Taking A Stand: The 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike. Photography by Richard L. Copley

Taking A Stand: The 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike
Photography by Richard L. Copley
Open February 15, 2018 through April 30, 2018

Little did Richard Copley know that when he was hired by the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) to document the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike that he would not just witness history but also help capture it. For the 22-year old freelance photographer, it was the thrill of a lifetime to receive the assignment. The first event he covered was Dr. King’s first speech at Mason Temple early on in the strike. Copley documented the protests and the counter-protests that culminated in Dr. King’s death and the funeral march in early April 1968. Sixteen of Copley’s indelible images will be on display in the museum’s Founders and Control Room galleries.

Please join Richard for a special gallery talk at 7:00pm on Monday, March 26, 2018. The talk will be followed by a screening of the documentary, I AM A MAN.