Death of Echol Cole and Robert Walker facts for kids
Echol Cole and Robert Walker were sanitation workers (people who collect garbage) in Memphis, Tennessee. They died accidentally on February 1, 1968, while working. They were trying to get out of a rainstorm inside their garbage truck. Sadly, the truck's compactor accidentally turned on. This tragic event helped start the Memphis sanitation strike. During this strike, the famous civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated.
What Happened to Echol Cole and Robert Walker?
Echol Cole (age 36) and Robert Walker (age 30) both worked as sanitation workers in Memphis. On February 1, 1968, it was raining very heavily. Around 4:20 PM, the two men tried to find shelter from the rain inside the back of their garbage truck.
Suddenly, the truck's garbage compactor started working by accident. Both men were crushed and died. Their coworker, Elester Gregory, was in the front of the truck. He said the motor started racing, and the driver tried to stop it.
How Their Deaths Led to Change
After Cole and Walker died, their families did not receive much help. The city offered their widows only one month's pay for each man. They also offered $500 to help with funeral costs.
However, many people wanted to help. Black citizens in Memphis donated $100,000 to the widows. The United Auto Workers union also gave an extra $25,000.
The deaths of Echol Cole and Robert Walker became a major reason for the Memphis sanitation strike. Ten days after they died, on February 11, a union meeting was held. More than 400 workers complained that the city was not paying them enough. They also said their working conditions were not good.
The workers wanted immediate action, but the city refused to agree to their demands. So, on Monday, February 12, 1968, 930 out of 1100 sanitation workers did not show up for work. This included most of the sewer drainage workers. Only a few garbage trucks continued to operate.
These deaths, along with other unfair treatment of Black workers, led Martin Luther King Jr. to join a march in Memphis. He marched with the workers on March 18. This march ended with police action. Another march was planned, but King was assassinated the night before the second march.
See also
- I Am a Man!
