The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and others look on as President Lyndon B. Johnson signs the 1964 Civil Rights Act.<\/p><\/div>\n

When we think about King\u2019s work, we think about the marches, the organizing and the tireless work of him and thousands of others during the Civil Rights Movement and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. The Civil Rights Movement resulted in the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the Fair Housing Act of 1968 (passed by the House of Representatives six days after King\u2019s death).<\/p>\n

Often, we overlook the Poor People\u2019s Campaign, King\u2019s work at the time of his death. King and the Poor People\u2019s Campaign advocated for changes that would prepare all people for the opportunities available from these legislative victories from the 1960s. The Campaign was a multi-ethnic effort for fairness and access to the American economic system for all people focused on race and income disparities. Essentially, it was equity work \u2014 the work of the entire StriveTogether Cradle to Career Network.<\/p>\n

The Campaign also connected people through their shared struggle, bringing together a diverse group of people ranging from residents of Kentucky\u2019s Appalachian Mountains to field workers from California. The Campaign\u2019s first meeting included representation from more than 50 multicultural organizations. This approach is similar to StriveTogether\u2019s model of Collaborative Action Networks, when cross-sector practitioners and individuals organize around a community-level outcome and use a continuous improvement process to improve that outcome.<\/p>\n