The Equal Employment Opportunity Act was passed in 1972. Before then, rampant employment discrimination forced us to fight every way we could. And fight we did.
#1: Memphis Sanitation Workers' Strike: In April 1968 Martin Luther King Jr. joined 1,300 Black Memphis sanitation workers who had been on strike for two months, because the city refused to improve safety standards after two Black workers were crushed inside a garbage truck. Twelve days after King’s death, the City Council agreed to increase wages and recognize their union.
#2: Dodge Revolutionary Union Movement (DRUM): On May 2, 1968, 4000 Black and white workers marched through Detroit demanding Chrysler Corporation and the United Auto Workers union improve conditions for Black workers. This launched nationwide anti-discrimination movements across the industry.
#3: Charleston Hospital Workers Strike: On March 20, 1969, Coretta Scott King joined more than 400 Black employees at Charleston Hospital, mainly women, on a 113-day protest after the arbitrary firing of 12 Black employees. The hospital eventually agreed to reinstate the workers and to implement a grievance policy.
Revoking the Equal Employment Opportunity Act only reinforces the kinds of discrimination that we’re still enduring today. But our continued resistance shows that we will never stop fighting for our rights.