Organizers of Saturday’s online assembly have deliberately modeled it after King’s 1968 Poor People’s Campaign ― echoing not just his title but also his goals.
In the fall of 1967, King and fellow activists started planning for a Poor People’s Campaign and march on Washington to challenge elected officials to address the economic inequalities faced by poor Americans.
King’s vision for the march was for poor protesters from all backgrounds to join forces in demanding an “economic bill of rights” that would direct government funds toward full employment, a guaranteed annual income, more low-income housing and other anti-poverty programs.
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An estimated 50,000 people joined in support of the Poor People's Campaign in Washington, D.C., on June 19, 1968.
The Poor People’s Campaign continued under the leadership of another civil rights leader, the Rev. Ralph Abernathy.
