The temporary protest camp built on the National Mall during the 1968 Poor People’s Campaign was called Resurrection City.
The camp was established in Washington, D.C., in May 1968 after the campaign was organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Activists sought federal action on poverty, including jobs, housing, education, and income support. The encampment consisted of wooden and plywood shelters arranged in a temporary community near the Lincoln Memorial.
Resurrection City was planned before Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination, but it continued after his death on April 4, 1968. The campaign was led by figures including Ralph Abernathy, King’s successor as SCLC president. Thousands of people participated during the protest, though heavy rain and difficult conditions disrupted the camp.
The camp was closed by federal authorities on June 24, 1968, after its permit expired. It is sometimes confused with the Poor People’s Campaign itself: Resurrection City was the encampment, while the Poor People’s Campaign was the broader movement demanding economic justice.