Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the “Dignity of Labor”

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday honoring the life and work of one of the greatest civil rights activists to ever have lived. In his speech (excerpt below), Dr. King states:

You are doing many things here in this struggle. You are demanding that this city will respect the dignity of labor. So often we overlook the work and the significance of those who are not in professional jobs, of those who are not in the so-called big jobs. But let me say to you tonight, that whenever you are engaged in work that serves humanity and is for the building of humanity, it has dignity, and it has worth. … You are reminding, not only Memphis, but you are reminding the nation that it is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages.

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