Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s unwavering commitment to economic, social, and racial justice remains a powerful legacy that continues to inspire today’s civil rights leaders and advocates for social, environmental, and climate justice. As a central figure in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, Dr. King played a pivotal role in leading boycotts against racial injustice in the US, particularly in the Deep South. During the 1955-1956 Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. King, then a young Baptist minister, was chosen to lead the newly formed Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA). Under his leadership, the boycott became became a powerful tool of resistance, as nearly the entire African American population of Montgomery refused to ride the buses for over a year. This action, which caused significant financial losses for the bus company, ultimately led to the desegregation of the city’s buses and propelled Dr. King to national prominence as a leading voice for civil rights.
In 1961, Dr. King and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) joined the Albany
Movement at the invitation of local activists. Here, Dr. King led economic boycotts against segregated businesses, urging Black residents to avoid shopping at White-owned stores that practiced racial discrimination in hiring or services. While the Albany campaign did not secure immediate legislative wins or complete desegregation, it was a powerful lesson in organizing, perseverance, and coalition building. The economic boycott campaign in Albany laid the groundwork for future campaigns across the South and underscored Dr. King’s belief that economic power could be leveraged to dismantle systemic racism.
Dr. King was arrested and jailed for his leadership in opposing violence against Black people. In his famous Letter from Birmingham Jail, Dr. King powerfully addressed the issues of oppression and unjust laws. He wrote, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” emphasizing that the fight for freedom and dignity cannot be confined to by geography comfort. Dr. King sharply criticized the so-called “white moderate,” who he said was more devoted to “order” than to justice, and cautioned against waiting for a “more convenient season” to demand change. His reflections on oppression, unjust laws, and moral responsibility remain urgently relevant today, especially as we confront ongoing police brutality against African Americans, voter suppression, environmental racism, and economic inequality. His words call on each of us not to be silent in the face of injustice, but to act with courage—even more timely given the current political landscape. It is a firm reminder that legality does not equal morality, and that true justice requires challenging systems of oppression wherever they exist, whether in the courtroom, the legislature, or the environment we live in.
In 1968, Dr. King gave his “I have a Dream speech” during the March on Washington. Held on August 28, the march was the culmination of decades of activism demanding civil rights, economic justice, and an end to racial segregation in the United States. Organized by a coalition of civil rights, labor, and religious organizations, including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the SCLC, the National Urban League, and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), the march aimed to address discriminatory practices in employment, housing, and public life. It was further propelled by brutal images of violence in the South, especially in Birmingham, Alabama, which exposed the hypocrisy of American democracy to the world. In his speech, Dr. King’s words – “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character” -became a moral framework for the nation. It evoked the aspiration of a color-conscious justice, not colorblind denial and politics.
Today, that dream remains unfulfilled. Racial disparities persist in policing, education, housing, and environmental exposures. Dr. King’s quote is often misused to argue against racial equity efforts rather than for them. Dr. King was not advocating for the erasure of racial identity, but rather a society where skin color no longer determines one’s access to opportunity or safety. The enduring power of his words is a reminder that true justice requires not just tolerance, but fundamental policy transformation and societal change.
Dr. King transitioned from just talking about civil rights and human rights to address the deeply entrenched issues of poverty through the Poor People’s Campaign. Unlike previous campaigns focused primarily on desegregation and voting rights, the Poor People’s Campaign sought to confront systemic poverty, housing inequality, unemployment, and hunger—emphasizing the structural nature of economic injustice in America. Though Dr. King was assassinated before the campaign’s peak, the movement culminated in a dramatic protest encampment called “Resurrection City” on the National Mall, where thousands traveled to Washington DC to pursue his vision. Resurrection City was made up of 3,000 wooden tents, and protestors camped out there for 42 days, until evicted bringing national attention to the interconnectedness of race, class, and economic opportunity. The largest event of the protest was a “Solidarity Day” rally at the Lincoln Memorial on June 19, 1968, where over 50,000 people lined the Reflecting Pool and listened to speakers recall the day five years before when Dr. King had given his “I Have a Dream” speech in the same location.
Today, the Poor People’s Campaign has been reimagined by Rev. Dr. William Barber II and Rev. Liz Theoharis, who have revitalized the movement advocating for the rights of the poor, workers, and the planet. During his acceptance of the Noble Peace Prize in 1964, Dr. King stated “there is nothing new about poverty. What is new, however, is that we have the resources to get rid of it.” This quote reflects Dr. King’s deep conviction that poverty and economic inequality are not inevitable, but rather a moral failure in the face of abundant resources and technological progress. This sentiment was central to the Poor People’s Campaign and Resurrection City, and it continues to resonate in today’s movements for racial, environmental, and economic justice. These struggles are fundamentally interconnected.
In 1968, Dr. King traveled to Memphis, Tennessee, to stand with Black sanitation workers who were protesting polluted and hazardous work conditions, such as leaking garbage trucks, poor protective equipment, and exploitative labor practices. The strike was catalyzed by the tragic death of two sanitation workers, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, who were crushed in a malfunctioning garbage truck after being forced to seek shelter in it during a storm -Black workers were not allowed to take refuge indoors.
During the protest, Dr. King delivered his final speech, “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop,” where he poignantly stated “I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.” Seen as prophetic given the circumstances, the quote symbolizes hope, sacrifice, and collective progress, and continues to inspire generations fighting for civil rights, occupational safety, and environmental justice. It reminds us that even in the face of violence and resistance, the struggle for justice is bigger than one individual, it might not get accomplished within our generation, but it is a shared, intergenerational journey toward liberation.
The striking workers, demanding dignity and respect, adopted the slogan “I AM A MAN” which also became a powerful symbol of their struggle. Reflecting on the strike, reporter Joan Turner Beifuss wrote that “the issue is not just wages or working conditions. It’s about the right of Black men to be treated as men.” This quote captures the core message of the strike: that beyond occupational safety and wages, sanitation workers were asserting their dignity, humanity, and civil rights in the face of systemic racism and discrimination. For the environmental justice movement, this quote underscores the need to recognize the humanity of all communities that have been dehumanized and used as sacrifice zones and dumping grounds for toxic pollution.
During this protest, Dr. King was tragically assassinated, sending shockwaves across the United States. The loss of one of the most profound civil rights leaders was devastating yet his legacy is still alive and well over 60 years later. His fight for civility and peace was rooted in the belief that all people have the right to be treated and respected as human beings regardless of religion, creed, and race. His dedication to economic empowerment, education, suffrage were all quintessential to the civil rights movement, which sparked the Environmental Justice (EJ) movement.
Dr. King once said “It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated,” a statement that underscores the idea that the well-being of humans is inextricably linked to the health of the environment. A healthy environment is one that does not impair nor degrade the air, water, and soil quality of a community. This adheres to the first principle of the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice, which “affirms the sacredness of Mother Earth, ecological unity and the interdependence of all species, and the right to be free from ecological destruction.” However, cultural and social factors must also be considered. This adheres to fifth principle, which affirms the “fundamental right to political, economic, cultural and environmental self determination of all peoples.” Meaningful involvement in governmental policies and self-determination should also be prioritized, adhering to the seventh principle which “demands the right to participate as equal partners at every level of decision making, including needs assessment, planning, implementation, enforcement and evaluation.”
In the current fight for environmental justice, many actions and milestones made during the Civil Rights era are under attack. Towns like Jackson, Mississippi and Selma, Alabama are now increasingly targeted for polluting industries, exploiting the “path of least resistance” to place harmful facilities in low-income, predominantly Black communities. Dr. King famously said “ an injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere.” In 2025, what does Dr. King’s call for justice mean when families in Curtis Bay, Maryland continue to face marginalization and multiple forms of pollution? Or when low-wealth Black communities in Louisiana endure the devastating effects of “Cancer Alley,” an area with alarmingly high rates of cancer and mortality linked to the petrochemical industry? This is issue is compounded by the federal government’s inadequate response to Hurricane Katrina, which left many of these same families in New Orleans stranded on top of their homes. Or the Delmarva where concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) contribute to runoff that affects nearby rural communities that fly under the radar of governmental oversight? These instances are just a few examples of the countless modern-day injustices that Dr. King would have fought to see addressed by the federal government. Instead, we see Executive Orders under the Trump Administration that dismantle environmental justice and serve as a regressive reminder of the injustices this country was built on.
At the Center for Engagement, Environmental Justice, and Health INpowering Communities (CEEJH INC), we are honored to continue Dr. King’s legacy alongside other environmental justice advocates like Charles Lee, Vernice Miller-Travis, Robert Bullard, Beverly Wright, Jalonne White-Newsome, and Jacqui Patterson. We commit ourselves and our work to the improvement of communities that have been historically polluted and impacted by decades of disenfranchisement, disinvestment, and segregation. In our Mid-Atlantic region and across the country, Dr. King’s work echoes; however, the same communities are still harmed. The power in the Civil Rights Movement was not contingent on one individual but the collective work a coalition of people were able to accomplish. Each person fought together for the betterment of our national and global community. During this day of remembrance, let us embody Dr. King’s legacy of selflessness, commitment to justice, and service. The future we envision depends on the effort we put in today.
