The Poor People’s Campaign Reframed the Movement

In 1968, Dr. King helped organize the Poor People’s Campaign, an ambitious multiracial effort aimed at addressing poverty as a moral crisis. Rather than focusing solely on civil rights legislation, the campaign sought to apply sustained pressure on the federal government to guarantee jobs, housing, and income for America’s poorest citizens. This shift was radical because it reframed the movement from one centered on civil rights to one demanding economic restructuring. The campaign challenged America to confront inequality across racial lines, uniting Black, white, Latino, and Indigenous communities under a shared struggle. Dr. King’s insistence on expanding the movement’s scope made many uncomfortable, but it reflected his evolving understanding of justice as inseparable from economic security.