AFSCME New Jersey to honor deaths of two sanitation workers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 27, 2018
CONTACT:
Jocelyn Alcox
609-364-5918 (mobile)
609-586-9093 (office)
***MEDIA ADVISORY***
AFSCME New Jersey to honor deaths of two sanitation workers
Trenton, New Jersey – On February 1, 1968, Memphis sanitation workers Echol Cole and Robert Walker huddled in the back of their truck to seek shelter from a storm. Suddenly, the truck’s compactor malfunctioned, trapping Cole and Walker and crushing them to death.
The tragedy triggered the strike of the city’s 1,300 sanitation workers. They had warned the city about dangerous equipment but were ignored. They were fed up with poverty wages and racial discrimination. They walked off the job and marched under the banner: I AM A MAN.
On February 1, 2018, the 50th anniversary of the accident that killed Cole and Walker, we will observe a moment of silence to honor their memory and sacrifice, as we pick up the mantle from the 1968 strikers in the ongoing fight for racial and economic justice.
AFSCME New Jersey invites you to attend either of two events that we will be holding in honor of brothers Cole and Walker.
| WHAT: | Moment of Silence | WHAT: | Moment of Silence |
| WHEN: | Thursday, February 1 | WHEN: | Thursday, February 1 |
| 11:15 AM EST | 1:00 PM EST | ||
| WHERE: | Department of Public Works Yard | WHERE: | DPW Yard |
| 219 N. Fulton Ave. | East 16th St, | ||
| Montclair, NJ | Paterson, NJ | ||
| SPECIAL GUEST: | Mayor Robert Jackson |
