Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther Library and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees are hosting a symposium on Oct. 10 commemorating the 35th anniversary of the sanitation workers strike in Memphis, Tenn. in the Bernath Auditorium of the David Adamany Undergraduate Library.

The panel presentations of the symposium, featuring William Lucy, secretary-treasurer of AFSCME, and other strike participants Jesse Epps, Taylor Rogers and Rev. James S. Lawson, will run from 12-1:30 pm. Topics will include events surrounding the strike and where the issues stand today. A documentary titled "At The River I Stand" will be shown before the symposium at 11 a.m.

An exhibit of the strike will be shown from Oct. 10, 2003-Sept. 2004 in the Walter P. Reuther Library's Atrium. The historic exhibit captures the landmark struggle that significantly influenced the American labor and civil rights movements.

In February 1968, the sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn., almost all African Americans, voted to strike against the city. The mayor declared the strike illegal and refused to negotiate. The workers remained on strike for 65 days enduring mace, beatings and arrests. They also carried a sign expressing the mood of the strikers that became the hallmark phrase of the demonstration. The sign simply stated: I AM A MAN.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to Memphis to support the strikes and led a demonstration that was marred by looting and violence. Disappointed but resolute, King promised to return to Memphis to lead a non-violent march, but was assassinated by a sniper before he could resume his march with the strikers.

For more information about "I Am A Man" events, contact Daniel Golodner at Wayne State University's Walter P. Reuther Library, (313) 577-4024, (313) 577-4300, or e-mail: Daniel_Golodner@wayne.edu.

Further information may also be available at the Walter P. Reuther Library Web site.