[[File:Reuben Soderstrom MLK 1965.jpg|left|thumb|300x300px|Reuben Soderstrom pinning a medallion on Dr. [[Martin Luther King, Jr.]], at the 1965 Illinois AFL-CIO Convention]]
In the [[VivilCivil rights era|Civil Rights era]], Reuben worked to bring equality into the workplace. He supported the Illinois Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) Act and other legislative efforts to end discrimination.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Fair Employment Passage Bolstered In Springfield|last=Kramp|first=Larry|date=April 11, 1961|work=Freeport Journal-Standard}}</ref> He strongly supported Jewish rights at home and efforts to organize in the nascent nation of Israel for which he was formally honored by the [[Jewish Labor Committee]] in 1953.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Jewish Labor Unit to Honor Soderstrom|date=March 8, 1953|work=Chicago Daily Tribune}}</ref> When [[Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King, Jr.]], led a Rally for Civil Rights in Chicago in 1964, Reuben served as an Honorary Chairman and welcomed him to Illinois.<ref>Miller, Jay. “Letter to Reuben Soderstrom,” June 18, 1964. [[Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum|Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library]].</ref> After the event, Reuben personally invited Dr. King to come and deliver the keynote address at the Illinois AFL-CIO Convention, which he did the following year.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Address of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.|date=December 4, 1965|work=Illinois AFL-CIO News Letter}}</ref> Multiple civil rights leaders spoke before the Illinois AFL-CIO at Reuben's request, including King' successor, [[Ralph Abernathy]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=Address of Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy|date=December 14, 1963|work=Illinois AFL-CIO Weekly News Letter}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Address of the Hon. Corneal Davis|date=January 4, 1964|work=Illinois AFL-CIO Weekly News Letter}}</ref>{{clear}}
