.Robert WilliamsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838593/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838593&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838593&size=128&m=1275193505.0Malco Theatrehttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838593/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838586/After the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. April 4, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson sent U.S. Undersecretary of Labor James Reynolds (right) to Memphis to help end the sanitation strike. Reynolds conferred with local mediator Frank Miles during ongoing talks between the city and union that began April 6 and led to the eventual settlement. "It had to be settled within the framework of the death of a man that never should have happened," said Miles in a 1993 interview. At the time of his death, Dr. King was in the midst of his third visit to Memphis in support of striking sanitation workers. (By Sam Melhorn / The Commercial Appeal)Sam MelhornSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838586/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838586&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838586&size=128&m=1275193505.0James Reynoldshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838586/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838594/Martin Luther King Jr. (right foreground) and his father, Martin Luther King Sr., are shown at the Memphis airport in a May 1(?), 1963 photograph. The two were attending a two day meeting of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which King Jr. founded and headed as president. The night before, Rev. King Jr. spoke before a mass rally at Metropolitan Baptist Church. "Some people think the federal government is going to give the negro his freedom on a silver platter. But Mr. Kennedy isn't going to do any more than we make him do. Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor - it is demanded by the oppressed," he said. Rev. King Jr., who had been jailed in Birmingham recently for demonstrating on Good Friday, returned there May 1 where he awaited a contempt of court hearing on the incident. (by Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Robert WilliamsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838594/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838594&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838594&size=128&m=1275193505.0Martin Luther King Jr.(2)http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838594/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838587/Memphis NAACP president Jesse H. Turner received rough treatment from police as he tried to restore calm and convince marchers to return to nearby Clayborn Temple AME Church March 28, 1968. "I was going to help police get things orderly. Someone shot me with Mace. Lord, what a mess." - Jesse H. Turner (By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Robert WilliamsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838587/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838587&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838587&size=128&m=1275193505.0Jesse Turnerhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838587/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838576/A group of black students from LeMoyne College found themselves quickly under arrest when they visited Brooks Memorial Art Gallery in Overton Park in the morning of March 22, 1960. They had gone there in protest against segregation policies under which the gallery operates. (The Commercial Appeal files)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838576/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838576&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838576&size=128&m=1275193505.0Brooks Sit Inshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838576/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838588/One of the Little Rock Nine, Minnijean Brown, (center), talks with a white student at Little Rock's Central High School September 25, 1957 after a fire alarm sounded sending the students outdoors. An Army spokesman said crank calls had been made about a bomb scare. Brown and the other black students known as The Little Rock Nine were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal by President Bill Clinton in 1999. (By Lloyd Dinkins/The Commercial Appeal)Lloyd DinkinsSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838588/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838588&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838588&size=128&m=1275193505.0lrock1a copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838588/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838580/Elizabeth Eckford sits on a bus bench near Little Rock's Central High School September 4, 1957, after she was turned away by Arkansas National Guardsmen, who were instructed by Gov. Orval Faubus not to allow nine black students to enter the school, despite federal court orders. (By Lloyd Dinkins / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838580/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838580&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838580&size=128&m=1275193505.0eckford3 copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838580/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838577/On Feb. 20, 1968, striking sanitation workers received their last paychecks, which were passed through a fence at the Scott Street Station. For men like Benny Booker (left), Willie Cartwright (center), and Joe Jackson (right) the day marked a true break with the past - and perhaps the end of their careers with the city. The men relied on union payments and charity throughout the strike. "Well, I'm going to tell you the truth. When we went (on strike), if they didn't give us what we wanted, I wasn't coming back. I said, 'If the strike doesn't work, I'm gonna live anyway. I'll go to Arkansas and pick some cotton, but I'm gonna live.' If I hadn't felt that way, I wouldn't have went out in the first place," said sanitation worker Otto Carnes in a 1992 interview. (By Barney Sellers / The Commercial Appeal)Barney SellersSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838577/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838577&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838577&size=128&m=1275193505.0castrike220http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838577/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838589/Escorted by troops of the 101st Airborne Division, nine black students enter Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas September 25, 1957. The Little Rock school board had voted to integrate their school system but a crisis erupted when Governor Orval Faubus called up the Arkansas National Guard on September 4 to prevent the Little Rock Nine from attending Central High. The students tried again without success to attend on September 23, 1957. The next day, September 24, President Dwight D. Eisenhower deployed elements of the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to protect the students. (By Lloyd Dinkins / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838589/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838589&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838589&size=128&m=1275193505.0lrock4a copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838589/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838581/Elizabeth Eckford sits on a bus bench near Little Rock's Central High School September 4, 1957, after she was turned away by Arkansas National Guardsmen, who were instructed by Gov. Orval Faubus not to allow nine black students to enter the school, despite federal court orders. (By Lloyd Dinkins / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838581/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838581&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838581&size=128&m=1275193505.0eckford4 copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838581/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838578/Daisy Bates, of Little Rock, visited Memphis, Tenn. in August 1959. At left is Lt. George W. Lee, a prominent Memphis civic leader and author. Bates acted as advisor to the nine black students who integrated Little Rock's Central High School in 1957. She died in 1999. (The Commercial Appeal)The Commercial AppealSat, 29 May 2010 21:25:05 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838578/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838578&size=128&m=1275193505.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838578&size=128&m=1275193505.0Daisy Bateshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838578/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838573/The tensions erupted into violence for the first time Feb. 23, 1968. Disagreement over what sparked the incident continues: Was it because marchers rocked a police car? Or did a police car first cross into the strikers’ lane and graze a woman? What is certain is that police sprayed Mace into the faces of marchers — including ministers — near the Goldsmith’s department store at Main and Gayoso. The protesters, some blind from Mace, dispersed in confusion. ‘‘Our . . . position was that the police would not have Maced ministers of the white community . . . knowing they were ministers. . . . We felt this was done because we were black.’’ — Dr. H. Ralph Jackson, director of the Minimum Salary Department of the African Methodist Episcopal Church (By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:20:46 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838573/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838573&size=128&m=1275193246.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838573&size=128&m=1275193246.0022368macinghttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838573/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838574/The amplified voice of AFSCME International president Jerry Wurf (with microphone) boomed over the scene, pleading with the city to allow a peaceful march. Mayor Henry Loeb and Fire and Police Director Frank Holloman agreed, but confined the Feb. 23, 1968 march to the west lane of Main Street. Ministers joined the march, in which the men walked four abreast. ‘‘These people are peaceful. Please help us keep it peaceful. We just want to get them to a hall. Let us get them to a hall. They’ve been treated very badly this afternoon and they are just upset.’’ — Jerry Wurf ( By Vernon Matthews / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:20:46 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838574/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838574&size=128&m=1275193246.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838574&size=128&m=1275193246.0022368wurfhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838574/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838571/An inch of snow — enough to bring Memphis to a near standstill — fell the night of Feb. 14, 1968 as relationships between the city and strikers chilled further. The next day, garbage trucks — manned by workers who remained on the job and replacement workers hired by the city — returned to the streets, accompanied by police escorts. Driver George Kelsey was among the employees who stayed on the job. He talked with a policeman before heading to the streets. Kelsey joined the union after the strike. ‘‘It was tough times. Some people wanted to work and some didn’t. . . . My wife was sick. I couldn’t just stop, because there were medical bills coming in.’’ — George Kelsey ( By Jim McKnight / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:20:45 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838571/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838571&size=128&m=1275193245.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838571&size=128&m=1275193245.0021468nonstrikerhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838571/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838572/The old gospel hymn I Shall Not Be Moved became a civil rights anthem during the 1960s. On Feb. 22, 1968, striking sanitation workers in the City Council chambers lifted their voices and proclaimed ‘‘We shall not, we shall not be moved’’ as they awaited the start of a Public Works Committee meeting. Tarlease Mathews and Rev. P. L. Rowe led the singing, while other supporters provided bologna sandwiches and coffee. ‘‘We must be determined to win this strike and we cannot afford to turn back no matter what the cost.’’ — Adjua Naantaanbuu (formerly Tarlease Mathews) ( By Robert Williams/ The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:20:45 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838572/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838572&size=128&m=1275193245.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:8838572&size=128&m=1275193245.0022268singhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/8838572/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/398120/(mkca4/8aa.jpg) Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s widow, Coretta Scott King, and three of the couple's four children - Yolanda King (left), Martin Luther King III and Dexter King - led a march through downtown Memphis Monday, April 8, 1968. The march, originally planned to refocus attention on the sanitation strike, became a memorial to King. Rev. Ralph Abernathy and other prominent civil rights and union leaders an estimated 19,000 people from across the nation. The march to City Hall moved quietly - almost silently - down Main Street, the droning of the police helicopter overhead and the shouts of National Guardsmen to "clear the way" the loudest sounds on the street thronged with people. Mrs. King spoke to the crowd from a platform at City Hall plaza. "He gave his life for the poor of the world, the garbage workers of Memphis and the peasants of Vietnam. Nothing hurt him more than that man could attempt in no way to solve his problems except through violence," she said. At the time of his death, April 4, Dr. King was on his third visit to Memphis in support of striking sanitation workers. (By Sam Melhorn / Copyright, The Commercial Appeal)Sam MelhornSat, 29 May 2010 21:20:45 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/398120/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:398120&size=128&m=1275193245.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:398120&size=128&m=1275193245.0Coretta Kinghttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/398120/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/398122/AN estimated 19,000 people from across the nation participated in the memorial march. "Honor King - End Racism" was among the slogans on the signs they carried. "I never have marched for any cause before . . . I've been hearing a long time about the things Martin Luther King has done for us. And then the sanitation trouble. I got friends who's suffering over it. It ought to be settled . . . I'm here for those reasons and lots more." - W. M. Horton, marcher (The Commercial Appeal)The Commercial AppealSat, 29 May 2010 21:20:45 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/398122/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:398122&size=128&m=1275193245.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:398122&size=128&m=1275193245.0King Marchhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/398122/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/582691/James Meredith, surrounded by federal marshals, walked toward his first class in colonial American history at the University of Mississippi October 1, 1962 after his historic registration. Chief U.S. Marshal James P. McShane walked at his right elbow. Department of Justice attorney John Doar is at Meredith's left. (By Robert Williams / The Commercial Appeal)Sat, 29 May 2010 21:20:45 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/582691/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:582691&size=128&m=1275193245.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:582691&size=128&m=1275193245.0meredith14 copyhttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/582691/Civil rightsCivil rightshttp://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/398123/Three demonstrators who were a part of a group of 19 who sought to use the facilities of Memphis Public Library at Peabody and McLean Saturday March 19, 1960. The following Monday, thirty-six students at either LeMoyne College or S.A. Owen Junior College were fined for the sit-ins at the Main and Cossitt Libraries. Arthur Eberhardt is in the center of the photograph. On the left is Amanda Battles and at right is Jean Wiggins. (By Lou Lowry / The Commercial Appeal files)Lou LowrySat, 29 May 2010 21:20:45 -0000http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/398123/The Commercial Appeal//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:398123&size=128&m=1275193245.0//pictopia.com/perl/get_image?provider_id=362&ptp_photo_id=memphiscom:398123&size=128&m=1275193245.0Library Sit-Ins 2http://gallery.pictopia.com/memphiscom/gallery/6294/photo/398123/Civil rightsCivil rights