One of the last remaining sanitation workers who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis during the civil rights movement has passed away.
Elmore Nickelberry died early Saturday morning (Dec. 30) following a hospital stay, a spokesperson for his family told ABC 24. The late activist was 92.
Nickelberry was one of the last living sanitation workers who protested for better pay and working conditions in 1968. He was 36 years old at the time. This drew the attention of the King, who came to the city to demonstrate alongside the employees.
“It’s wonderful to hear his name because he was a great man,” Nickelberry told Action News 4 in 2015. “I figured, if he comes to Memphis and march with us, it would be a better, a better time for me to march because we had to go through a lot of things during that time.”
Nickelberry continued working for the city’s sanitation following King’s historic appearance, giving over 60 years of his life to the profession. He and 13 other sanitation workers were given $50,000 from the City of Memphis to abate the rising cost of living for employees still on payroll without pensions, according to reporters.
ABC 24 said Nickelberry’s name is featured on the “I AM A MAN” plaza in Downtown Memphis, which opened in 2018.
Memphis mayor Jim Strickland issued a public statement recognizing Nickelberry for his contributions to the city and history:
“I’m sorry to hear about the passing of Elmore Nickelberry, a remarkable man whom I had gotten to know over the last eight years,” Strickland said. He served the public for over 60 years. His contributions to the sanitation strike and the pursuit of fair working conditions will be forever a part of Memphis history and a significant part of the America Civil Rights Movement.”
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