Charleston in Charleston County, South Carolina — The American South (South Atlantic)

Hospital Strike of 1969

Photographed by H. Zimmerman

1. Hospital Strike of 1969 Marker

Inscription.
Civil rights marches on Ashley Ave. and elsewhere occurred during strikes at two hospitals from March 20 to July 18, 1969. Workers, mostly black women, cited unequal treatment and pay when they organized and walked out of the Medical College Hospital (MCH) on Doughty St. and Charleston County Hospital (CCH) on Calhoun St. Some picketers were arrested, the state of S.C. refused to sanction a union, and talks stalled.

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference joined the strike in its first major campaign since the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. Protests were marred by violence, and Gov. Robert McNair called out the National Guard and set a curfew. In May King’s widow Coretta Scott King led 5,000 marchers down Ashley Ave. A settlement at MCH in June and CCH in July gave workers raises and promised better treatment.

Erected 2013 by The Preservation Society of Charleston. (Marker Number 10-80.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Labor Unions • Science & Medicine • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 1969.

Location. 32° 47.128′ N,

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79° 56.801′ W. Marker is in Charleston, South Carolina, in Charleston County. It is at the intersection of Ashley Avenue and Doughty Street, on the left when traveling north on Ashley Avenue. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 165 Ashley Ave, Charleston SC 29425, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Lowcountry.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Cannon Street Hospital / McClennan Banks Memorial Hospital (approx. ¼ mile away); Old Bethel Methodist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); Old Bethel United Methodist Church (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Parsonage / Miss Izard's School (approx. 0.3 miles

Photographed by H. Zimmerman

2. Hospital Strike of 1969 Marker

away); United Order of Tents Building (approx. 0.3 miles away); 113 Ashley Avenue (approx. 0.3 miles away); Weston-Grimke Homesite (approx. 0.3 miles away); Cannon Street Y (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Charleston.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 20, 2021. It was originally submitted on September 18, 2021, by H. Zimmerman of Charleston, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 688 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on September 18, 2021, by H. Zimmerman of Charleston, South Carolina. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. A wide shot of the marker in context. • Can you help?