THE CALLING, an immersive musical experience, transports you back to Memphis’ famed Beale Street on March 28, 1968 — the date of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s final march. Beginning in a Beale Street blues club in present day, users witness some of the scenes, prompted by historical photos positioned around the club, that lead to the sanitation worker strike in 1968. With the guidance of a mysterious Shoeshine Man you march with Dr. King and the thousands who journeyed to Memphis in support of the 1300 workers, striking for higher wages and better working conditions. Along the way you discover The Calling, an ancestral power to change the world resonating inside every person. This is a story about the audacity of hope, the challenges we overcome, and the choices we can make along the way.

One of the most influential labor disputes in American history started in the late 60s with a flash of lightning…and an unthinkable tragedy. 

On February 1, 1968, two Memphis sanitation workers, Echol Cole and Robert Walker, were tragically crushed by a malfunctioning garbage truck. Frustrated by city officials’ long-standing pattern of neglecting impoverished workers of color and their unsatisfactory response to the horrific deaths of two city employees, 1300 African-American men from the Memphis Department of Public Works went on strike. Among their demands: Higher wages, improved safety measures, and union recognition. Over time, the sanitation strike grew from a local labor dispute into a nationally recognized civil rights issue, prompting the eventual support of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Following a peaceful protest that collapsed into violence, it seemed the sanitation strike was destined to fail. But the people of Memphis rallied together refusing to give up on the movement. On April 3, 1968, Dr. King delivered his famous “Mountaintop Speech” inspiring the striking sanitation workers to continue to fight for their rights. And even though Dr. King was shockingly assassinated the next day, the sanitation workers remembered his words — continuing to march in the streets until earning the better working conditions, higher wages, and union recognition they so desperately deserved. 

It was a victory that came at great cost…but showcased the power of the human spirit to create positive societal change through empathy, understanding, and unity.