Uncertain Resurrection

This is the gripping story of the failed effort by Dr. Martin Luther King's associates to carry out his last, most ambitious campaign of activism in the months after his assassination in April 1968. The Poor Peoples' Campaign went beyond demanding civil equality for one racial group; it called for a broad multiethnic effort to end poverty and reverse militarism. Yet despite a huge initial outpouring of goodwill and concrete help, the collapse of the Poor Peoples' Campaign was complete. Its end marked a major setback to civil rights and social activism in the U.S., with ramifications that lasted for years. This book, based on original, first-hand reporting, was initially published in 1969. But until the campaign's 50th anniversary approached, the events of that turbulent summer near the Capitol had been largely forgotten. The story is timely again, even urgent, with the renewal of protest and struggle challenging growing economic inequality, and the relentless spread of militarism. Plans for a revived Poor Peoples' Campaign are set for mid-2018. This new attempt at resurrection is also uncertain, but it reinforces the questioning by a new generation of activists, and raises hope that they can learn from the experience of their forerunners and have a more substantial and lasting impact. To have a chance at that impact, Uncertain Resurrection is an indispensable case study of how badly the best intentions of even highly-talented and dedicated people can go wrong. It's a suspenseful narrative, of an ill-starred crusade that took shape in the wake of murder and riot, aimed at advancing peace and justice, but marched into a maelstrom of confusion and chaos.