February 12 is the fiftieth anniversary of the Memphis sanitation workers strike, and to mark the occasion, thousands of fast food workers across the country walked off the job. In Memphis itself:
Seeing the rally nearby, 28-year-old Burger King employee Robin Curtis said she made a split-second decision to walk out on her job of about six months, telling her manager, “Time for a change.”
“To make a change, if I have to quit, I will,” said Curtis, who is working multiple jobs as she raised two children in South Memphis.
Bridget Hughes, a local mom of three, has worked in fast-food for 10 years. She spoke at the rally.
“Low wage workers today here in Kansas City and across the nation are carrying on the tradition of Dr. King and the sanitation workers. Every day, working people are overcoming our divisions and organizing together to win better for all of us. We know that McDonald’s and these billion-dollar companies are trying to rig the political and economic system against us. Are we going to let them do that? If we are going to win, we must use our strength in numbers and come together as one people.”
Check out more scenes from the strikes and rallies below.