By Namita Waghray
On Friday, July 26, AFSCME Local 250 unveiled a portrait and commemorative plate honoring the legacy of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr, and his impact on sanitation workers in Cincinnati. The portrait is now displayed in the main room of the West Fork Garage, 3320 Millcreek Road.
Union Sanitation workers, the City of Cincinnati’s Office of Human Relations, AFSCME Local 250 leaders, and AFSCME Ohio Council 8 President R. Sean Grayson, were in attendance. The event was a culmination of organizing efforts by Cincinnati sanitation workers led by Keith Gibson, a sanitation employee and member of AFSCME Local 250 and the City of Cincinnati, to celebrate and honor the impact of Reverend King’s fight for workers’ rights and union rights for striking sanitation workers in Memphis, Tenn.
A portrait of Revered King and a commemorative plate was unveiled following a series of remarks from Keith Gibson (AFSCME Local 250 member and retired Sanitation Truck Driver), Paul Booth, (Division Manager, Office of Human Relations) and President R. Sean Grayson of AFSCME Ohio Council 8.
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From left to right: Paul Booth, Division Manager, Office of Human Relations, City of Cincinnati, Keith A. Gibson Retired Sanitation Specialist and AFSCME Local 250, R. Sean Grayson, President of AFSCME Ohio Council 8, Marcia Knox, First Vice President, AFSCME Ohio Council 8, Dave Collier, Vice President of AFSCME Local 250. Photo provided 
AFSCME Local 250 Keith A. Gibson, Retired Sanitation Specialist (left) and AFSCME Ohio Council 8 President R. Sean Grayson. Provided 
AFSCME Local 250 member and Retired Sanitation Specialist Keith A. Gibson and Paul Booth. Division Manager, Office of Human Relations, City of Cincinnati, celebrate the unveiling of the portrait of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. 
AFSCME Local 250 and Retired Sanitation Specialist Keith A. Gibson speaks to a crowd of City of Cincinnati Sanitation employees. Photo provided 
AFSCME Local 250 members listen to speakers at the commemoration ceremony. Photo provided 
City of Cincinnati Sanitation Dept employees attending the Portrait Dedication Ceremony. Photo provided 
AFSCME Local 250 members pose for a photo at the Commemoration event. Photo provided 
Photo provided
“This portrait and plate will serve as a reminder to all who pass through this building of Reverend King’s dedication and commitment to workers’ rights. I also hope this portrait inspires our members to continue to fight for those same ideals he sacrificed his life for,” said Keith A. Gibson, AFSCME Local 250 Member, Ret. Sanitation Truck Operator.
Paul M. Booth, Division Manager, Office of Human Relations, City of Cincinnati, added, “It is significant that the City of Cincinnati Sanitation Department pays tribute to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who gave his life supporting sanitation workers in their fight for dignity, equality, and fair wages. His fight for economic justice, particularly during the 1968 sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee, continues to inspire workers today in Cincinnati and across the country, Dr. King’s final campaign to bring about social justice will never be forgotten. His portrait will stand as a memorial to his life, work, and legacy.”
“I commend the members and leaders of AFSCME Local 250 and the City of Cincinnati for honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., with the dedication of his portrait and commemorative plaque on the City of Cincinnati’s Division of Sanitation building,” said President R. Sean Grayson, AFSCME Ohio Council 8. “It was the deaths of two workers, Robert Walker and Echol Cole, on the back of a garbage truck in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968 that lead that city’s sanitation workers to engage in a courageous strike for union recognition with AFSCME. Those workers understood that joining a union and gaining the right to collectively bargain was their path to fair wages, better benefits, safer working conditions and dignity on the job. Dr. King joined those striking workers because he understood that Civil Rights and worker’s rights are inextricably connected. His portrait and commemorative plaque will serve as a daily reminder of his belief in the dignity of all work and all.
AFSCME Ohio Council 8’s members provide the vital services that make Ohio happen. With members in communities across the state, serving as everything from nurses to social workers, child care providers to sanitation workers, nurses to social workers, and cultural employees in zoos, libraries and museums — AFSCME Ohio Council 8 advocates for fairness in the workplace, safe and healthy worksites, excellence in public services, and freedom and opportunity for all of Ohio’s working families.