As part of I AM 2018, public service workers, union members and human beings everywhere are being asked to observe a moment of silence on February 1, 2018, to honor Echol Cole and Robert Walker, who were Memphis city sanitation workers who tragically died on the job on February 1, 1968.

Their deaths sparked the walkout of 1,300 fellow sanitation workers, and set off a chain of events that would define American history. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., joined those striking sanitation workers in Memphis, and was assassinated during his time there.

To commemorate this event, AFSCME International President Lee Saunders and SEIU President Mary Kay Henry will join Mayor Jim Kenney in Philadelphia City Hall for a ceremony from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

February 1 should not be just another normal work day. It should be a day of reflection and resolution, and a time to re-engage with workers’ aspirations: for dignity on the job, for quality public services, for public employee OSHA protections, for prosperity to be shared among all of us and for human rights for everyone.

Click here for more information on I AM 2018, and click here to organize your own observance.