Current:Home > NewsElmore Nickleberry, a Memphis sanitation worker who marched with Martin Luther King, has died at 92 -Elite Financial Minds
Elmore Nickleberry, a Memphis sanitation worker who marched with Martin Luther King, has died at 92
View
Date:2025-04-18 20:12:42
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Elmore Nickleberry, a longtime Memphis sanitation worker who participated in the pivotal 1968 strike that brought the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to the city where the civil rights leader was killed, has died at age 92.
Nickleberry died on Dec. 30 in Memphis, according to an obituary by R.S. Lewis and Sons Funeral Home, which handled his services. A cause of death was not disclosed.
Nickleberry was one of about 1,300 Black sanitation workers who formed a union and went on strike after two colleagues, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, were crushed by a faulty garbage truck compactor as they sought shelter from a rainstorm in the back of the truck on Feb. 1, 1968. Many struggled to pay bills and feed their families as they held out for better pay, working conditions and benefits.
“We didn’t have a place to shower, wash our hands, nothing,” Nickleberry told the Associated Press in a 2018 interview.
King came to Memphis to support the strike and build support for his Poor People’s Movement. He led a march on Beale Street on March 28, 1968, that turned violent when police and protesters clashed. Nickleberry was one of the marchers who joined King that day in the Mississippi River city.
“A lot of people got hit and started running. I got hit on the arm, so I went down to the river,” Nickleberry said. “A lot of people got dogs sicked on them ... It was bad during that time. Really bad.”
King had planned another march but he was fatally shot while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel on April 4. The sanitation workers eventually struck a deal for higher pay and improved conditions.
“When he came, all of us were happy, because we figured if he came to town, we would get better working conditions,” Nickleberry said. “Dr. King was a great man.”
On the 50th anniversary of King’s assassination, Nickleberry recalled the famous “Mountaintop” speech King delivered on a stormy night at the Mason Temple the night before he died.
“He knew something was going to happen. He could feel it,” Nickleberry said. “When he spoke like that, he had the power in his voice.”
Nickleberry worked for the Memphis sanitation department for 65 years. He served in the U.S. Army and was honorably discharged before going to work for the department at the age of 21.
“I stood outside the gate for two weeks trying to get a job,” Nickleberry said. “Then a man told me, ‘Boy, you’ve been coming here for two weeks, a week or two.’ I said. ‘Yes sir.’ He said, ‘Come on in boy.’ I went on in, and the next day I started picking up garbage.”
Nickleberry and other sanitation workers received several awards in later years. A memorial near the Clayborn Temple, where organizers passed out the famous “I Am A Man” placards they would carry during protests, honors their legacy.
“The efforts of the strikers, with their iconic “I Am A Man” placards, and of people of good will in Memphis, led to remarkable progress in race relations and labor equity, and forever changed my city for the better,” U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a Memphis Democrat, said in a statement after Nickleberry’s death. “The strike and its aftermath were a defining moment for Memphis and for the country.”
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Punxsutawney Phil is a dad! See the 2 groundhog pups welcomed by Phil and his wife, Phyllis
- Kenan Thompson calls for 'accountability' after 'Quiet on Set' doc: 'Investigate more'
- Fourth Wing Author Rebecca Yarros Reveals Release Date of 3rd Book in Her Series
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- 'We will never forget': South Carolina Mother, 3-year-old twin girls killed in collision
- How to get rid of eye bags, according to dermatologists
- 'Shirley': Who plays Shirley Chisholm and other politicians in popular new Netflix film?
- Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
- Upgrade Your Meals with These Tasty Celebrity Cookbooks, from Tiffani Thiessen to Kristin Cavallari
Ranking
- Nevada attorney general revives 2020 fake electors case
- I Tried 83 Beauty Products This Month. These 15 Are Worth Your Money: Milk Makeup, Glossier, and More
- Draymond Green ejected less than four minutes into Golden State Warriors' game Wednesday
- 4 dead, 7 injured after stabbing attack in northern Illinois; suspect in custody
- How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, E.T.
- Here are NHL draft lottery odds for league's bottom teams. Who will land Macklin Celebrini?
- The colonel is getting saucy: KFC announces Saucy Nuggets, newest addition to menu
Recommendation
Federal hiring is about to get the Trump treatment
2024 NFL mock draft: Four QBs go in top four picks thanks to projected trade
Key findings from AP’s investigation into police force that isn’t supposed to be lethal
King Charles III Shares His Great Sadness After Missing Royal Event
California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
The 50 Most Popular Amazon Items E! Readers Bought This Month: Viral Beauty, Kyle Richards' Picks & More
Republican-passed bill removes role of Democratic governor if Senate vacancy occurs in Kentucky
US changes how it categorizes people by race and ethnicity. It’s the first revision in 27 years