The Walter P. Reuther Library, in collaboration with the Wayne State University Law School’s Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights, will host photographer Richard L. Copley on Thursday, June 7 as he discusses his work and experiences during the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike.
Copley will talk about the assignment — his first as a photojournalist — to document the strike.
The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Wayne Law’s Partrich Auditorium at 471 W. Palmer,
The strike became an important chapter in the civil rights movement, attracting the support of Martin Luther King Jr., who was visiting the striking workers when he was assassinated.
Copley documented key moments during the strike, including marches, police and National Guard response, rallies, speeches, and memorials for King.
