Love in Resurrection City

Mixed media paper collage on birch wood panels - made with several pieces of paper from magazines circa 1940 - 1960

36 x 48 inches

May, 1968. Resurrection City, Washington, D.C. - Resurrection City was an encampment made up of 3,000 wooden tents, temporarily housing protestors who traveled to Washington, DC to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s memory and support his Poor People’s Campaign. MLK announced his plans for the protest in December 1967, but was assassinated in April 1968, just one month before the protest was realized.

Protestors camped out for 42 days to “demand federal funding for full employment, a guaranteed annual income, anti-poverty programs and housing for the poor.” Protestors were eventually evicted on June 24.

Black people find a way to foster love and community in difficult and traumatic times. It fuels our resilience and perseverance. Despite its challenges, there was still love found in Resurrection City.

Original photos published in Unseen: Unpublished Black History from the New York Times Photo Archives.

Artwork by Nia I. Winslow