“I AM A MAN” Sign

1968

Wedgwood’s “Am I Not a Man?” question was answered affirmatively by Black protesters.

Wedgwood’s 18th century design continues to be impactful today. During the sanitation workers’ strike in Memphis, Tennessee, protesters carried signs that read “I Am a Man.” The message answered Wedgwood’s 18th-century question “Am I Not a Man?” with a direct, affirmative answer. The image of hundreds of demonstrators carrying these signs became an enduring icon of the Civil Rights Movement.”