An exhibit exploring the movement against poverty founded by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Rev. Ralph Abernathy in the late '60s opens Thursday at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People’s Campaign is curated by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service and the National Museum of African American History and Culture, both located in Washington, D.C.
"It is a great example of a social justice movement — numerous people from all walks of life who gathered around one central issue. And this demonstration is a great example of just one of many examples of social justice movements in the United States," says Stephanie Lampkin, Ph.D., curator at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.
King and Abernathy created the Poor People's Campaign to bring attention to the issue of poverty in America. The movement pushed for human rights in the wake of ballooning poverty. By the 1960s, 25 million Americans lived in poverty, according to the Smithsonian. While President Lyndon B. Johnson declared a "war on poverty" in 1964, social inequalities and lack of equal access meant not much help for those who needed it most.
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The campaign included a six-week protest in Washington, D.C., on the National Mall. The culmination was a June 19 march from the Washington Monument to the Lincoln Memorial, which went on despite King's assassination in Memphis in April 1968.
"It's relevant to today because a lot of the issues addressed during the Poor People's Campaign are still issues now — livable wage, nutritious food, access to education and health care," Lampkin explains. "These are ongoing issues where we have seen disparity in these areas. This has been an issue now, and it was an issue in the '60s."
The exhibit includes photos, protest signs, political buttons, historical audio recordings from the protests, and oral histories from campaign participants and organizers.
"I think it helps to make that personal connection and know that these were real individuals who really took it upon themselves to participate in this movement; who felt really strongly and passionately, and were driven to take action and do something," says Lampkin of hearing the first-person recordings. "I think hearing those personal stories can help bring that connection, that emotional connection, to our visitors as they explore the exhibit."
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There's also a 3D map of "Resurrection City." That was a protest community created on the National Mall featuring "planned spaces for housing, a cultural center, city hall, theater stage and essential services, including facilities for food and dining, sanitation, communications, education, medical and dental care and childcare."
Solidarity Now! 1968 Poor People’s Campaign runs March 30 through June 19.
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is a financial supporter of Cincinnati Public Radio.
