LEWISTON – A film documenting Martin Luther King’s last struggle – aiding Memphis sanitation workers in 1968 – will be given a free showing Tuesday.

The movie, “At the River I Stand,” will be accompanied by a panel discussion and live music, all sponsored by the Western Maine Labor Council.

“It was an epic struggle for dignity and respect,” said Matt Schlobohm, a spokesman for the Maine AFL-CIO.

On Feb. 11 1968, about 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers left their jobs, refusing to work until the city’s management agreed to improve poverty-level wages and dangerous working conditions.

It lasted 64 days, during which King fought sometimes violent demonstrations. He was assassinated eight days before the strike ended on April 12.

“The events are as pertinent today as they were then,” Schlobohm said.

Workers still yearn for more power and respect than many employers are willing give, he said.

After the hour-long film, attendees will be invited to join a discussion of the film and how it applies to today.

Panelists are scheduled to include Winston McGill, the past president of the Portland NAACP, and Peter Kellman, a civil rights activist who worked on the Selma to Montgomery marches and 1960s voting rights struggles in the South. He also serves as the president of the Southern Maine Labor Council.

Local musicians Ethan Miller and Kate Boverman will play music from the civil rights and labor movements.