Elmore Nickleberry was a sanitation worker and activist who took part in the 1968 strikes in Memphis, Tennessee, and marched alongside Martin Luther King Jr. (1929–1968) to fight for better working conditions and pay.
- Died: December 30, 2023 (Who else died on December 30?)
- Details of death: Died in Memphis, Tennessee, at the age of 92.
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Elmore Nickleberry’s legacy
Nickleberry helped make history with one simple request: that he be treated decently. Nickleberry served in the Korean War, but his veteran status made no difference in being subjected to Jim Crow laws and segregation as a Black man in America. He began working for the Memphis, Tennessee sanitation department when he returned from the war, where he was paid a mere $1.65 per hour – a little less than $15 per hour in today’s currency – and worked in ugly conditions while subjected to racist abuse. He often went home covered in filth and maggots because Black workers weren’t allowed to use the sanitation department showers, opting to walk the six miles from work rather than take the bus due to his state. After two colleagues were killed by a faulty garbage truck compactor in February 1968, Nickleberry and other sanitation workers went on strike.
The strikes involved over 1,300 workers and drew national interest and caught the attention of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. King came to the city to join the protest, where they were attacked by police. In March, fights broke out, and one protestor was shot and killed. King was assassinated just six days later. Within the month, the city of Memphis finally agreed to recognize the workers’ union and provide better wages, stricter protections from racist discrimination, and safer working conditions.
Nickleberry continued working for the sanitation department for many years to come, in part out of necessity. Despite their victory, low pay and pension benefits forced him to continue working into his late 80s. He retired in 2018, only after a settlement with the city provided him and other surviving strikers with $50,000 each as compensation for their poor pension amounts. Nickleberry was the longest-serving municipal employee in Memphis history.
On marching with Martin Luther King Jr.
“That day was a good day. It was a marvelous day. When I saw him, I said that’s a man, he’s going to change a lot of things.”—from a 2018 interview with CBS Evening News
Tributes to Elmore Nickleberry
Full obituary: The New York Times
