dec 1, 1967 - The Poor People's Campaign

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The Poor People’s Campaign, announced in December 1967, was another campaign by King and the SCLC
It was designed to help poor people of all races - Mexicans, Native Americans and poor white Americans all joined the campaign which wanted:
An extension of welfare to help the unemployed
A fair minimum wage
Education for poor adults as well as children to improve their self-esteem and their chances of getting a good job
The campaign was focused on Washington DC, where thousands of people set up temporary shelters near the Congress building ready to protest
Despite King’s assassination in April, the campaign went ahead in June 1968
However, without King to hold them together, the different groups disagreed on the tactics to be used in the protest and many supporters left Washington even before a planned march took place
The campaign did have some small successes, such as getting free food programmes in poorer areas, but, in reality, it’s poor organisation meant it was generally seen as a disaster which damaged the public image of the civil rights movement

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