TIME Magazine from May 17, 1968 with articles focused on poverty in America

Object number2022.022.0001

Date05/17/1968

ClassificationsNewspapers & Magazines

ObjectMagazine

Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

MediumPaper

Dimensions11 1/16 × 8 1/4 × 3/16 in. (28.1 × 21 × 0.5 cm)

Terms

Collections

DescriptionTIME Magazine from May 17, 1968. The headline on the cover of the magazine reads “Poverty in America: Its Cause and Extent.” In the main story “A Nation Within A Nation,” TIME reporters examine the state of poverty in the United States. Correspondents had spent several months coast to coast to survey “the dimensions of American deprivation.” Included are spotlights on Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Kentucky, Illinois, Maine, New York, California, and Arizona. The article concludes with a look at the newly launched Poor People’s Campaign and the upcoming Resurrection City encampment in Washington, D.C. An adjacent TIME essay entitled “What Can I Do?” ponders how white people can affect change in civil rights following the recent assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. There are also short articles in the magazine detailing the state of the Vietnam War and reporting on the recent deaths of five journalists covering the war in Saigon.

Curatorial Commentary

The Poor People's Campaign was envisioned by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as a multi-ethnic coalition of poor people from across the United States. It was meant to draw attention to the plight of the poor, whether they were from urban ghettos or rural Appalachia. Dr. King was assassinated before the campaign could come to fruition, but Rev. Ralph Abernathy vowed to carry on the campaign in honor of Dr. King. The campaign culminated in a 16-acre encampment, Resurrection City, occupied by more than 3,000 poor people on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. from May 21 to June 24, 1968. - Stephanie Allen-Givens, Collections and Exhibits Manager