20¢ IN THIS ISSUE... BLACK POWER SUPPLEMENT OAKLAND FREEDOM SCHOOLS MISSION REDEVELOPMENT FIGHT

NOVEMBER 1966 '-2001. VOL; 2 NO. 10 ARVIN WORKERS WIN RIGHT TO 01 GIORGIO ELECTION FARM WO'RKERS, LABOR OFFICIALS, SNCC EDITOR ARRESTED

SAN FRANCISCO - Workers at the Di Giorgio ranch in Arvin, California won a major victory here-the right to an election-by picketing the rna in offices of the Di Giorgio Corporation. Di Giorgio gave in and are permitting an election to be held, They had refused up to now. OUTSIDE DI GIORGIO OFFICE, Luis Valdez of UFWOC addresses picket line. by Terence Cannon Six farm workers that they were being arrested, ordered dez, UFWOC organizer, who acted as in­ the camp manager, for talking in favor from the Arvin, California ranch of the Di them to get in the elevators, led them terpreter, and Stuart Weinberg, their of UFWOC. "You're a liar'" yelled Di Giorgio Corporation, six labor officials, into the street, and then released them. lawyer. Giorgio. Then he calmed down and told and the editor of THE MOVEMENT were When the workers found they had been The building was being run like a Chavez he would 'investigate' the firing. arrested here October 20 and 21. tricked, they went back up. They were stockade: the elevators were guarded. Later on he lost his cool again when the The workers deleg~ti(;m~ led by Mack ejected again, and this time the elev­ Anyone who looked like a farmworker or workers told him they had been paid Lyons from Bakersfield, had driven up ator operators would not let them return demonstrator was not even allowed in the 29¢ an hour on a piece rate at the ranch. from Kern County to meet with Robert to the 6th floor. elevator. The elevator operators enjoyed Again he told them they were lying. "It Di Giorgio, President of the corporation. A picket line of over 200 sympathetic playing cop, questioning all people they must have been a mistake," he said. They were demanding a union-represent­ union members, students and supporters didn't recognize. CONTINUED ON PAGE 10 ation election at the Arvin ranch. of the strike, marched outside the build­ The delegation of workers was told to They arrived at noon on W~dnesday ing. go into a small office right off the Di and went up to the 6th floor lobby of Di The Teatro Campesino sang strike songs Giorgio waiting room: it was not Robert Giorgio. Lyons spoke with Di Giorgio's from a flatbed truck parked in front of Di Giorgio's office. secretary. She offered to let a small the building. During the demonstration a After the workers' went into the office delegation of three meet with Di Giorgio 62' banner reading "01 GIORGIO - ONE and were joined by Robert Di Giorgio the next morning at 10. MAN ONE VOTE - ARVIN WORKERSDE­ and Mr. Brotherton, Vice President in "We're going to wait right here," said MAND ELECTIONS - was loweredfrom the charge of Public Relations, the door was Lyons, "until Mr. Di Giorgio meets with roof of the building. A building employee closed. A few minutes later. four labor us. We've got all day. We left Arvin at rushed to the roof, tore it loose and let. officials from the AFL-ClO came into the 4: thiS morning." it fall to the street. waiting room: Tim Twomey, Vice-Pres­ The 15 workers sat there in the lobby, ident of the San Francisco Labor Council . under the lights of the TV cameras and At 10, Thursday morning, three Arvin and Secretary-Treasurer of the Hospital the stares of Di Giorgio employees. The farm workers: Mack Lyons, Luis Chavez . Workers Local #250; Rod Larson, Inter-' police, under Captain Charles Barker, (no relation to Cesar) and Arthur Kemplin national Representative of the American conferred with Di Giorgio and decided to went up to the Di Giorgio office for the Federation of State County and Municipal pull a trick. They announced to the workers appointment. With them were Tony Men- Employees; Richard Groulx, Executive Assistant Secretary ofthe Alameda County Central Labor Council: and Wray Jacobs, Assistant Secretary of the Alameda Cen­ tral Labor Council. The labor men came in support of the farm worker delegation. The meeting behind the door went on for an hour. "What's there to talk about so long?" asked one of the picketers, •'There's only one question for Di Giorgio to answer _ will you agree to elections UJ within two weeks?" (,) At noon, Brotherton and Di Giorgio JAMES COTTON BLUES BAND ~..... came out. The farm workers stayed in the QUICK SILVER MESSENGER SE~ office. Much of the discussion had been STOKELY CARMICHAEL & TI(~ about grievances at the Arvin Ranch. Di THE GRATEFUL DEAD J' Giorgio tried to keep the conversation JOHNNY TALBOT & DE THANGS ~ off the elctions and on specific, irrelevant -n grievances. He signed a letter saying that JOHN HARDY, MC -n certain workers who had been fired would be given back their jobs. JON HENDRICKS, MC At first smiling «nd friendly, Di Giorgio ,FILLMORE AUDITORIUM burst into anger when Luis Chavez told SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 INSIDE OFFICE, Arvin workers wait to meet with Di Giorgio. him he had been fired by Jesse Marcu;:;, 3:00 PM-MIDNIGHT $2.50 PAGE 2 THE MOVEMENT NOVEMBER 1966

111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111. EDIT0 R I A L S 1111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 QUESTIONS ABOOT THE BLACK POWER CONFERENCE~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~' stokely Carmichael will speak on other ghettoes around the Bay .Area? by Black Power advocates, white radi­ Black people? (Somewhere scaring the University of California Berkeley And how do Black Nationalist groups cals and Black intellectuals? .' white groups, I.guess.) campus on Black Power-Black Nation­ help the masses of Black people by I feel that if the Black Power Con­ We feel that it is time to start ex­ alist organizations threaten to pic­ picketing the Black Power Conference ference had been held in Hunter's plaining Black Power to the masses ket the conference.. Here is Stokely at Berkeley because it might hurt Gov­ Point or East Oakland, probably the of people whose lives are most ef-' Carmichael's schedule in the Bay ernor Brown? And the great Black overwhelming majority of the group fected by the Black Power movement Area for his short trip to California intellectuals at San Francisco State would have been white. But. at least first and to all intellectual groups-. this month. 1: Meeting with community College who go around bad-mouthing Mr. Stokely Carmichael would be avail­ Black and ~hite-second. And that the people from around the Bay Are a white people and making statement~ able for questioning by the masses of Black Power advocates and Black in­ (Black cats who know what's happen-. for the masses of Black people, but Black people who :aren't going to the tellectuals should spend more of their ing already). 2: Press conference. are business majors in college. (Where University of California campus for time in the poor community trying to 3: Speaks at Black Power conference are they going to work when they finish any conference. It should have been show poor people how to organize at Stanford University (primarily white college-in the Black community or remembered by the Stu den t s for a politically and economically-so that group). 4: Radio interview. 5: Meeting white?) Why aren't these Black groups Democratic Society that when the Viet­ they might get the Man off their necks. with staff of Haight-Ashbury project organizing to bring Stokely Carmichael nam Day Committee held their rally it We don't feel that the originators (small group of organizers). 6: Meeting to speak to the Black community in­ was in West 0 a k I and-right in the of "Black Power" should ask the with San Francisco Friends of SNCC stead of now criticizing whites who middle of the Black ghetto, but yet Negro community around the Bay area (primarily white group). 7: Bay Area are trying to raise the issue of Black when they hold a Black Power rally, to accept their program and then when SNCC Council Meeting (primarily white Power in their community? it is held far away from the people they come out to speak, address them­ group). 8: Meeting with San Francisco We feel that the rally should be concerned. selves primarily to white radicals and State College Black Student Union held on East 14th Street in Oakland or If the Black Nationalists groups Black intellectuals. (the Black intellectuals who do nothing in Hunter's Point where the masses of picket the conference, this will again It is felt by this editorial staff that but talk). 10: Finally, at the Berkeley people live who are caught in the bind confuse the masses 'of Black people Mr. Carmichael had the responsibility campus (pr imarily all white group). between Black Power and integratioli­ and when the masses of Black people to review his schedule in California Now the question I'm asking here ism. Another question that I find my­ become confused, they end up being before he came out and to make sure is when does S to k ely Carmichael self raising is why should the masses put down by the police forces of our that he was speaking to the masses of really speak to the masses of Black of Negro people who have been asked cities. Where are the intellectuals, Black people as well as to whites people in Hunter's Point, East 14th to respond to "Black Power" and who both Black and white, when the clubs while on this trip to Northern California. Street in Oakland, East Palo Alto. and are now responding, be put in a box are being swung against the heads of =HARDY FRYE NEWSPAPER1~-~~~~---- WHAT IS A REVOLUTIONARY Any material which appears in The 2) Tell what really happened in a sig­ 'well as to those who may get more of the Movement may be reprinted by other Our regular readers will notice that publications, groups or individuals. the Editorial Group has a lot more names nificant event. Correct the distortions of loot from this unjust system but who see Please give credit to The Movement. this month: We are trying to make 1HE the national press and describe important through it all and are discontent--the MOVEMENT what it should be, and what events not reported by the national press. students, radicals and organizers. is needed now--an independent-thinking 3) Relate one local struggle to another. A revolutionary newspaper must w~ste ELECTIONS •'revolutionary" newspaper. . Overcome the Establishment's attempt no time in explaining or defending the We put the word "revolutionary" in to make local issues unique and to isolate desires or tactics of the powerless to AND quotes, because that word means a lot of them into seeking local solutions. There those in power. We ask for no favors. The cjifferent things to different people--like are obViously no purely local solutions that paper must be circulated down here among NEW POLITICS ..Black Power:' In these notes we would are radical or sufficient. Struggles cannot us, not mailed to the filing cabinets of like to try to define what we mean by a be successful in Chicago or Mississippi or those in power. We address this editorial to people's revolutionary newspaper: Watts alone. THE LANGUAGE OF A REVOLUTIONARY groups: welfare rights, anti-poverty, farm Newspapers don't create revolutions 4) Put struggles--local and national-­ NEWSPAPER workers, civil rights, student groups: or movements; they follow and strengthen in a wider revolutionary context. There is It does no good to speak of the "ruling There's been a lot of talk about politics them. This is important; a movement much to be learned practically from the class" without demonstrating practically and New Politics, about elections and newspaper must always be responsible to experience of people in Africa, Latin who rules and how< they rule. It is useless voting, the movements with which it deals. America and Asia. The Americangovern­ to speak of "imperialism" without making Maybe there are some favors you can In long range terms we're talking about ment cannot be allowed to isolate struggle clear what imperialism means to the lives get otit of the politicians of California. the overthrow of a political system that inside its borders from the solutions being of people. When you speak of the "working They don't give out m:lch, and then there keeps the vast majority. qf ~tscitizells wprked out by p09r. people ill ttte rest.of class:: po you mean. just those whq are in are a lot of strings attached, but now voiceless and powerless. the world. On the other hand, we can't unions, or those who are not? Words like and then they'll .giv~ q little: something: I"II ~~.t l ." I' I '.. • . :~ Ccmtrol over tne politics in 'Arri~rica be romantIc about freedom 'S-trliggles~'fn these are-usea like swear words to relieve an election at DiGiorgio, some money to must come from the bottom, not the top. other areas of the globe. We must know people from the burden of explaining them­ organize With, that"sort 'of thing. This means that the power now concen­ what is happening. selves. If a group really thinks it can get some­ trated at the top must be taken away by THE AUDIENCE OF A REVOLUTIONARY Cut out jargon, new left or old left, 'say thi~g it needs right now from these the people and controlled by the people. NEWSPAPER what you mean. politicians, we won't criticize its decision The process of taking'this power must be 40% of the American people live in to vote for those politicians. in the people's own terms and in their own· poverty and deprivation--at a minimum. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3, COL. 1 That is, until there is a real chance of time, and by whatever means they decide We must speak to all these people, as kicking the politicians out and putting in on. something better: politicians we can con­ TIJE CONTENTS (lNF:.ORMATION) QF.A trol. R~YOLU;rlONARYl'lf;.WSPAPER sha]l:. The question we ask is: Is there a real 1) Be useful to people's struggles. It chance now to kick them out and get con­ shall discuss radical tactics and the trol? When people talk to us about New reasons for using them. These tactics Politics, we wonder ifwe are strong enough -!lust be practically possible. to do the things they talk about. If we don't have strong, powerful, active THE MOVEMENT local movemen~s, how can we have a is published monthly by the staff strong political movement for the whole of the Student Nonviolent Coor­ state of California? dinating Committee of California. Are the groups we belong to and sup­ port, strong enough to enforce the de­ EDITORIAL OFFICE: mands we make? Is it enough just to 449 14th Street attack Mr. Pat Brown, if we can't control San Francisco, California 94103 the office of the Governor? 626-4577 Let's be realistic. Are we strong enough to use our votes to change the state of EDITORIAL GROUP: California? We think that we're not strong Terence Cannon enough yet. There's a lot of local or­ Ellie Isaksen ganiZing that has to be done before we can Frank Cieciorka talk about all getting together politically. Bobbi Cieciorka Is the Farm Workers Union strong Mike Sharon enough to tell the Governor what to do? Brooks Penney Are the Welfare Rights groups strong Hardy Frye enough? joe Blum Is the Berkeley campus strong enough? Alex Stein Are all of them together strong enough? Mike Folsom It may be possible to use a political Ellen Estrin campaign to organize people. Most cam­ Roy Dahlberg paigns get into the bag of trying to win at Dave Wellman all costs. Let's do a lot more working, organizing LOS ANGELES STAFF: and struggling before we spendour energy Karen Koonan SAN DIEGO _..: South Vietnamese Pre­ puses in the area) building a state-wide political thing. When 451-3934 mier Ky will be in San Diego on Novem­ 2) On the day of Ky's viSit, November the day comes that we take on the Demo­ Bob Niemann ber. 16th, his only formal appearance in 16, a massive demonstration on Coronado cratic Party in this state, we better be the U.S. The United Organizations to End Island at the Hotel del Coronado where Ky tough enough to beat them, or give them a LOS ANGELES MAILING the War in Viet Nam of San Diego, and has been invited to speak by the Associa­ run for their money. We have a lot of ADDRESS: the Students for a Democratic Society ted Press managing editors convention P.O. Box 117 hope - hope is what keeps us going. But are planning the following activities: (otherwise known as the Managed Press 308 Westwood Plaza hope can fool us into jumping out of our 1) On Tuesday night, November IS, associated editors convention), Los Angeles 24, California holes and getting shot down. before Ky's arrival, a rally featuring If you want to offer help or financial As Chester Wright of Los Angeles said SUBSCRIPTIONS: prominent speakers opposed to the war. aid, or for more information, contact about riots, "Us niggers is going to have $2 per year, individual copies, (Before the rally there will be anti-war The San Diego Committee to End the War our riots when we want to, not when some­ $5 per hundred per month, non­ programs on the various college cam- in Viet Nam, P.O. Box 15193, San Diego, one else tells us to:' commercial bulk subscriptions California. Let's apply the same philosophy to Advertising:. $4 _per. column inch politics. = NOVEMBER 1966 THE MOVEMENT PAGE 3

(A leaflet ptimed by the Philadel­ phia Fteedom Otganization) AGIT -PROP POP OPERA Agit-prop theatre is an oldartform long haven't seen anything like this on the If you were president out of use in this country. Lately it has street since Berlin in the early 1930's. been put back into use by the Haight-Ash­ We had some wonderful friends who used and if you were white bury Vietnam Committee, a group of to do just what you are doing .•• Hitler and if there were riots political activists, some of whom re­ had them all executed •• :' in your cities cently have turned theatrical. Disguised The shows alone won't prevent another as a theatricalgroup, they are gettingtheir Hitler, but they do capture a spirit of and if the people rioting anti-war sentiments to more people than straight-forwardness and directness that were black they ever reached before. Their per­ is the fundamental quality of the pop­ formance includes lively music, a simple operas. A student commented, •'They are a story line, and a message - Stop. the War lively group, exuberant - they stop along Well, you would probably love Machine. The two current shows are called the street like they own that part of the all "Romeo and Pagliaccia," and "U'l Red, street - they're sassy. There's enough those responsible Negro lead­ White and Blue': They were written by the entertainment to make people stop. They group and have been performed from the pack up and go and leave you with some­ ers. The back of a pickup truck in all parts of the thing to think about .• :' c so called leaders who always city. The borrowed pickup had to be re­ blame rioting on the black turned but they arefinding the pop-opera's spirit serves a useful purpose at rallies people who are and public events, as well as on the­ forced to riot. streets. It takes about eight people to put on the two current pop-operas. The cast changes And of course... quite frequently because they are mostly If you were president working people and students who can't and if you were white always find time. The style of the theatre allows for fairly easy replacements since .A and if there were riots In all of the songs, music, and dialogue are your cities on tape, and are amplified over the move­ and if the people rioting were ments of the actors. Also the popular tunes, the rock and roll tempo and the were black colorful presentation are easy to adapt to. rn c. c. It's a unique trend in political activity :.c Well, you would probably try and some of the activist groups seem to 0. view it simply as show business and fail to destroy those black power to give it much support. people; the ones who keep Following a performance, the group was o '0 reminded of the long tradition of agit-prop ..c: saying that 0. politicai activity by an enthused, middle­ black people riot aged German lady who remarked, "I because they are the L.B. McNamara spurns plea from father of drafted Romeo. last hired and the first PEOPLE AND POWER 111 lACr .'NN'S fired; The ones who keep saying that. .. INVESTIGATE YOUR LOCAL CIA black people riot 'The evidence mounts daily that the was responsible for the killing and why York Times story said he had been for 15 because they are fight­ u.s. is far along the road to fascism. it was done. It is not useless to observe years the chief of the St. Louis CIA office, If there was a point of no return in the changes which took place in a num­ and that his principal job was the recruit­ ing for their lives the post-World-War-ll era, it probably ber of policy areas when the new John­ ment of personnel for the spy agency. against this white racist was passed On Novem'Jer 22, 1963. Three son administration took over. There is I had recently been reading Raul Hil­ society. recent books, Lane's Rush to Judgment, no space here for a detailed examina­ berg's The Destruction of the European Epstein's Inquest and Sauvage's The tion of these policy changes, but, for Jews, which details the intimate coopera­ But then.. : Oswald Affair, pretty well nail down the example, the change in U.S. policy toward tion of Hitler's political police and the if you ,were president fact that the members of the Warren Latin America was immediate and could German industrialists in various forms and if you were white Commission were, at best, afraid of hardly have been more complete had of domestic and international criminality. what they would find if they looked too the assassination been publicly acknow­ Shortly after the crash story appeared and if there were riots closely into the assassination of John ledged a coup d'etat by its perpetrators. I read Schlesinger's Thousand Days. tlis in your cities Several commentators have remarked account of the CIA role in the Bay of and if the people rioting that the assassination must have been Pigs invasion is consistent with the hy­ the act of one demented killer because pothesis that CIA may have been acting in were black it was not foIl owed by a right-wing take­ the interest of U.S, banks and corpora­ You might. .. over. This explanation overlooks the tions trying to reclaim what Castro took increase the draft call in fact that, in some policy areas, Johnson's away from them, figuring if they sucked accession to the presidency constituted Kennedy into beginning that ill-fated the cities a right-wing takeover. This reality is operation, he'd feel compelled to finish where most of the black difficult if not impossiblefor mostAmeri­ it off with U.S. troops, and Castro would people Iive. cans to accept, so they either dismiss be gone. the matter.from their minds, or they scoff Fant a s tic? Unbelievable?' Crackpot? at the idea as the product of political Maybe. Because you would know demonology. One begins to understand On the other hand the skeptic might that. .. how the German people could have per­ enquire: in how many other offices of the mitted the excesses of the Nazi period. CIA do bankers and businessmen screen thousands of those newly It is true that the facts of the assas­ possible recruits? Why would one of the enslaved sination are in dispute and, given the most powerful bankers in the middle (drafted) men would never great w'~ight of respectability of those west (whose bank has ties with, inciden­ who support the Warren Commission and tally, some of the larger international come back alive its report, it is probably inevitable that corporations) be so interested in who gets to bother you with their most people in the society will continue recruited to do the dirty work of the CIA? protesting to take the comfortable view that all is The questions may be crackpot, but the F. Kennedy. This conclusion is, on the still well. answers would be facts which, one sus­ marching, or rioting. pects, would lead to sorrie rather startling .evidence of these books, a very con­ However, for those who feel uneasy conclusions about how far down that road Now if you were pres ident servative one. It is more reasonable about trends in the U.S., and want more we've already gotten. C you might do things to suppos.e, from this evidence, that two evidence, an interesting line of investi­ differently, or more members of the Commission con­ gation is suggested by recent .events. (Editor's Note: Jack sent in this column sciously conspired to exclude some facts, Last month Robert.Kennedy's brother­ But then again, being black along with a note which said in part, distort, misinterpret and misrepresent in-law was killed in the crash of a private •'Since you originally suggested using this you never have to worry about others, and, in general, to ensure that plane in Idaho. Killed with him was Louis column as a stimulus for research, I becoming president !! the staff of the, Commission would func­ Werner, n, a St. Louis investment banker. thought this might get someone interested tion ineffectively. The AP dispatch on the crash identified in doing a real story on the CIA. I'm told It is useless to conjecture about who him as an employee of the CIA. The New they have regional offices in both San Francisco and LA. Who runs these offices? Is there an advisory council of fat cats?)

REVOLUTIONARY NEWSPAPER Continued from Page 2 advertisement ~

HOW WE TREAT OTHER ORGANIZA­ tion. These they constantly knock, claim­ We should CrltlCIZe constructively all STAR CAFE TIONS ing that their own group is the only one groups that challenge the status quo. Semi-authentic Chinese Food Most left-wing newspapers do two that sees things "correctlY;' If we disapprove of the actions of a Take-out orders things: A revolutionary newspaper at this time peoples' group we should try to find out 855 Main Street 1) They uncritically praise every half­ should try to strengthen all independent why it happened and learn from the ex­ Redwood City way independent or peoples' organization, and people's organizations by being realis­ perience, not attack it out of hand. Open 11-8:30 daily except Wed except. tic. If groups are weak, we should admit Being serious about revolution means ~ay you saw it in THE MOVEMENT 2) ••. every other left-Wing organiza- it and suggestways to make them stronger. holding nothing sacred, including our­ ~ selves. C ,PAGE 4 THE MOVEMENT NOVEMBER 1966

,SNCC CHAIRMAN TALK,S ABOUT BLACK POlNER WHAT WE WANT By Stokely Carmichael \, -from the New York Review of Books, 'about it. We should begin with the ,a Dumber of _committees, they never If a black man is elected tax assessor, Sept. 22, 1966 basic fact that black Americans have gained the majorities' needed to control he can collect and cbannel funds foe the One of the tragedies of the' struggle two problems: they are poor and they them. building of better roads and schools against racism is'that up to now there are black. All other problems arise serving black people-tbus advancing has been no national, orga~ization 'from 'tbis two-sided reality: lack of edu- A LL OF THE EFFORTS were atteinpts the move from political power into tbe 'which could speak to the growing mili­ cation, the so-called apathy of black to win black power. Then, in Alabama, econom:c' arena. In such areas as , tancy of young black people in the ur- men. Any program to' end, racism must the oppOrtunity came to see how blacks Lowndes, where black men have a ma­ 'address itself to that double reality. jority, they will attempt to use it to ex­ ban ghetto. There has been only a civil could be organized on an independent Almost from its 'beginning, 'SNCC ercise control. This is what they seek: rights movement, whose tone of voice party basis. An unusual Alabama law sought to addresll itself to both condi· provides that any group of citizens can control. Where Negroes lack a majority, was adapted to an audience of liberal 'tions with a program'aimed at win­ ,black power means proper representa­ whites. It served as a sort of buffer nominate candidates for county office , ning political power for impoverished and, if they win 20 per cent of the tion and sharing of control. It means zone between them and angry young Southern blacks. We had to begin with the creation of power bases from which blacks. None of its so-called leaders vote, may be recognized as a county ,politics bec;luse' black Americans are political party. The same then applies black people can work to change state­ could g.o into a rioting community and .. propertyless people in a country wide or nationwide patterns of oppres­ be listened to. In a sense, I blame on a state level. SNCC went to organize where property is' valued above all. We -in sevenil: counties 'such as 'Lo~ndes, sion through pressure from strength­ ourselves-together with the mass me­ instead of weakness. Politically, black bad to work for power, because this where black people-wbo form 80 per dia-for what has happened in Watts, . cOuntry does not function by' moral­ power means what it has always 'meant Harlem.. Chicago, Cleveland, Omaha. cent ot' tbe population and have an to SNce: the coming-together of black ity, love, and nonviolence, but by pow­ average annual income of 'S943-felt Each time the people in those cities 'er.' Thus we determii:ted~-to will political people to elect representatives and t,o saw Martin Luther King get slapped, they could accomplisb nothing within power, ,with the idea of moving on the framework of the' Alabama Demo­ force those representatives to speak to they became angry; when they saw from there into activity that would their needs. It does not mean merely four little black girls bombed to death, cratic Party because of 'its racism and have economic effects. With power, the putting black faces into office. A mao they were angrier; and when' DottUng because the qualifying fee for this year's ~es could nwke or participate in' elect:o~s was raised from:$50 to $500 or woman who is black and from the happened, they were steaining. We had slums cannot be automatically expected making the decisions which govern ift order to prevent n1o5t Negroes from nothing to offer that, they could see, to speak to the needs of black their destinies, and thus create basic becoming candidates. On May 3, five people. except to go out and be beaten again. , Most of, the black politicians we see change in their day-to-day lives. new county "freedom ,organizations" We helped to build their frustration. around the country' today' are not what For too many years, black Americans' But if political power seemed to be convened' and nominated candidates for, the key to' self-determination, it was the offi<:es of sheriff, tax assessor, SNCC meaos by black po\yer. The power. marched and had their heads broken must be that, of a community, and 'also obvious that the key had been members the school boards. These and got shot. They were saying to the of emanate from there. ' thrown down a deep' well many years men and women are up for election in country, "Look, you guys are supposed SNCC today is work:!ngin both 'North earlier. Disenfranchisement; maintained November--if they live until then. to be nice guys and we are only go­ and South on programs of voter regis­ by racist terror, makes it impossible Their ballot symbol is $e black pan- ing to do what, we are supposed to tration and independent polilical or· ganiz;ng. In some places, such as Ala­ bama, Los Angeles, Ne\v York, Pilila­ delph-a. and New Jersey, independent 'organizing under the black panther symbol is in progress. The crealion of a national "black' panther party" illmt cpme ,about; it will tltke time to bJild, anq ,it' is 'much, too early to 'Predict, its success. We have- no'mfallible ma~ter plan and w~ ~ake n~ ,cla~ to exclu­ sive knowledge of how to end raciSm; different gro11ps will work in their own different way~. SNCC cannot spell out the full logistics of self-determination but it can address itself to the problem by helping black communities define _ their needs, realize their strength, and go into action along a variety of lines which they must choose for themselves. W'ltbout knowing all the ~nswers, it can address itself to the basic problem of poyerty; to' the fact that in Lowndes County,86 white families oWn 90' per Meridith March in, Mississippi. King, McKissick and Carmichael march together. King has since repudiated Black Power. cent of the land. What are' black, peo­ ple in that county goiI18 to do'for jobs, \ do-why do you beat us up, why don't to talk about organizing for political lhet:: a bOld. beautiful' animal, repre­ where are they 'going to get money? you' give us what we ask, why' don't power in 1960. The right to vote had senting the strength anddigliity of black ,There must be reallocation of land, of you straighten yourselves out?" After to be won, and SNCC workers devoted demands today. A man needs a black money. ,yean of this, we are at almost their energies to this from 1961 to 1965. panther 00 his side, when be and his tOl.lnda~ the same point-because we' demonstrat­ They set up voter registration 'drives in ;_ family must 'endure-as huodredll of ULTIMATELY, the eeonomic W~ , tions of this country must be shaken if ed from a position of weakness. the Deep South. They created pressure ,Alabamians have endured--loSs of ;00, eviction, starvation" and sometimes black, people are to control. tbeirlives. cannot be expected any longer to foe the vote by holding rDoek eiections march and have our heads broken,in death, ,for political' activity. He may also in Mississippi in 1963 and by helping to CONTINUED ON PAGE 6, COL. 2 order to say to whites: come on, you're need • gun and SNCC reaffirm5"~e right establish the Mississippi Freedom Dem­ nice guys., For you are not nice guys. of black men everywhere to defend We have found you out. ocratic Party (MFDP) in 1964. Tbat themselves when threatened or attacked. An organization which c1aitm to struggle was eased, though not won, As fot' inithting th~ us~ of' violence, we .peak foe the needs of a oommunity­ with the passage of' the 1965 Votiiig hope' that such programs as ouni -will as does the Student Nonviolent Coordi­ Rights Act. SNCC workers could thetl ad- . make that unnecessary; but it is' not for '~Who nating COmmittee-'-D'lust speak: in the dress themselvell to the question: us to tell black: communiti~ whether ton~ of that community, not all some­ can we vote for, to have our needs met they can or cannot use any particular body else's buffer zone. This is the -how do we make, our, vote meaning­ form of ,action to resolve their. problems. ful?N significance of black power as a slo­ Responsihility for the use of ",iolence gan. For once, black people are going SNCC had already gone to Atlantic by black men, whether in self defense to. use the, words they want ,to use­ City for recognition of the Mississippi or initiated by them, lies with the white oot just the words whites want to hear. Freedom Democratic Party by the Dem­ And they will do this no matter how Ocratic convention and been rejected; community. often the press tries to stop the use it had gone with. the MFDP to Washing­ This is the specific h;storical experi­ of the slogan by equating it with ra­ ton for recognition by Congr~s and ence from which SNCC'S call for "black cism, or separatism: been rejected. In Arkansas, SNce help­ power" emerged on the Mississippi An organization which claims, to' be ed thirty Negroes to run for School march last July. But the concept of :working for the needs of a commun­ Board elections; all but one were acfeat­ "black power" is not a recent or iso­ ity-as SNCC does-must work to, ,pro­ ed, and' there was evidence oJ Jraud lated phenomenon: It has grown out of vide that community with a position and intimidation sufficient to came their the ferment of agitation and activity of strength from which to make its defeat. 'In Atlanta, Julian Bond' ran for by different people and organizations voic,e beard. This is the significance the state legislature am] was electcJ-­ in many black commun:ties over the of hlack power beyond the slogan. twice-and unseated-twice. in several years. Our 'last year of work in Ala­ states, black farmers ran in electi~s bama added a new concrete possibility. BLACK POWER can be clearly defined '-for agricultiuil committees which make In Lowndes county, for example, black for those who do not attach the fears cruc:al decisions concerning land use, power will mean that if a Negro is elect­ Carmichael talks with local resident of white America to their questions loans, etc. Although they won' places on ed sheriff, he can end police brutality. in Lowndes.County. THE MOVEMENT PAGE 5 MALCOLM X ON POWER, POLITICS & ORGANIZING THE PHILOSOPHY OF BLACK NATIONALISM ------The political philosophy of black na­ a ghetto or a slum area. And where you tionalism means that the black man should and I are concerned, not only do we lose control the politics and the politicians in it when we spend it out of the community, his own community; no more. The black but the white man has got the stores in man in the black community has to be the community tied up; so that though re-educated into the science of politics we spend it in the community at sundown so he will know what politics is supposed the man who runs the store takes it over to bring him in return. Don't be throwing across town somewhere. He's got us in a out any ballots. A ballot is like a bullet. vise. You don't throw your ballots till you see So the economic philosophy of black a target, and if that target is not within nationalism means in every church, in your reach, keep your ballot in your every civic organization, in every fra­ pocket••. ternal order, it's time now for our people The economic philosophy of black na­ to become conscious of controlling the tionalism is pure and simple. It only economy of our community. If we own the means that we should control the economy stores, if we operate the businesses, if of our community. Why should white we try and establish some industry in our people be running all the stores in our own community, then we're developing community? Why should white p e 0 pie to the position where we are creating em­ be running the banks in our community? ployment for our own kind. Once you gain Why should the economy of our community control of the economy of your own com­ be in the hands of the white man? Why? munity, then you don't have to picket and If a black man can't move his store into boycott and beg some cracker downtown a white community, you tell me why a for a job in his business. white man should move his store into a The social philosophy of black nation­ black community. alism only means that we have to get The philosophy of black nationalism together and remove the evils, the vices, involves a re-education program in the alcoholism, drug addiction, and other black community in regards to economics. evils that are destroying the moral fibre Our people have to be made to see that of our community. We ourselves have to sine from EI Verdodero Cuento Del Tio Sam any time you take your dollar out of your lift the level of our community •. .make community and spend it in a community our own society beautiful so that we will THE BALLOT OR THE BULLET------___ where you don't live, the community where be satisfied in our own social circles No, I'm not an American. I'm one of the only they lynch you in Texas with a Texas you live will get poorer and poorer, and and won't be running around here trying 22 million black people who are victims accent and lynch you in Mississippi with the community where you spend your to knock our way into a social circle of Americanism. One of the 22 million a Mississippi accent. money will get richer and richer. Then where we're not wanted. = b lack people who are the victims of demo­ Ar.d these Negro leaders have the au­ you wonder why where you live is always cracy, nothing but disguised hypocrisy._ dacity to go and have some coffee in the So I'm not standing here speaking to you White House with a Texan, a Southern a s an American patriot, or a flag saluter, cracker--that's all he is--and then come or a flag waver--not I. I'm speaking as a out and tell you and me that he's going to victim of this American system. And I see CONTINUED ON PAGE 6, COL. 1 America through the eyes of the victim. I don't see any American dream; I see an American nightmare. MALCOLM ON These 22 million victims are waking up. Their eyes are coming open. They're be­ GUERRILLA WARFARE ginning to see what they used only to look ...The dark people are waking at. They'rebeginning to politicallymature. up. They're losing their fear of They realize that when white people are the white man. No place where evenly divided, and black people have a he's fighting right now is he bloc of votes of their own, it is left up winning. Everywhere he's fight­ to them to determine who's going to sit in rng, he's fighting your and my the White House and who's going to be in complexion. And they're beat­ the dog house. It was the black man's vote him... that put the present administration in It takes heart to be a guer­ Washington, D.C., that has seen fit to pass rilla warrior because you're on every kind of legislation imaginable, sav­ your own. In conventional war­ ing you until last, then filibustering on top fare you have tanks and a whole c 2 of that. lot of other people with you to c back you up, planes over your i And you and my leaders have the au­ III dacity to run around clapping their hands head and all that kind of stuff. ';" -and talk about how much progress we're But a guer!illa is on his own. a: making. And what a good President we All you have is a rifle, some o o have. If he wasn't good in Texas, he sure sneakers and a bowl of rice, and ..c: 0. can't be good in Washington, D.C. Be­ that's all you need-and a lot cause Texas is a lynch state. It is in the heart. Malcolm X same breath as Mississippi, no different;

WHAT WE HAVE TO DO ------I for one, believe that if you give people smash everybody. No, I didn't say that. I You can't operate a capitalistic system there's slums, there's inferior education. a thorough understanding of what it is that said we'll smash up anything that gets in unless you arevulturistic; you have to have And this is the richest country on earth. confronts them, and the basic causes that our way that doesn't belong there. I mean . someone else's blood to suck to be a Now, you know, if those countries thatare produce it, they'll create their own pro­ that. If it doesn't belong there, it's worthy capitalist. You show me a capitalist, I'll poor can come up with a solution to their gram; and when the people create a pro­ to be smashed. This country practises show you a bloodsucker. He cannot be problems so that there's no unemploy­ gram, you get action. When these "lead­ that--power. This country smashes any­ anything but a bloodsucker if he's going ment, then instead of running downtown ers" create programs, you get no action. thing that gets in its way. It crushes any­ to be a capitalist. He's got to get it from picketing city hall, you should stop and The only time you see them is when the thing that gets in its way. And sincewe're somewhere other than himself, and that's find out what they do over there to solve people are exploding. Then the leaders are Americans, they tell us, well, we'll do it where he gets it--from somewhere or their problems. shot into the situation and told to control the American way. We'll smash anything someone other than himself. So, when we This is why the man doesn't want you things. You can't show me a leader that that gets in our way ••• look at _the African continent, when we and me to look beyond Harlem or beyond has set off an explosion. No, they come Almost every one o( the African and look at the trouble that's going on between the shores of America. As long as you and containthe explosion. They say, "Don't Asian countries that has gotten indepen­ East and West, we find that the nations don't know what's happening on the out-:­ get rough, you know, do the smart thing:' dence has devised some kind of socialis­ in Africa are developing socialistic sys­ side, you'll be all messed up dealing with This is their role--They're just there to tic system, and this is no accident. This tems to solve their problems. this man on the inside. I mean what they restrain you and me, to restrain the is another reason why I say that you and I There's one thing th~t Martin Luther use to solve the problem is not capital­ struggle, to keep it in a certain groove, and here in America--who are looking for a King mentioned the other night at the ism. What they are using to solve the not let it get out of controL Whereas you job, who are looking for better housing, Armory that I thought was significant. I problem in Africa and Asia is not capi­ and I don't want anybody to keep us from looking for a better education--before hope he really understood what he was talism. So what you and I should do is find getting out of controL We want to get out you start trying to be incorporated or saying. He mentioned that while he was in out what they are using to get rid of of control. We want to smash anything that integrated, or disintegrated into this capi­ some of _those Scandinavian countries he poverty and all the other characteristics gets in our way that doesn't belong there. talistic system, should look over there saw !l0 poverty. There was no unemploy­ of a rundown society. = Listen to the last part of what I said: I and find out what are the people who have ment, no poverty. Everyone was getting didn't just say we want to smash anything gotten their freedom are adopting to pro­ education, everyone had decent housing, that gets in our way. I said we want to vide themselves with better housing and decent whatever they needed to exist. smash anything that gets in our way that better- education and better food and bet­ But why did he mention those countries Subscribe to THE MOVEMENT doesn't belong there. You see, I had to ter clothing. on his list as different? give you the whole thing, because when None of them are adopting the capitalis­ This is the richest country on earthand you read it, you'll hear we're going to tic system because they realize they can't. there's- poverty, there's bad hOUSing, PAGE 6 THE MOVEMENT NOVEMBER 1966

WHAT WE WANT enough political, economic and pro­ everybody is really decent, we must MALCOLM X- fessional strength to compete on forget color." But color cannot be "for­ "OUR GOVERNMENT?" somewhat' equal terms, will Ne­ gotten" until. its weight i~ recogllized Continued from Page 4 groes believe in the possibility of and deahh with. White America will not You've 'got field Negroes in cooperat~on true and whites accept acknowledge that the ~ays in which America today. I'm a field Negro. its nece~sity. En route to integra­ The masses are the field Negroes. rThe' colonies of the United States~and tion, the Negro community needs this country sees· itself "ate contradicted When they see this man's house this includes the black ghettoes within to develop greater independellce­ by being black-and always have been. on fire, you don't hear the little its-borders, north and south~must-be a chance to run its own affairs and Whereas most of the 'people who settled Negroes talking about "our gov­ liberated. For a century, this nation has not cave in whenever "the man" this country came here for freedom or ernment is in trouble." They say been like an octopus of exploitation, its barks ... Or so it seems to me, for econo~ic opportuniiy, blacks' were "The government is in trouble." and to most of the knowledgeable Imagine a Negro: "Our govern­ tentacles stretching from Mississippi brought here to be slaves. When the· and Harlem to South America, the people with whom I talked in ment !" I even heard one say, Mississippi. To OEO, this judgment Lowndes Cbunly Freedom Organization' "our astronauts!" They won't Middle East, southern Africa, and Viet­ may sound like black national­ chose the black panther as its 'symbol,it even let him near the plant-"our nam; the form of exploitation varies ism. was christened by the press "the Black astronauts!" "Our Navy"-that's from area· to area but the essential PantherParty"'-:"but the' Alabarria Dem~ a Negro that is out of his mind. result has been the same,--a powerful MR. JENCKS, a white reporter, per­ ocratic Party, ~hose syn;bol is a rooster~ few have been ma;ntained and en­ ceived the reason why America's anti­ has never been. called' the White Cock riched at the expense of the poor and poverty program has been a sick farce Party. No one ever talked about "white MALCOLM X voiceless colored masses. This pattern in both North and South. In the South, power" because power in this country must be broken. As its grip loosens Continued from Page 5 is white. All this adds up to more than here and there around the world, the it is clearly racism which prevents the merely identifying a group phenomen­ be better for us because, since he's from hopes of black Americans become more poor from running their own programs; on by some catchy name or adjective. the South, he knows how to deal with the realistic.. For racism to die, a totaJly in the North, it more often seems to Southerners. What kind of logic is that? The furor over that black panther re­ different America must be born. be politicking and bureaucracy. But the Let Eastland be President, he's from the vealg the problems that white America This is what the white society does results are not so different: In the SOllth too. He should be better able to deal has with color and sex; the furor over not wish to face; this is why that so­ North, non-whites make up 42 per cent with them than Johnson. of all families in metropolitan "poverty . "black power" reveals how deep ra· The Democrats have got the govern­ ciety preters to talk about integration. areas" and' only 6 per cent of families in cism runs and the great fear which ment sewed up, and you're the one who But integration speaks not at all to sewed it up for them. And what have they the problem of poverty, only to the areas classified as not poor. SNCC has is attached to. H. given you for it? Four years in office, and problem of blackness. Integration to­ been working with local residents in just now getting aroundto some civilrights day means the' man who "makes it," W.HITES WILL NOT SEE that I, for ex­ legislation. Just now, after everything leaving his black brothers behind in ample, as a person oppressed because else iS'gone, out of the way, they're going the ghetto as fast as his new sports of my blackness, have common cause to sit down with you and play with you all car will take him. It has no relevance summer long--the same old giant con game to the Harlem wino or to the cotton­ that they call filibuster. picker making three dollars a day. As All those are in cahoots together. Don't a lady I know in Alabama once said, you ever think they're not in cahoots to­ "the food that Ralph Bunche eats gether, for the man that is heading the doesn't fill my stomach." civil rights filibuster is a man from . Integration, moreover, speaks to the Georgia named Richard Russell. When problem of blackness in a despicable Johnson became President, the first man way. As a goal, it has been based on he asked for when he got back to Wash­ complete acceptance of the fact that in ington, D.C. was "Dicky"--that's how order to have a decent house or educa­ tight they are. That's his boy, that's his tion, blacks must move into a white pal, that's his buddy. But they're playing the old con game. One of them makes be­ neighborhood or send their children to lieve he's for you, and he's got it fixed a white school. This reinforces, among where the other one is so tight againstyou, both black and white, the idea that he never has to keep his promise. "white" is automatically better and So it's time to wake up. And when you "black" i~ by definition inferior. see them coming up with that kind of This is why integration is a subterfuge conspiracy, let them know your eyes are for the maintenance of white' 3uprema­ open. And let them know you got some­ cy. It allows the nation to focus on SHCC officers: Stokely Carmichael, Chairman; Ruby Doris Robinson, Executive tling else that's wide open too. It's got a handful of Southern children who get Secretary; Cleveland Sellers, Program Secretary; and James Forman, former to be the ballot or the bullet. The ballot into' white schools, at treat price, and Executive Secretary. or the bullet. If you're afraid to use an to ignore the 94 per cent who are left Arkansas, Alabama, and Mississippi to with other blacks who are oppressed, expression like that, you should get back behind in unimproved all-black schools. achieve control by the poor of the pro­ because of blackness. This is not to in the cotton patch, you should get back in Such situations will not change until gram and its funds; it has also been' say that there are' no white people the alley. black people have power-to control working with groups in the North, and who see things as I do, but that it is They get all the Negro vote, and. after their own school boards, in this case. they get it, the Negro gets nothing in re­ the struggle is no less difficult. Be­ black people I must speak. to first. Then N~groes become equal in a way turn. All they did when they got to Wash­ hind it all is a federal government It must be the oppressed to whom that means something, and integration ingtlJn was give a few big Negroes big which cares far more about winning SNCC addresses itself primarily, not ceases to be a one-way street. Then in­ jobs. These big Negroes didn't need big the war on the Vietnamese than the to friends from the oppressing group. tegration doesn't mean draining skills' jobs, they already had jobs. That's camou­ war on poverty; which has put the From birth, black people are told and energies from the ghetto into flage, that's trickery, that's treachery, poverty program in the hands of self­ a set of lies about themselves. We white ne~hborhoods; then it can mean window-dressing. serving politicians and bureaucrats are told that we are lazy-yet I d~ive 1'm not trying to knock out the Demo­ white people moving from Beverly rather than the poor themselves; which thro\lgh the Delta area of Mississippi crats for the Republicans, we'll get to Hills into Watts, white people joining is unwilling to curb the misuse of white and watch black people picking cot­ them in a minute. But it is true--you put the Lowndes County Freedom Organiza­ the Democrats first and the Democrats tion. Then integration becomes rele­ power but quick to condemn black pow­ ton in the hot sun for fourteen hours. put you last. vant. er. We are told, "If you work hard, you'll Look at it the way it is. What alibis do Last April, before the furor over To most whites, black power seems succeed"-but if that were true, black they use, since they control Congress and black pow~r, Christopher Jencks wrote to mean that the Mau Mau are coming people would own this country. We are the Senate? They blame the Dixiecrats. in aNew Republic article on white to the suburbs at night. The Mau Mau oppressed because we are black-not What is a Dixiecrat?ADemocrat. ADixie­ Mississippi's manipulation of the anti­ are coming, and whites must stop because we are ignorant, not because crat is nothing but a Democrat in dis­ poverty program: them, Articles appear about plots to we are lazy, not because we're stupid guise. The Democrats never kicked the "get Whitey," creating an atmosphere (and got good rhythm), but because The war on poverty has been Dixiecrats out of the party. The Dixie­ in which "law and order must be main­ we're black. crats bolted themselves once, but the predicated on the notion that there tained." Once again, responsibility is I remember that when I was a boy, Democrats didn't put them out. Imagine, is such a thing as a community shifted from the oppressor to the op­ I used to go to see Tarzan movies on those lowdown Southern segregationists which can be defined geographi­ fo~ put the Northern Democrats down. But caJly and mobilized a collective pressed. Other whites chide, "Don't Saturday. White TarZan used to beat effort to help the poor. This theory the Northern Democrats have never put forget-you're only 10 per cent of the up the black natives. I would sit has no relationship to reality in the population; if you get too smart, we'll there yelling, "Kill the beasts, kill the the Dixiecrats doWn. Deep South. In every Mississippi wipe you out." If they are liberals, savages, kill 'em!" I was saying: Kill No, look at that thing the way it is. They county there are two communities. have got a con game going on, a political Despite aJl the pious platitudes of they complain, "what lbout me?­ me. It was as if a Jewish boy watched con game, and you and I are in the middle. the moderates on both sides, these don't you want my help any more?" Nazis taking Jews off to concentration It's time for you and me to wake up and t\\ 0 communities habitually see These are people supposedly concerned camps and cheered them on. Today, I start looking at it like it is, and trying to their interests in terms of conflict about black Americans, but today they want the chief to beat hell out of Tar­ understand it like it is; and then we can rather than cooperation. Only when think first of themselves, of their feel­ zan and send him back to Europe. But N~o deal with it like it is. C the community can muster . ings of rejection. Or they admonish, it takes time to become free of the "you can't get anywhere without coali­ lks and their shaming effect on black JOIN THE ARMY, BABY tions," when there is in fact no group minds. It takes time to reject the most important lie: that black people inher­ AND GET DUMPED ON at present with whom to form a coali­ tion in which blacks will not be ab­ ently can't do the same things white "The Defense Department is saying nothing about them but there sorbed and l1etrayed. Or they accuse people can do, unless white peoplt; help have been a series of race fights in Germany between white and Negro us of "polarizing the races" by our them. GI's. One of the worst took place this past summer in Harvey Barracks; calls for black unity, when th·~ truz The need for psychological equality is Kitzingen. Fifteen white GI's from the 66th Heavy Equipment Maintain­ ance Company formed a vigilante group, attempted to terrorize Negro responsibility ·for polarization lies with the t.:eason why SNCC today believes soldiers. Negro GI's admit that civil rights demonstrations Stateside whites who will not accept their re­ that blacks must organize in. the black rl;!sult in unrest, suspicion, and intracompany fights overseas, report sponsibility as the majority po.ver f0r community. Only black people can con­ that at Harvey Barracks mimeographed cards bearing the KKK legend making the democratic process work. vey the revolutionary idea that hlack and anti-Negro propaganda have been distributed." White America will not face the people ~rc able to do things IhclllSclvcs. -St. Louis Post-Dispatch, October 2, 1966 ()roblem of color, the reality of it. The Only they can help create in the Wlli­ well-intended say: "We're all human, munity an aroused and continuing hlack NOVEMBER 1966 THE MOVEMENT PAGE 1

consciousness thai will 'provide the ba­ sis for political strength. In the past, white allies have furthered white su­ ANNUAL premacy without the whites involve,g ;7itR realizing it-or wanting it, I think. Black people must' do things for them­ ART eALENDA~ selves; they nius! get poverty' money they will control and spend themselves, they must conduct tutorial programs The 1967 Graphic Arts Work­ themselves so that black children, can. shop art calendar makes an identify with black people. This is one excellent holiday gift. reason Africa has such importance: The $1.25 each; 5 for $5.00 reality of black men ruling their own order from natives gives blacks elsewhere a sense GRAPHIC ARTS WORKSHOP ,of possibility, of power, which they do not now, have. 359 WALLER STREET This does not mean we don't welcome , help, or friends. But we want the right SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA 94117 to decide whether anyone is, in fact, our friend. In the past,' black Ameri­ TONY Irene Halpern TELEPHONE 863-3505 cans have been almost the only peo­ ple whom everybody and his momma together in the white community where enough to buy the good things of life. could jump up and call their friends. we have the ability and power to do . possible; 'it is not possible, however, When we urge that black money go We have been tokens, symbols, objects so: among blacks. to go- into a poor Southern town, and -as I was in high school to many into black pockets, we qlean the com­ talk about integ'ration. 'fbor" ~hites A S FOR WHITE AMERI~A, perhaps it young whites, who liked having "a Negro munal pocket. We want to see money everywhere are becoming more hos- go back into the community and used can stop crying out against "black su­ friend." We want to decide who 'iJl~=not less~p~rtly bec~~se they see to benefit it. We want t6 see the co­ premacy," "black nationalism," "racism is our friend, and' we will not accept the nation's attentio~ focussed on black operative concept applied in business in reverse," and begin facing reality. The someone who comes to us and says: poverty and nobody coming to them. and banking. We want to see 'black reality is that this nation, from top to "If you do X, Y, and Z, then I'll help Too many yoU'ng middle-class Ameri­ ghetto residents deman,p that an exploit­ bottom, is racist; that racism is not you.'" We will not be told whom we .cans, like some sort of Pepsi genera- ing store keeper sell them, at minimal primarily a -problema! "human rela. should choose as allies. We will not be tion, have wanted to come alive through cost, a building or a shop that they will­ tions" but of an exploitation main­ , iSOlated ,from any group or nation ex· the black community; they've wanted own and improve cooperatively; they tained-either actively or through si. cept by our own choice. We cannot lence-by the society as a whole. Ca­ to be where the action is-and the ac­ can back their demand with a rent strike, have the oppressors telling ~he op­ mus and Sartre have asked, can a man tion has been in the black community. or a boycott, and a commu~ity so uni­ pressed how to rig, themselves of the Black people do not want to "take condemn himself? Can whites, particu. oppressor. fied ,behind them that no one else will lady liberal whites, condemn lhem­ over" this country. They don't want to move into the building or buy at the "get whitey"; they just want to get selves? Can they stop blaming us, and HAVE SAID that most liberal whites store. The society we seek to build arpong I him off their backs, as the saying goes. blame their own system? Are they capa­ react, to "black power" with the ques­ hlal:k peopk, then, is riot - a capitalist It was for example the exploitation by ble of the shame which might become a tion; What about me?, rather than say­ one. It is a society in which the spirit of revolutionary emotion? Jewish landlords and merchants which ing: Tell me what you want me .to do community and humanistic love prevail. We have found that they usually can­ first created black resentment toward and I'll see if I can do it. There are The word love is suspect; black expecta­ not condemn themselves, and so we answers to the right question. One of Jews-not Judaism. The white man is tions of what it might produce have have done it. But the rebuilding of this - the most disturbing things about al­ irrelevant to blacks, except as an op­ been betrayed too often. But those were society, 'if at all possible, is basically most all white supporters of the move­ pressive: force. Blacks want to be in expectations of a response from the the responsibility of whites-not blacks. ment has been that they are afraid his place, yes, but not in order to ter­ white community, which failed us. The We won't fight to save the present so­ to go into their own communities­ rorize and lynch and starve him. They love we seek to encourage is within the ciety, in Vietnam or anywhere else. which is where the racism exists-and want to be in his place because that ,black community, the only American We are just going to work, in the way work to get rid of it. They want to is where a decent life·- can --be had._ community where men call each other we see fit, and on goals we define, run from Berkeley to tell us what to Brit our vision 'is not m~rely of a "brother" when they meet. We' can not for civil rights but for all our do in Mississippi; let them look instead society in which all black men have build a community 'of Jove only where human rights.' 0 at Berkeley. They admonish blacks to be nonviolent; let them preach 'non­ violence in the white community. They come to teach me Negro history; let them go to the suburbs and op~n up Role of Whites in Black Power freedom schools for whites. Let them Far from writing off the Southern white, dubbed by alarmists anti-white. It seems example, Irish power or Oemocraticpow­ work to stop America's racist foreign Carmichael has been giving some thought 'as though some people are using the cry er, and besides, black power is in some policy; let them press this government to organizing himl This makes more sense of "black supremacy" in the civil rights ways synonymous with poor-white power. to cease supporting' the economy of than most people realize. There ar~ many movement as indiscriminately as the cry Of course, SNCC like any other group ­ South Africa. thousands of poor whites all over the deep of communism was once \lsed in the labor could conceivably become a black supre­ South who are nearly as disenfranchised movement, and if this kind of indiscrim­ macist group some day in the future, but as the Negro, and the types of economic inate labeling continues, we could con­ this shouldn't affect our allegiances now. and political gains that the Negro is striv­ ceivably be in for a kind of latterday It makes no sense to support groups we ing for are exactly the types of gains McCarthyism, stripping the movement of know are too conservative, for fear that that could benefit the poor white too. The its militant leadership, and maybe causing the good groups will some day be too Negro by himself will probably never be certain paranoiac whites to see a black militant. I am more worried about other able to dominate Southern politics, but the supremacist behindevery tree. TheOemo­ things. Will SNCC Negroes in their mad poor Negro' and the poor white together cratic establishment and the more con- \ scramble for power forget the idyllic could constitute a formidable force, and servative rights groups have been subject­ vision of SNCC's earlier days? Will they as Carmichael says, "The real issues ed to the vituperative attacks of militants continue to work for participatory demo­ are colorless." It is Carmichael's plan for years; now it seems they're out to cracy on the grass-roots level, or will to take the white students who have up to squash the gadfly. Negro politics in the South become char­ this time been organiZing in the Negro $uffice to say that what is happening acterized by the same corruption and community, and after a thorough orienta­ in SNCC should be less cause for alarm bossism that has ruined Negro politics in tion session send them into the white than the unwarranted reaction it has evok­ New York and Philadelphia? These are community, to organize a base of power ed. White sympathizers on the picket line some of the things which only the future there which will, hopefully, some day, should be able to yell" Black Power" just can tell. As for the present, SNCC is become the white half of a black -white as heartily and unself-consciously as they one of the most sense-making Negro coalition. used to yell "Freedom," for the concept revolutions around,. 0 For obvious reasons, white Southerners of black power should be no more threat­ -from an article by Bruce 'Detwiler, and Southern blacks must be organized ening to them than is the concept of, for separately; most blacks at this point are The New Republic; Sept 17; 1966 not,able psychologically to work effectively Carmichael talks in Harlem. with. whites, and whites in most cases are not willing to work directly with I think that black people should not try and change this country; blacks. However, I have seen great en­ black people should not accept responsibility for this country; black people should aspire to a sense of na!ion hood. There is a vital job to be done thusiasm for Carmichael's method of organizing the {'NO communities not only among poor whites. We hope to see, What that means for white people is: from Negroes iIi Mississippi but from eventually, a coalition between poor white people have to challenge the basis of this society's existence; poor whites I have spoken to as well. blacks and poor whites. That is the they have to understand that this society is built in a schizophrenic way­ In a nutshell then, Carmichael's overall only coalition which seems acceptable you set up representative democracy in one town program is to foster greater dignity and to us, and we see such a coalition as and in the same town you dropped your first slaves who were black cohesiveness amorig Negroes through in­ the major internal instrument of change and you called the elimination of a whole people, creased racial awareness; to develop the the American Indian in American ,society. SNCC has tried poor Negro community into a unified and ' several times to organize poor whites; the "civilizing of this country;" independent political force using black Those things, which to me are barbaric and inhuman acts, we are trying again now, with an in­ organizers; to develop the poor-white are projected by American institutions as positive. itial training program in Tennessee. community into a parallel force using It is purely academic today to talk white organizers; and then to form a I think these things have to be challenged, about bringing poor blacks and whites coalition of all the poor. they have to be challenged in the white com.munity. together, but the job of creating a It is ironic that the only major civil -Charlie Cobb, SNCC field secretary, at the SOS National Conference. poor-white power bloc must be attempt­ rights group which has given serious Summer 1966. ed. The main responsibility for it falls thought to organizing poor whites and upon whites. Black and white can work helping them to obtain power has been' PAGE B THE MOVEMENT NOVEMBER 1966

AMERICAN PEOPLE'S' MOVEMENTS ------VIRGINIA 1951 THE MARTINSVILLE SEVEN

By William Mandel church, was using the phone downstairs. "When I was fifteen or ~lxteen I worked "Then I went on liberty. The bus to Mrs. Lawson, wife of a railroad shop in a grocery. One time I made a mistake Richmond was crowded. There were two The first mass descent of outsiders worker, was calling from her home. in an or.der. The boss, he says: seats up. front. Another boy and I sat to fight a civil rights battle in a South­ . So was Mrs. Vaughan, who ran a driving " 'Nigger, don't you know what to do?' down. The driver refused to move the ern city occurred in February, 1951 school, and her son, who owned a service "I said: 'Don't call me nigger, you know bus until we got out of the white section. when 517 people from all over the ·station. Mrs. Lawson's niece, and another my name.' We wouldn't get up. There was a riot, so country went to Richmond, Virginia young woman were phoning from Slaugh­ "He come back: 'We kick dumb niggers he started the bus. The fight in the bus kept for one day to demonstrate for the ter's and another hotel around the corner. around here,' and he kicked me, on all the way from Yorktown to Williams­ lives of seven Martinsvil1e Negroes The half-dozen white Richmond people "I hit him with a coke bottle, He called burg. There I wa'3 picked up and brought framed in a standard, old time "rape" had long since finished calling the few the cops, and they came to take me to into camp, They held me for mutin}. 1 case. friends who might come to the Square. jail. One cop said: asked for a general coun mart.ial. I beat It was the first time in twenty A couple had gone home to tend their " 'Who did you hit with a bottle?' the case." years since the Scottsboro Case that babies or catch an hour or two of sleep. " 'Robert E. Miller,' "How'rj you do thatT' I asked. a mass death penalty had been sought Another white man, a worker with a small " 'Look, nigger, when you talk to white "Well," said Goodman. "I told them in the South. But Scottsboro came dur­ tobacco farm in the hills he tended after folks you gotta say, Sir. When I get you the bus driver had no right to give me ·.~ a decade-long upsurge of mass move­ hours, was hauling us to and from the to the station house, I'll teach you how to orderil, so how ..,uld that be mutiny?They Vigil in his truck. The others, too tiredto talk to white men.' had to agree, and they freed me." ments in this country, with democracy go home or too far from home to get there "At the police station, one of them "Then we were shipped to New Guinea, expanding, and the national mood and back by six a.m., had stayed at the kicked me in the pants, and the other and from there to the Philippines. A coup­ against faeism abroad. Martinsvil1e Y. hit me in the jaw. Then they tossed me in le of our officers were Southerners. One came at the very depth of the cold war. It was a moment of pause, and per­ a cell, and said: was from Mississippi. One day I was on U.S. forces had just been routed at the spective. We New Yorkers were lucky. " 'This one is for. niggers and dogs.' guard duty. Afterward, I started to cut Yalu River in Korea. McCarthy was We had slept Sunday night before starting ".I WO'.lld have got two to five years in across the white camp over to the Negro riding high. The McCarran Act had just for Richmond. The Detroit and Chi.cago reform school, but my father paid five camp. The Mississippi officer stopped been passed. Smith Act trials were in people had left home a day earlier. But hundred graft and got me out. me. He said: progress everywhere. Student activity the four from Denver, of whom.he two "I kept on asking him to go North or to " 'Niggers got no right to go through was nil: the U. C. loyalty oath fight Negroes we':e middl.e·-aged and elderly, Panama. But he wouldn't leave, on account the white camp: had just been lost and campuses na­ had driven three days and nights over of his railroad job. I was unhappy about "We had an argument, and it became tional1y. were deathly silent. In that frozen roads In a convertible with a torn the schools. The whites had brick schools a fight. I was arrested. The C.O. told me atmosphere, the Martinsvil1e Case was top, and had lived on candy because none and recreation grounds. The Negroes had I had no right to argue with an o~ficer or lost. would eat where any were barred. A fifth frame schools, and they were cold. There with any white personnel. I was put in Or was it- in their party, a white woman of 73, had were two coal heaters in the room, and the brig again, and then sent to the psy­ (What follows is straight reporting. fallen and broken her hip as she stalked we sat around them, instead of keeping chiatrist. He said I had battle fatigue.," It was written at the time, but in the in rage from a Jim Crow restaurant in class the right way. There was no recrea­ I interrupted: "You didn't tell us about atmosphere of that day, publication Kansas City. She had insisted that the tion at all. any battles?" was impossible.) others leave her in a hospital and go on. "Then the cops were very nasty, too. "Oh," he said. "I had been at Iwo The Negro clergyman in that group, Rev. They would stop any Negro walking through Jima with the 20th Amphibians. Ioperated McNeil, had frozen his foot so badly on the white section, and question him. lf an LPC boat carrying 20 men in to land. route that for a while we feared gangrene. they didn't like what he said, he'd get a I was hit by shrapnel. I've got a plate in beating and six months on the rock pile. my head. It was three or four 0'clock Friday "One time I was working as house boy "They put me in the crazy stockade. I morning. Thirty out of town people had for a white family. I was about 17, but was there for ten days. Then outside camp remained in Richmond after the court big for my age. The man's daughter, she and back to the States. That was in 1945. demonstration on Monday. A dozen of us As we sat there, staring into the gas was 19, she liked me. She told her father: They sent me to St. Alban's for treatment were in one of the rooms the Negro YMCA flame, someone said: 'When I get to be 21, I'm gonna marry for battle fatigue." had rented to the committee as head­ "Well, this is the story-telling hour." Jim: He weat to my father and made me "They didn't know what kind of battle quarters. Those who had just come off the I said: "I know the story I'd like to quit that job. you were fatigued of, did they?" I said. Prayer Vigil in front of the Capitol were hear. Why did we come? Not in general. "My mother took me to Chicago. The "They sure didn't ... Well, anyhow, huddled around the gas heater trying to We all know that. But what moved us in­ living conditions, schools and recreation got a medical discharge in 1946.," warm up. Others, for whom there was no dividually? What was in the background wer-e better than In Nashville. I wanted t.o "What did you do then?" bed space, had put chairs together, thrown of each of us that brought us here and then stay, but my mother took me home to "I settled in New York. I worked at coats over them, and were sleeping more caused us to stay on 'although we had Tennessee. Bethlehem Steel and Todd Shipyard as an or less. expected to be in Richmond only a single "At 18 I packed my case and went on electrician and studies electrical engin­ Ught shone in from the other office. The day?" my own. During the war I was in the Navy. eering at night under the G.t Bill. Some­ dial clicked as James Smith, Negro clerk "I'll tell you." After basic training, I was at Yorktown times I cUd longshoremen's work. So I in a local drugstore and chairman of the The voice, mild, Southern, and with a Navy Mine Depot, not very far from here. joined the Longshore Club. I picketed 'Virginia Committee, called another num­ touch of a lisp, was that of James Good­ I was base electrician. Once there was a LL.A. President Ryan's office when they ber. He had worked at his job all day and man. A Negro of about thirty, tall, well­ wrong circuit in the recreation hall. Ci­ tried to squeeze Negroes off the water­ was due back in the pharmacy in the built but ~ot noticeably powerful in appear­ vilian white workers were called in, and ' front. I picketed Bethleham in the 1948 morning. ance, he had been one of the quietest they couldn't repair it. My C.O. told them strike. Then I worked in the Henry Wal-

Clabon Taylor, Frank Hairston, Joe Henry Hampton and James Hairston. Booker T. Millner, Francis Grayson and J.L. Hairston.

------THE MARTINSVILLE SEVEN ------He had been phoning for hours. "Mrs. Jones? .•. This is James members of the group. Earlythat evening, he hali a man could fix anything that could lace campaign, and in the Ada Jackson and Smith •.. No, nothing's happened to however, he and a young Jewish boy from be fixed, and he sent me over. One of the Hattie Brisbane campaigns in Brooklyn." me ••. No, my wife's all right •.•Yes, New York had gotten the white manager whites said: He stopped, and we knew he was finished, it is very important, or I wouldn't rouse and white woman band leader at the huge " 'Where did a nigger learn that type for he had spoken without interruption you out of bed. The first four Martins­ citY.:.oWned dance hall -- it was Negro of work?' except when I broke in. By this time all ville men are going to be killed about· night -- to stop the music every half hour "I said: 'Oon't call me no nigger.' of us around the heater were wide awake. seven o'clock in the morning. The courts and ask the crowd to phone the Governor "We had a scrap, and I got thirty days We looked at each other, and one man have all refused to act. Maybe the Gover­ to stop the executions. Otherwise we .knew in the brig on bread and water," turned his palms outward and let them nor will. We're asking everybody we know him only as the man from Brooklyn who I interrupted: "That must have made drop again, as if to say: "We know why to come to the Prayer Vigil at six o'clock had appointed himself guardian of the oil­ you pretty weak." he's here:' this morning .•• Yes, maybe our prayers can fire that kept us from freezing as "No," he continued, "1 didn't stay will move him. And maybe he'll think we sat with our Bible outside the State there long enough. The brig was a hut with better when he sees all those people out House in the four-person shifts the police a Cyclone steel fence around it. I pried it there .•. That's fine. Will you try to a llowed. By appearance and speech, he was apart with my hands until I could get my bring someone else? .•. Thanks. I'll a workingman. foot in. Then I worked it open. There was silence for a few moments, see you later:' "I was born in Panama. My parents "I drewsuspended sentence for breaking and then Fern Owens spoke up. Having This was something we could do nothing moved to Nashville, Tennessee when I out of the brig, and the C.O. told me to come to Richmond straight from her about. It was in the hands of the Negroes W::lS a boy. But I waf'> old enough to re·· build a new one that prisoners couldn't daughter's wedding, she must have been of Ric':lmond, and no outsider could phone member Panama. My father wa.s one of get out of so easy. He gave me a detail of in her late thirties, but looked a good deal : ..yoody at that hour. Elder Warner, un­ the three Negro locomotive engineers in twelve men, and I built it of steel and younger. Or rather, of indeterminate age, paid preacher of a poor folks' store-front Tennessee, He .llso had a farm .. concrete. with little flesh on her strong face to sag NOVEMBER 1966 THE MOVEMENT PAGE 9

or wrinkle. There was a set to her mouth a ham. A cop came up and said: niggars (we proncounced it to rhyme 1 phoned the sutian, knoWing this' an­ that gave some hint of the person within. , .. 'Put that down.' with cigar). My parents were separated, nouncer to be on duty atthis early morning Her English was clear and clipped, and •'She set the ham down carefully at her and 1 hadn't seen my father since I was , hour, told him who had said 1 should hard to place geographically. feet, then seized a can from thE;l counter four. call, and asked him to put a straight­ "My maiden name was Pierce, and the at which she was standing and bashed the "When 1 was nine, the whole family, forward announcement of the mass vigil President of that name, a slave-owners' cop over the head. He droppedin his tracks. with all the children, JIlade a pilgrimage on the air with the earliest news. He did stooge, was an ancestor of mine. But oth­ She calmly picked up the ham and walked to Macon', Georgia, to visit my great­ so. er ancestors were Utopian Socialists in home. grandfather' Faustina. He had a thirty­ A hundred Negroes showed up within an Owen's colony in indiana, and I heard '''Afterward, 'the cops set out a dragnet room house out of town, with Negro hour. A Negro restaurant owner gave up something about that in childhood from for my brother, thinking him the ringlead­ servants. One day, shortly after we ar­ pis early breakfast b.usiness, closed up a brother, the only radical in the family. er although he was not. He had to hide, rived, we were playing near the railroad shop, posted on his front door the handbill "My father was a sharecropper outside and it was a Negro family that offered to track that ran past one end of the place. our people were out distributing, made Oklahoma City. 1 walked to school in take him in, although it would have been We heard alot of noise, and a group of huge jugs of coffeee and trucked them town through the, Negro community. The hard for them to explain a white man in men came along, dragging a Negro. They down for free distribution to the people lies about Negroes being shiftless didn't the house. took some spare ties, built a pyre, stood standing outdoors with the temperature impress me, for I sawtheir homes through "in later years 1 married a Negro. 1 one in the ground, tied him to it, drenched at 15 degrees. the eyes of a cropper, and not of a white don't want my husband or my son to face him with kerosene, and burned him ltlive. The first four men were executed. The of hi:h~!, ~!ess. what these men ar~ facing. 1 think I can "For some reason, I just stood there" other three were scheduled for Monday morning. After the first executions, a , Negro taxi driver took a Northern Negro and myself at night the 150 miles to Mar­ tinsville to offer our condolences and help to the families. Death by violence at the 'hands of government and police was not new to them, and they were calm, at least by the time we arrived. Mrs. Hairston asked if there was any hope for the three remaining boys.. On Sunday it was decided to organize, that very afternoon, a mass memorial march from the church services for the four to Thomas jefferson's austere and beautiful State Capitol building. The police were neither asked nor notified. Nine hundred marched, 'including forty whites. Half a dozen of these were local: working people and aristocrats. No middle class. Another of the Southern whites, son of a textile worker, was now going to college on an FBI "scholarship." This emerged later when, he turned up as government witness in the junious Scales Smith-Act case.' The parade was headed by two localwo­ men, Negro and white, carrying a wreath. The white woman was a carpenter's wife of about thirty., mother of three children. Six clergy followed, one white: Father Clarence Parker, Episcopalian, Chicago, aged 60. As the parade crossed BroadStreet, the Mortician's aides carrying bodies of the four electric chair victims int~ morgue at Richmond following mass execution. City's main thoroughfare, the traffic-­ , white Richmond out for a Sunday drive-­ stopped to-let 'us pass. That was history. Two days later there was an interfaith "There would be fights. The white boys understand how Mrs. Grayson feels." Great-grandfather had been watching from funeral service in a ghetto church. Two would stone the Negro girls. That rubbed (Mrs. Grayson was the wife of the only the window, for when it was over and we me the wrong way. One day the white married man awaiting execution. They went home, he gathered the whole gang of thousand people jammed the streets. A school was surrounded by Negro boys in had five children.) us in the drawing-room. In the presence of local white workingman known to all for retaliation. The principal told us to stay our elders, who were stunned at his des­ his efforts mounted a soap-box. Police in our seats. After a while he and the truction of what they had worked a genera­ arrived. The crowd would not budge. The principal of the Negro schoolgot together, tion to build, he said: police left. and the Negro boys were called off. But " 'We are all Negroes here. It could A couple of days later I was riding up­ this incident built up my respect for them. jeri Wynne, Negro and 19, but on her have happened to anyone of us.' And he town in a New York subway train. Two "When I was in sixth grade a girl in own for two years, took up the thread. told us the family background. Negro Pullman porters were talking to my class had an affair with a boy. They "I was born in Cleveland. My father "I turned and fled to my room, and each other. One had just arrived on a run 'were intimate. Her parents found out, and was one of the few men to study elec­ stayed there for two weeks. When I came from Richmond, anq he' was telling a fa­ she was terrified. To get out of it, she tronic engineering before the war. When out, I was a Negro and no longer a Catho­ miliar story. said she had been raped by a Negro. A Western Electric had an opening in this lic, for no God of mercy would let things Three years later came the Montgom­ lynch atmosphere developed. Only the field, there were only three applicants, like that burning happen in the world." ery bus boycott. One ofthe top leaders was fact that the truth was well,known in school ,and he was the only one who qualified. Silence. Long, long silence. Then itwas a Pullman porter, local rank-and -file or­ prevented some innocent Negro from los­ He didn't get the job, being Negro. This a quarter of six, and time to go to the ganizer for their union. = ing his life. I could never forget this, and embittered him terribly, and he withdrew ,Square for the mass Vigil. . (Postscript 15 years later: I sent this is one reason I'm trying to save the into himself. this to THE MOVEMENT because, I lives of the Martinsville Seven. "My mother's story is similar. Al­ want you who are under 30 to feel the ,,Later, the Negro neighborhood spread though a graduate of the Cleveland School strength that comes of a personal coni until it completely surrounded the school of Art, she managed only now and then tinuity with the past. To you the 1930's, 1 had been going to. The white parents to get some commercial work. 1 phoned the owner of the Negro taxi are ?t best a myth you believe. But didn't want their children to go through "From the time 1 was four until I was company, and asked him to radio his cabs 1951-most of us can remember back . a Negro section, and so the school was eleven 1 lived with my grandfather in that we were violating the police limit to when we, were three: you were all at closed. It was not made into a Negro Mobile, Alabama. He was of a. Cuban four at the Vigil, and would they spread school because it was considered too Creole family, and enormously rich. He the word. He did. least that old then-it is the beginning good for them, and the authorities felt , owned much of the city. His money came Then I tested a wild experience. A white of your own time. You are not remaking that if they had one such schoolthey would originally from cigars, but he owned entire mountaineer who made his living as a the world alone. Jeri Wynne, Negro want more. 1 was terribly shocked w~en ,s~reets of real estate, and a whole island. pool shark had approached us one midnight middle-class by background, ,is only I heard that, because 1 had had my school­ "He had a twenty-room house, and there 'at the 'V:igil, said he thought 'the Martins- .35 today. Well, James' Forman is 38. ing in snatches when my father didn't were lots of ki¢> around. He knew how ville Seven were guilty,but should not die James Goodman, a working man, isn't need my help, and I appreciated schooling to handle kids. He was the stingiest man because no white man had ever gone to the over 45. greatly. I have ever seen, but on Saturdays when chair for rape in Virginia. He offered to There were lots of people that age ..I heard of the ,Scottsboro Case when he lined the kids up to give them ,a nickel arrange, through a friendly guard, to who made .the 50 miles from Selma to it began in 1931. I was still in Oklahoma to go to the movies, he had a way of making cut the power lines in the Penitentiary Montgomery, among them local Negroes City, and I went to open air meetings in each of us feel wonderful. just before the executions. 1 believedhim, of 50 and 72. They remember the a park where they talked about it. 1 "He bought a new black Packard every proposed this to the head of the national Sharecroppers' Union that had 12,000 believed what they said because of my year, and the family was outraged when, Pilgrimage to Richmond (a white Bay members in Alabama, Mississippi,. own experience in school. after his death, his daughter bought a Area attorney) as a desperate way of Louisiana and North Carolina in 1936. "The DepressIon got very bad about Studebaker instead. accomplishing a stay of execution, and In 1946, 1000 young people attended then. ·There was much actual starvation. "The five Creole families of Mobile offered to take full responSibility for that the 7th convention of a group with People were evicted and set up a Hoover­ and New Orleans were as aristocratic action, and any legal consequences. The amazingly familiar initials, SNYC ville under a bridge, Negro and white and snobbish as the Cabots and the Lodges. idea was vetoed. intermixed. There was an almost spon­ "I didn't know that I was' ,a Negro. in The pool shark then told me that he had (Southern Negro Youth Congress). Its taneous organization of the unemployed, color, the family ran from blue-eyed been foreman on a jury in an exactly founding convention had been in the with both races together. The Unemployed blondes to my color." similar case a few years earlier, except city of my story, Richmond, in 1937. Councils played a role. In a white family, she would be taken that it had involved seven 'white men. Continuity? I mentioned Mrs. Law­ "There was no city relief, and one day as white, and in a Negro as Negro. None had gotten more than four years. son, wife of a railway worker. She was there was a march on City Hall to demand "I found out later that my family had One had been acquitted as too drunk to born during the- Wilmington Massacre that something be done. En route we passed been up in arms when my mother mar­ have gone through with the act. He was of 1898, when the Klan destroyed by a very well-stocked food store. People ried a dark Negro. But meanwhile 1 now an announcer at a major radio station murder the last Negro-white Populist left the line of march and raided it. The didn't know, for we children went to a in town. lf I wanted any cooperation from coalition government of that time. police came with clubs and tear gas. Catholic school for Creoles, where the the radio announcer, 1 should give the That movement came down to her in ..A Negro woman near l;rw had taken French patois was spoken. Knd I hated name of the one-time jury foreman. careful oral lami ly. chronicle.) PAGE 10 THE MOVEMENT NOVEMBER 196&

FARM WORKERS WIN RIGHT TO DI GIORGIO ELECTION continued from page 1.

Corporation:' He couldn't care less, The Di Giorgio kept repeating that he couldn't to talk if any Di Giorgio officials showed CO PE delegates were more enthusiastic: promise an election unless the Teamsters up. more than 40 of them came with the work­ agreed to one. Hi argument was that the Company executives did show up: they ers to the picket line at the Corporation, Teamsters would picket the ranch and keep popped in and out of the office, giving Twomey, Larson, Groulx, and Jacobs supplies from being delivered. . last words and ultimatums. They were gel:­ were joined by Bert Donlin, Executive At the end of the meeting, Di Giorgio ting visibly shook. Brotherton opened the Board members of ILWU Local 10 Qn­ agreed to call Einar Mohn, Teamster door and said, "We have nothing further ternational Longshoremens and Ware­ chief, and ask him if he would agree to to discuss. I'm asking you to leave." housemens Union). Together with three an election. He told the workers to come Trying to be sarcastic, he said, "It's back at 2, when he would tell them what farm workers they tried to enter the been a pleasure to meet you all - and building (a little note had been pasted on Mohn said. goodbye." the front doors of the building Friday At 2, Brotherton came back, but Di Then Connors, the Di Giorgio lawyer, morning: "The DiGiorgio Corporation is Giorgio was never seen again. The pick­ came in. Receiving Vis ito r s By Appointment, et line outside had been called off: Di "I've done all 1 can," he said. "We've Only"). Giorgio said that he would not come to been very good to you, but you will have The delegation was not allowed into a meeting if there was picketing. The signs to leave now." the elevators. When ,they were ordered were laid on the sidewalk and the picket­ "Thank you, Jesus," said Dick Groulx. ers and workers stood waiting for news to leave the building (a public office Connors turned purple and slammed the ~efused from the sixth, floor. building), they and were arrested, door. Friday .afternoon after the arrests, the At 2, Brotherton appeared with Joe Then various police officers came in police rushed the picket line and arrested, chambers of the State Conciliation Ser­ and said pretty much the same thing. The for no apparent reason, John Schroyer, an vice. Chambers said that he had called police were reluctant to make arrests. Mohn, and that Mohn had told him he organizer for UFWOC. He was hustled The Di Giorgio executives were very upset into a police car anq driven away, When had just gotten to his office and couldn't at being talked back to. They were not used the prowl car arrived at the jail, Shroyer make a decision that day. to being treated as' equals. Wher. they The workers told Brotherton that what demanded to know why he was being found that giving orders didn't work, they arrested, One of the cops wrapped his the Teamsters did was irrelevant. They called the cops. handcuffs around his fist and struckShro­ wanted Di Giorgio to agree to an election. The pickets on the street learned that yer on the head, cutting him deeply, He Weinberg said, "Mohn has had two months Di Giorgio had broken off the meeting was booked on 6 counts, including assault to decide; he doesn't need untiltomorrow." and started the picket line again. We could and battery on a police officer, All arrest The atmosphere was getting tense. Di hear the bullhorn from the 6th floor cases are still pending, Giorgio officials, UFWOC organizer Fred office. "This is more like it," said Mack Ross, the workers, and the labor officials Lyons. "That talking wasn't getting us Over the weekend support for the work­ were gathered, standing, out in the lobby. anywhere." ers' demands mounted, Dolores Huerta of "Do you refuse to sign an agreement?" The arrogance of the Di Giorgio officials the NFWA spoke before the SF Central asked Ross. was clear to everyone. As sopn as they Labor Council. On Monday and Tuesday "We have called on the Governor, who found out that'the workers weren't going large picket lines appeared before the Di­ has called in the Conciliation SerVice," to be put off, they' called the whole thing Giorgio office, replied Brotherton. "We will agree when off. They threatened to break off the con­ At 9 A.M. Tuesday, the DiGiorgio Cor­ the Teamsters agree." tract negotiations at' their Delano ranch, poration agreed to talk with the union, A "You've been saying that for two where the UFWOC had won the elections. day-long meeting was attended by Di- . months," said Mack Lyons. They tried to get the Arvip. workers to say Giorgio officials, a representative of the "That's all I've got to say," said Broth­ that they represented UFWOC, which they Mack Lyons, head 9f farmworker dele­ State Conciliation Service, Mack Lyons, erton, and walked out of the lobby into didn't. They represented the Arvin farm gation from Arvin. Dolores Huerta, Bill Kircher, head of the Di Giorgio office, leaving the group workers. organizing of the AFLrCIO, and Fred standing in the lobby. Finally Edward Gallagher, the manager ready at 4:30 Thursday afternoon, we were Ross; head of organizing for the United 1 asked Lyons what the group was going of the building, came in with Police Cap­ not released until 10 P.M. We were told Farm Workers Organizing Committee, to do. "We're going to stay here until tain Charles Barker. Gallagher told us to that the bail was not ready: it was an By the end of the day the Corporation he agrees," said Lyons. get off his property or be arrested. We said obvious attempt by police to keep us in had completely given in to the union's The farm labor group then moved back as far was we knew negotiations were still jail until the picket line was ended and demands, An agreement was signed that into the office in which they had met with going on. Barker then said we were under there was less chance of publicity. calls for: Di Giorgio and closed the door. The labor arrest. _ Friday morning a delegation of farm An election on November 4 officials tried to contact Bill Kircher" Lyons, Chavez, Kemplin, Twomey, Lar­ workers attended the AFL-CIO conven­ A single ballot head of organizing for the AFL-CIO, but son, Groulx and myself were then led out tion of the Council on Political Educa­ Election to be conducted by the State were unsuccessful. Fred Ross went down­ of the building and into a paddy wagon. tion. Thomas Pitts, 5ecretary-Treasurer Conciliation Service, stairs to call Cesar Chavez and Dolores The picket line was chanting" Let Them of COPE, tried to keep the farm workers Contract negotiations to begin within Huerta in Delano. Go I Let Them Go I" and swirledaround the out of the room. He did not succeed. 45 days after the election, The group inside agreed that as far as police as they brought us out. When he had to introduce the two speak­ (BULLETIN: It looks like the Team­ they were concerned, negotiations were Bail was set at $110. The charge was ers from Arvin, he told the delegates, sters have agreed to leave the Arvin still going on. Their demands were' not trespassing. The arrests shook up the "I know you're in a hurry to get out, but area and stop their raiding against the being met. They had been invited into stodgy AFL-CIO state and city organiza­ I've promised these men 2 minutes each farm workers union and their collusion the office and they were staying, ready tions. Though a bondsman had the bail to tell about their beef at tqe DiGiorgio with the DiGiorgio Corporationj,

THE NITTY GRITTY i CHESTER WRIGHT WILL L.A. COPS TRIGGER THE NEXT RIOT?

After the youth slumped dead on the b) See that others do not put us in a Some call us THE GREAT SOCIETY. front seat, officers found a knife with a 'trick bag' by triggering riots (thiS was Being a realist, I have reasons to believe 5-inch blade in his belt. tried last July 4th). that History will record us along with the c) Prevent our people from being need­ NAZIS as a Sick Society. lessly killed by police officers for non­ The body of 16 year old Matthew John­ The Community Alert Patrol was with­ capital-punishment crimes. son, gunned in the back by a San Fran­ drawn after the Watts Festival in order to This writer, or the directors and field cisco police officer, was not cold and the create an atmosphere whereby meaningful commanders of CAP, do not condone, aid ensuing riot was not controlled before dialogue with the LAPD could occur. TI-lE or abet lawlessness. Yet we can speak Officer Thomas D. Nevin killed 15 year PATRO L IS BACK ON THE STREETS: The with some authority oli the need for sur­ old Elmo Jerry Birkley. We here in Los Patrol's aims are the same as after the veillance and change in police procedures Angeles can't let Frisco outdo us - no Deadwyler killing - to prevent the City that cause senseless killings of children siree. We went them one better: recently from exploding. The directors of CAP, and adults for non-capital crimc:.s. a young Pacoima white boy was gunned by knowledge obtained at a bitter price, This writer further contends thatAU'ID when caught on a fence. know that certain political factions would THEFT IS NOT A CRIME PUNISHABLE I contend that these children committed c benefit by another riot. It is felt that the BY DEATH. Further, that suspicion of one great crime - that of being children, ~ o Negro Community will not determine whe­ auto theft by police officers does not give with a right, due to their age level - to t? ther it will riot or not in today's Los An­ them license to act as JUDGE, JURY AND . PANIC. Join the Armed Forces; fellows, o geles, rather, the Community is a CHESS EXECUTIONER of children. Negroes have you will be a lot safer - and you can PIECE, that may be moved on the "Giant traditionally been denied the right to be legally shoot back. Checker Board" of political expediency. human. California's local policemen are At least the Community Alert Patrol The fear generated by general rioting now denying their children the right to will attempt by their presence to act as The cheapest thing in California is (White People are buying guns at a phe­ be children. a deterrent force by observing the police rapidly becoming the lives of children. nomenal rate, and are saturated with The tragedy is that California and its procedures. We are very much INVOLVED On Friday, October 14, an LA Policeman "Scare" literature and programs pushed decent, well-meaning solid Citizens call and we could not cwre less whether a child killed a Negro youth, 15 years old, with by right-wing extremists) would insure a this "good, vigorous law enforcement." I is BLACK, WHITE or GREEN. A Child a single blast from a shotgun. The offi­ v ictory for that faction in the coming elec­ call it by its real name - PSYCHOTIC is a Child. It is shameful, stupid and cer was standing at an estimated dis­ tions. Since Negro youngsters do most of BEHAVIOR. cruel that th~ connotation "adult" does tance of 15 feet: the blast ripped into the the dying in event of a riot, CAP is Where our so-called 'decent citizens' not elecit the same innocent ring, child's head, killing him instantly. determined to prevent the blood of Ne­ are concerned, it is just as inhuman to The killing occured after police chased groes from being used as a political tool. ·stand on a curb and watch one man beat (Editors Note: This is the first in a a car driven by a 26 year old man, Our purpose is simple, we seek to allow another to death with a stick and not raise series of columns by Chester Wright on J ames Lindsay. The slain youth, Elmo the Negro to SURVIVE in Los Angeles. your voice in righteous wrath as it is what is happening in Los Angeles, Ches­ Jerry Birkley, was in the car. Accord­ to wield the stick yourself. This writeI:' ter Wright is a retired Master Chief ing to the LA Times, the police officer feels that the spectator is more guilty. The Petty Officer of te U,S. Navy: he has WE DO INTEND 'ID: said, "1 thought he reachedfor a weapon." assaulter can claim temporary insanity. a B.A, in Social Welfare and is attend­ a) See that Negro lives are not used (Could he have been tucking his shirt You, as a cool spectator, can only claim ing the UCU, Graduate School of Social carelessly as Political Currency. in/?). cowardly and hypocritical rationalization, '\Vork). NOVEMBER 1966 THE MOVEMENT PAGE 11 RESIDENTS -FIGHT FOR CONTROL OF REDEVELOPMENT

SAN FRANCISCO - The Mission Council the Mission. The Council does not stand Knotts then pointed out that the poverty "The test for this will come when- we on Redevelopment (MCOR) has beenfight­ against him for this. But what it does program in the Mission District is con­ organize the Action Committee," says ing hard for several months against the stand against him for is his refusal to trolled IOax. by the residents of the area. Dave Knotts. "Then some oftheorganiza­ San Francisco Redevelopment Agency's cooperate with the people who will be Ricardo Callejo said, "In this country tions may drop out." plan to tear up the Mission District. It affected by his plans. Who really knows we should have the right to make our own It seems to be a general rule of re­ may be successful. If it is, it will be one best for the Mission7 Justin Herman or decision. We don't want the veto power development that it always ends up re­ of the few citizens groups in the country the people of the neighborhood7" misused, but we want veto power. We ducing the supply of low cost housing, to win against the self-appointed experts On October 5, MCOR appeared before the people are the people who should pushing poor and working-class people of our cities who make the plans for tear­ the Finance Committee of the Board of decide. Government too often has for­ out of their homes and community, and .ing down low income housing in order to Supervisors. One hundred Council mem­ gotten that they are in the service of the making a lot of money for builders and "beautify" and "improve." bers attended the meeting. As a result, people. contrllctors. MCOR is an organization made up of rep- ' the Committee voted to delay a decision The meeting then got hung up on the This "minority and poor, people's re­ resentatives from 62 communityorganiza­ until Supervisor Morrison, a noted liberal, legality que s t ion. Catholic Monsignor moval" system may be stopped in the tions, ranging from Catholic Churches could make a compromise proposal to the MurrChe Guevara. Only $1.50 ing necessary, approval a veto. The motion you would conservative groups, the Catholic Church Special to new or old subscribers­ MCOR publishes a newsletter called El impose on the SuperVisors is illegalunder and the Spanish-Speaking Council, may You can buy the Che portrait for only Machete. In a recent issue they said, California law. The right to approval must drop out when stronger action is neces­ $1. Write to .THE .MOVEMENT PRESS, "Justin Herman (Chairman of'tlie -Re­ lie ,in the proper governiTIent r~preserii:a­ s-ary. The right-wing homeowners are 449 14th Street, 'San Francisco, Callf. development Agency) wants to redevelop tives." mostly organizing separatelyfrom MCOR, "GET BENNY PARRISH OUT OF MODESTO" MODES1D, CALIFORNIA - Benny Par­ be withheld, told the MOVEMENT that the cation school. He started here because rish, an organizer for the California two CongressmenpressuredMcFall (Dem, many poor white adults attend the school< . Center for Com m u nity Development Modesto) to threaten the CCCD with fund "I tried to set up a student council sep­ (CCCD), came to this San Joaquin Valley stoppage if Benny Parrish wasn't taken arate from the administration. It flop­ town a year ago. He organized a group out of Stanislaus County before the Novem­ ped. They got a little more money than called the Community Poverty Council ber election. In October an OEO inves­ they would have gotten if they stayed (CPC) at a job retraining school. The tigator 'came to the CCCD training center on welfare. They didn't want to jeopardize C PC demanded that the local War on Pov­ in Morgan Hill and told the group that their position:' erty elect Sax. of its members from the they had better get Parrish out of the The school 'retrained' the people to be poor. Before this the board had been country. service station attendants, orderlies, appointed by the County Supervisors; it Parrish has been told by sources in­ nurses aides - jobs which paid no more represented the major business interests side the Welfare Department that the than the unskilled work they did before, of the community, notably Gallo Wine. State Attorney General is going to inves­ "In the beginning there were hardly Then last February, Parrish organized tigate the county's local OEO Board (con­ any Mexican-Americans in the school. We a Welfare Rights Organization within the trolled by Parrish's CPO). felt there should be more, since the pro­ C PC. Two days before the WRO held a gram was supposed to retrain agricultur­ sit-in at the Welfare Department, the WHO IS BEHIND THESE ATTACKS ON al workers. Stanislaus County Grand Jury began an ORGANIZERS OF THE POOR 7 "We got Washington to send out an in­ investigation of Parrish and the CCCD. "The great fear in Modesto is that vestigator. As a result, the white minority Last' month, two months before the Benny is going to organize farm workers, counselor was replaced by a Mexican ­ Grand Jury was supposed to give its especially after Chavez's Pilgrimage went American counselor. The employment de­ reports, and two days before Governor through:' said the anonymous civil ser­ partment which assigns people to the Brown arrived in Modesto on his election vant. "What they do is send down a few school was orderedto send more Mexican­ campaign, the Jury called for halting the Democrats and liberals into South Mo­ Americans to the school. Now over Sax. use of tax money to help organizations desto at election time to get out the poor of the students are Mexican-American:' that "produce social and class con ­ vote. This is another reason I think they "YOU'RE A BUNCH OF SLOBS" flict." are afraid of Benny." CHALLENGE 1D TIiE POVERTY BOARD This lieutenant, Badge No. Parrish reported to THE MOVEMENT, The business community in Modesto The CPC submitted two proposals to the 1644, told THE MOVEMENT "The Welfare Director himself admitted fears an organized movement of poor Poverty Program Board (which they now editor at the farm worker picket that, if we hadn't had sit-ins and other people. The two major forces are Gallo control). One was for a day - care cen- line in front of the Di Giorgio 'conflicts' there would be no weekly meet­ Wine, and a businessman and. landowner . ter -which they got. The other was for a offices, "You're all a bunch of ings of recipients like there are now. They named Beard, who owns the biggest' in­ community service center and a com­ slobs and creeps. I've had a had their chance for years and years to do dustrial park in the county, munity worker for South Modesto and lot of experience handling slobs this without conflict. The civil servant says, "They fear a Ceres. This was at first rejected. The like you." "All they mean by 'conflict' is asking spill-over from the electronics industry C PC appealed directly to the regionalOEO Later that day, he showed 'about what they did and did not do. First of the Bay Area, because it would force office. Meanwhile, they got more seats on what his experience was. Pic­ you go in and ask for something and they the wages up in the country. Gallo, Beard the Board and reopened the question. It keter Jeanne Bailey reports that say no. Then you raise a fuss and they and a few other landowners control the was passed. The county administration is Lieutenant 1644 stepped on say yes. Then they find out that they real­ kind of industry that can move into the trying to have it overruled. her foot, knocked her backward ly had to do something or else you will county." "The group here feels," Parrish says, with his elbow and shoved her. take direct action to enforce the agree­ "Such spill-over would also force the "that if we don't get the community cen­ She was not in his way. No, ment. Then they accuse you of creating High Schools to offer a real vocational ter - community worker proposal, then 1644 s h 0 u I d not be running 'conflict' ins tea d of 'community har­ program. Now they give little vocational we'll probably try to tear down the whole around armed mony.' .. training for students who can't afford to local poverty board. That doesn't mean Congressman Sisk (Dem. Fresno) and go to college:' This helps to keep the there won't be any poverty programs Congressman Hagan (Dem, Visalia) held wages down by keeping high school grad­ here. It just means you don't have to have up CCCD funds and have cut back the tWo uates unskilled. an agency screening them." CPC would , year project by six months. Parrish organized the CPC in the New then negotiate directly with the regional A civil servant who asks that his name Hope School, a job r.etraining a!=luJt edu- I:) SUBSCRIBE ,~ d"':' 1<;,(...'!. JEO. PAGE 12 THE MOVEMENT NOVEMBER 1966

NOTES fROM CHICAGO 111111111111111111111111111.111 11111111111 11 MICHAEL JAMES·

MOVEMENTS IN CHICAGO" "WE HAVE NO Chicago is big, around four million neighborhood entirely. begins to re~ognize and attempt accommo­ GOVEf\NMENT" The summer saw a major confrontation dation of the Spanish community), a small people. A lot of this num':>er are poor; I feel that the federal gov­ there are large concentrations of poor between the Puerto Rican community and group of Puerto Ricans and Mexicans ernment have proven that it whites, Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and es­ the police. The "riots," the first by Puer­ formed the Latin American Defense Or­ don't care about poor people. pecially, Negroes who make up 25% of the to" Ricans in the country, were important, ganizati~n. LAOO holds to a movement Everything that we have asked city's population. Organizing goes on in suggesting that the Spanish speaking, like orinted community organizing perspective for through these years has been many neighborhoods where these groups Negroes, are coming to be dissatisfiedwith and understands well the problems they handed down on paper. It's nev­ are concentrated. the oppressing problems of polie bru­ face and the need to build an organization er been a reality. We the poor JOIN Community Union (see THE tality, poor housing and high prices. The of poor people who can speak and act for people of Mississippi is tired. MOVEMENT, Oct. 1966) works inaneigh­ Spanish Action Committee, the city, Span­ themselves. Although subjected to a Span­ We're tired of it so we're going borhood of about 60,000 poor, largely ish language papers and so-called com­ ish press black-out, legal harassment of to build for ourselves, because southern, whites. Activity centers around munity leaders attempted to isolate the key organizers stemming from the "riot," we don't have a government that the building of a steward system that may outbreak, refusing to make connections and attempts by the Industrial Union De­ represents us. eventually evolve into a working freedom between the. problems of poor Puerto Ri­ partment of AFL-CIO to change both the precinct captain structure. JOIN's newest cans and those experienced by both poor name and direction, LADO has grown. -Mrs. Unita Blackwell, efforts deal with urban renewal in an at­ whites and blacks. Its first action, a boycott of NationalTea Feb. I, 1966, after Negroes had tempt to involve new people and create an Dissatisfied with the existing leader­ Stores for failing to hire Spanish speaking occupied the Greenville Air alternative to the plan imposed by the city ship (many of whom are destined to gain checkers, made LAOO's name known in Force Base. which could remove poor people from the power and influence as the Daley-machine the community and forced National to negotiate. In addition to the boycott, the organization is organizing welfare recip­ ients andbuilding a tenant's union. King's SCLC has dominated action in the for by the Citizen's Housing Committee b lack community and the citywide move­ for eight years). ment as a whole. SCLC embarked on a SCLC has failed to produce tangible program of marches into all white work­ reSUlts, has perhaps unintentionally in­ ing and lower-middle class neighborhoods hibited the development of militant and over the issue of open occupancy; it was radical leadership and movement in the hoped the tactic would create a crisis in large black ghettos, and failed to con­ housing that liberals could not disagree front, maybe even catered to, the Daley With, as well as pressure for fed€:ral machine, enemy of the City'S poor. What housing legislation. The marches failed SCLC has done is give birth to several to involve poor black people, and ended small groups working to build tenant's when liberal church and labor groups, unions. The hope for a strong movement both local and national, brought extreme is Chicago rests with these and other pressure on King to halt the marches. independent organizations around the city. The marches did halt, about the same That hope is the building of organizations time that federal civil rights legislation of poor people around the issues of hous­ was shelved, and ended in an agreement ing, welfare and police brutality that can between King and Daley that brought King work independently to control their own nothing but a claimed moral victory, a neighborhoods, and come together on city­ WINES:...... ­ promised investigation of problems by wide issues in the long term struggle of [In"eel.., various city agencies, and a promisefrom DON'T BUY Perelll·Mlnetti products I overthrowing the powerfulDaley-business ... the city that public housing would not ex­ machine that runs the city and helps run GNai....­ Co,.. F.I. ceed eight stories (higher than that fought America. = INSIDE AN OAKLAND BOYCOT.T FREEDOM SCHOOL By Dave Wellman

SPECIAL TO THE MOVEMENT class room was different, but the form ain't no punk; why do they have to treat ,ter' ," said another. was too much like Oakland public school you' that way?" . These remarks are important. The boy­ OAKLAND - "The Ad Hoc Committee system. "Yeah," chimed in someone else, cott was considered effective; almost one­ should have Set up a 'Junior Ad Hoc Com­ When the talk was about topics the "•'and they take and toss you inside the car third of the flatland students stayed home mittee' made up of all high school students students were close to, more people if" you ask why you being stopped. Take during the three days. The Freedom in Oakland and let us organize and run the talked. The discussions were loud, in­ you down to Juvie Hall for 'question­ Schools were attended by young people boycott." tense and free-wheeling. ing'. You know, they took me down once whose parents were actively in favor of "Yeah'" shouted Freedom Schoolers in "Let me tell you about McClymonds and didn't even tell myoid lady for a the boycott and by kids looking for a response to this remark by one member of High Schooll" shouted one toung lady. day." legitimate excuse to cut. The majority a West Oakland Freedom School. "They've got this referral system, you "Beat the shit out of you I bet," added were not organized into Freedom SchoolS. The long awaited three-day boycott plan­ understand. But when you get down there, another young man. Ad Hoc gave the students no way they ned by the Ad Hoc Committee for Quality you find that this damn teacher has Each discussion snagged on the ques­ could present their demands directly to Education was going on and the young men 'written you up' ten times and never tion of what you do about it...Burn down the school board. and WOIIlln were attending F r e e d 0 m told you. So you find out you got a 'rec­ the schools," said one man glibly; "Blow KICKED OFF THE CkMPUS Schools. ord' and bam' You're out on your ass. up the police station," said another. Many Freedom Schoolers thought they "Classes" beg a n Wednesday. The Don't even have a chance to explain. And "Naw," was the general response, "that could have run the boycott better than Ad "teachers" told the young people that baby, to get back in, you've got to bring won't do nothing but make things worse." Hoc. The Friday trip to the University Freedom Schools would be what they the folks. Only my folks work. And my The teachers had little to offer. of California seemed to prove this. Plan­ wa;tted them to be. old man ain't about to take off work to "Why not organi7.e against them?" sug­ ned for noon, it was suddenly-changed to "We're !.Ie,~ because we want to be, get me back in school. So what are you gested one. 9:30. The Graduate Student "hosts" were not because we have to be. We'll talk going to do?" "Why bother?" was one answer. put off-guard; their program was to be­ about things you're interested in and "The food at the school ain't. fit to •'They've got all the power. Besides, it gin at 12. There was nothing to do u~til some of you can even be teachers if you eat. And they've got the nErve to charge takes too long:' noon. want," said one teacher. As the day wore you 45 or 50 cents for itl Now, I've The teachers, unprepared for this, tried At 11:30 the University authorities de­ on, however, it seemed that the teachers . got the coins to pay for it cause my to talk about more comfortable things. manded that the Freedom Schoolers leave had certain things THEY wanted to talk old man is working, but what about cats They talked about the" Power Structure," immediately and locked the doors to the about. that can't afford it?" the war, the war on poverty, and so on. building where seminars were to have Discussions were on topics like Black Another freedom schooler added: But students kept getting back to the basic taken place. Power, Employment Opportunities in Oak­ "Man, do you know they got cops on problems. Their needs were differentfrom This display of "white power" by the land, Negro History, Oakland Schools, that campus?" the teachers. University caused confusion and a qUick Police Brutality, and The War in Viet­ "I want to talk about those Oakland The boycott was another issue. retreat home without an explanation to the nam. There was' lively talk -" some cops," announced some~ne. "Who organized the boycott?" the stu­ young boycotters. Tired, frustrated and dominated by teachers and others by "You know you can't even walk down dents wanted to know; "Why weren't we in confused, they returned to Oakland. students and teachers alike. Negro His­ the street without haVing one of those on the planning?" While some were annoyed, all seemed tory and the War in Vietnam, about cats stop you for something. Especial­ "You know," a young lady said, ''If we to be wiser about the politics of Oakland which the students knew little, rapidly ly at night: I don't care what you're were asked to organize this thing we could and of boycotting. became lectures, and the youngsters be­ doing, they're going to stop you. They have lots more people here. I know lots of "Next time there's a boycott, we're came restless. Education was still not stop you, man, and then have to get people I could have convinced to come:' going to run it," announced a young man an exciting experience. The content of the nasty. 'Where you going, punk?' Man, I "I think we could have run it much bet- as we qounced home in an old truck. = ••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• HELP EXPORT THE MOVEMENT (7- Several revolutionary groups SUBSCRIBE TO T.HE MOVEMENT!' have written to us requesting Please send me the next 12 issues of THE MOVEMENT- Enclosed is $2.00 subscriptions to THE MOVE­ MENT. We need some help if we are to send them copies. NAME Airmailing one copy of the paper to Cuba costs 39¢, to ADDRESS Tanzania 75¢, to the National Liberation Front 45¢. It's im­ \(======:....-~C!.!IT..!..Y ~S~TA~T~E=- portant that they know what is !:..Z!!IP:...-__) happening inside ttis country. Can any of our readers send us a contribution toward the MAIL TO THE MOVEMENT 449 14th STREET postage needed to mail THE -SEND ONE TO A fRIENDI SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF. 94103 MOVEMENT to these groups?