The Poor People's Campaign

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses civil rights organizations and social movements. In particular, the paper focuses on Martin Luther King Jr.'s Poor People's Campaign. The paper shows how the Poor People's Campaign was a radical departure from traditional historical civil rights actions as it expanded the concept of civil rights beyond race to the social depravity that was caused by economic injustice. The campaign's ideas and concepts and whether it could be considered a success or failure are also discussed.

From the Paper:

"Many argue that the Poor People's Campaign was a marked failure in its ability to make lasting effects toward social change and representation. Yet, it is also clear that the concepts that King and the SCLC furthered were entrenched in the social movements of the day. It is also clear that the movement has not reached its goals, as social, economic disparity is actually growing at an alarming rate, currently. The literature surrounding the Poor People's Campaign does have a tendency to get bogged down in the details of the Campaign itself and the strategic failure of it, even though it was clearly a situational failure that could have been added to by the number of people who volunteered, directly resulting from King's death. Interestingly there is a clear sense that the Campaign may have been a thriving success, had King been present to work his human persuasion magic."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Curran, L. (2003). The Culture of Race, Class, and Poverty: The Emergence of a Cultural Discourse in Early Cold War Social Work. Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare, 30(3), 15.
• Hon, L. C. (1997). To Redeem the Soul of America: Public Relations and the Civil Rights Movement. Journal of Public Relations Research, 9(3), 163-212.
• Howe, B., & Pidwell, R. (2002). Poverty Research and Social Policy. Australian Journal of Social Issues, 37(2), 113.
• Jalata, A. (2003). Comparing the African American and Oromo Movements in the Global Context. Social Justice, 30(1), 67.
• McKnight, G. D. (1998). The Last Crusade Martin Luther King, Jr., the FBI, and the Poor People's Campaign. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.

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