Martin Luther King Jr waves to supporters on the Mall during the “March on Washington” in August 1963 (Photo: AFP/Getty Images) Why Memphis mattered to King Now he wanted a “second phase” struggle for “economic equality” so that everyone could have a well-paying job or a basic level of income, along with decent levels of healthcare, educationĪnd housing. The country’s adoption of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 had completed a “first phase” of the freedom movement, King said. Since 1957 he had fought to “redeem the soul of America” by seeking equality before the law, integration, and voting rights for all. King called it the Poor People’s Campaign. He had been crisscrossing the US for weeks, promoting a multiracial coalition to pressure Congress to reallocate money for war to money for human needs. This is an edited excerpt from ‘ To The Promised Land‘ by Michael K Honey The Lorraine Motel, where Martin Luther King Jr was shot, is now part of the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
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