On Friday, the nation mourned the tragic loss of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. For those of us committed to social and economic justice, it was a day to rededicate ourselves to the struggle to make this country a better place for everyone. For AFSCME, every April 4th is a special day to celebrate the life of Dr. King and the courage and will of the AFSCME strikers in Memphis whom King was supporting when he was killed.

Across the country, activists held rallies and marches and commemorative events, including several AFSCME affiliates. Local 1733 in Memphis, for example, held a march to the National Civil Rights Museum that received national media coverage. Local 3299 in California held a statewide protest to demand better wages and fair treatment. Images of the strikers’ “I Am A Man” placards were everywhere in the media, including on the front page of the Washington Post .

You can also read and hear strikers Taylor Rogers and Elmore Nickelberry movingly discuss the strike on NPR’s StoryCorps.

On Friday, John McCain went to Memphis as part of his presidential campaign, a brazen act of hypocrisy noted by President McEntee in his most recent entry on the Huffington Post, “McCain in Memphis: Straight Talk or Double Talk?”

And in case you missed it, we’ve posted a special splash page in honor of Dr. King at AFSCME.org which links to an updated MLK section of our website.

Speaking at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis on the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Sen. John McCain apologized for his vote in Congress opposing the national holiday celebrating Dr. King’s birthday. “I was wrong. I was wrong,” he said.

In his latest entry on The Huffington Post, AFSCME President Gerald McEntee says McCain has more to be ashamed of than that vote — in 1987, McCain went on record in support of the effort by controversial Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham to rescind Martin Luther King day as a state holiday.

Unfortunately, these brushes with bigotry are part of a pattern. In 1990, Senator McCain voted against the Civil Rights Act. During the Clinton Administration, he voted to defund the national commission promoting Dr. King’s vision for America.

Those are just a few examples of what Pres. McEntee calls “McCain double-talk,” so be sure to read the full post.

Forty years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to Memphis, Tenn., to support 1,300 AFSCME sanitation workers on strike. The men had walked off the job to get the city to recognize their union: AFSCME Local 1733.

On the evening of April 3, 1968, Dr. King delivered his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech – the last formal remarks he would give before his assassination the following day.

A new report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research shows that Dr. King’s support for unions is more relevant than ever. As the AFL-CIO blog points out, the study

“found that black union workers earned, on average, 38 percent more than their nonunion peers.”

Ministers, community activists and students marched alongside the striking workers in their fight for dignity. Two weeks after Dr. King’s murder, they won collective bargaining rights and recognition of their union.

Community support for the Memphis strike has paved the way for successful coalition work to this day. Witness how the United Methodist Church joined workers at the Walker Methodist Health Center in Minneapolis to win their four-year fight to form a union with AFSCME. Broad community support is also sustaining the current organizing efforts of 10,000 employees at Chicago’s Resurrection Health Care.

This video illustrates the close ties between Dr. King’s dream and AFSCME’s ongoing struggle for social justice. Four decades later, his dream lives on.

On February 12, 1968 — 40 years ago — 1,300 sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., decided that enough was enough. They went on strike to force the city to recognize their union, AFSCME Local 1733. The walkout capped a long history of mistreatment and disrespect amid shameful working conditions.

The strike was a defining moment for the modern labor and civil rights movements. Officially, the men were after rights and raises, but the signs they carried made clear that their struggle was for much more — dignity and respect.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. traveled to Memphis to support the striking workers. The evening of April 3, he delivered his famous “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech to a packed room of strikers and supporters. The next day, he was assassinated.

Visit AFSCME.org for more on AFSCME, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike.

A series of events are being held in Memphis to celebrate MLK Day — read more on the AFL-CIO Blog and watch the video clip below from WREG-TV for details on how AFSCME and the labor movement are working to make Dr. King’s dream a reality.