Lesson: Violence in History and the Alternative of Nonviolence
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Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr
Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. “Labor, Racism, and Justice in the 21st Century” The 2015 Jerry Wurf Memorial Lecture The Labor and Worklife Program Harvard Law School JERRY WURF MEMORIAL FUND (1982) Harvard Trade Union Program, Harvard Law School The Jerry Wurf Memorial Fund was established in memory of Jerry Wurf, the late President of the American Federation of State, County and Munic- ipal Employees (AFSCME). Its income is used to initiate programs and activities that “reflect Jerry Wurf’s belief in the dignity of work, and his commitment to improving the quality of lives of working people, to free open thought and debate about public policy issues, to informed political action…and to reflect his interests in the quality of management in public service, especially as it assures the ability of workers to do their jobs with maximum effect and efficiency in environments sensitive to their needs and activities.” Jerry Wurf Memorial Lecture February 19, 2015 Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. “Labor, Racism, and Justice in the 21st Century” Table of Contents Introduction Naomi Walker, 4 Assistant to the President of AFSCME Keynote Address Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. 7 “Labor, Racism, and Justice in the 21st Century” Questions and Answers 29 Naomi Walker, Assistant to the President of AFSCME Hi, good afternoon. Who’s ready for spring? I am glad to see all of you here today. The Jerry Wurf Memorial Fund, which is sponsoring this forum today, was established in honor of Jerry Wurf, who was one of AFSCME’s presidents from 1964 till 1981. These were really incredibly formative years for our union and also nationally for this nation. -
Address at Youth March for Integrated Schools in Washington, D.C., Delivered by Coretta Scott King the Martin Luther King, Jr. P
25 Oct vividly, is the vast outpouring of sympathy and affection that came to me literally 1958 from everywhere-from Negro and white, from Catholic, Protestant and Jew, from the simple, the uneducated, the celebraties and the great. I know that this affection was not for me alone. Indeed it was far too much for any one man to de- serve. It was really for you. It was an expression of the fact that the Montgomery Story had moved the hearts of men everywhere. Through me, the many thou- sands of people who wrote of their admiration, were really writing of their love for you. This is worth remembering. This is worth holding on to as we strive on for Freedom. And finally, as I indicated before, the experience I had in New York gave me time to think. I believe that I have sunk deeper the roots of my convic- tion that (non-violent}resistence is the true path for overcoming in- justice and- for stamping out evil. May God bless you. TAD. MLKP-MBU: Box 93. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Papers Project Address at Youth March for Integrated Schools in Washington, D.C., Delivered by Coretta Scott King 25 October 1958 New York, N.Y. At the Lincoln Memorial Coretta Scott King delivered these remarks on behalf of her husband to ten thousand people who had marched down Constitution Avenue in support of school integration.’ During the march Harry Belafonte led a small integrated contingent of students to the White House to meet the president. They were met at the gate by a guard who informed them that neither the president nor any of his assistants would be available. -
Leaders of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Biographical Information
“The Top Ten” Leaders of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom Biographical Information (Asa) Philip Randolph • Director of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. • He was born on April 15, 1889 in Crescent City, Florida. He was 74 years old at the time of the March. • As a young boy, he would recite sermons, imitating his father who was a minister. He was the valedictorian, the student with the highest rank, who spoke at his high school graduation. • He grew up during a time of intense violence and injustice against African Americans. • As a young man, he organized workers so that they could be treated more fairly, receiving better wages and better working conditions. He believed that black and white working people should join together to fight for better jobs and pay. • With his friend, Chandler Owen, he created The Messenger, a magazine for the black community. The articles expressed strong opinions, such as African Americans should not go to war if they have to be segregated in the military. • Randolph was asked to organize black workers for the Pullman Company, a railway company. He became head of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, the first black labor union. Labor unions are organizations that fight for workers’ rights. Sleeping car porters were people who served food on trains, prepared beds, and attended train passengers. • He planned a large demonstration in 1941 that would bring 10,000 African Americans to the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC to try to get better jobs and pay. The plan convinced President Roosevelt to take action. -
MARTIN LUTHER KING and the PHILOSOPHY of NONVIOLENCE Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia
Bill of Rights Constitutional Rights in Action Foundation SUMMER 2017 Volume 32 No4 MARTIN LUTHER KING AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF NONVIOLENCE Wikimedia Commons Wikimedia Martin Luther King, Jr. addressing the crowd of about 250,000 people at the March on Washington in August 1963. Martin Luther King, Jr. is remembered for his achievements The man, who turned out to be an American Nazi Party in civil rights and for the methods he used to get there — member, continued to flail. namely, nonviolence. More than just a catchphrase, more than just the “absence of violence,” and more than just a tactic, The integrated audience at first thought the whole nonviolence was a philosophy that King honed over the thing was staged, a mock demonstration of King’s non- course of his adult life. It has had a profound, lasting influ- violent philosophy in action. But as King reeled, and real ence on social justice movements at home and abroad. blood spurted from his face, they began to realize it was In September 1962, King convened a meeting of the no act. Finally, several SCLC members rushed the stage Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the to stop the attack. main organizational force behind his civil rights activism, But they stopped short when King shouted, “Don’t in Birmingham, Alabama. King was giving a talk on the touch him! Don’t touch him! We have to pray for him.” need for nonviolent action in the face of violent white The SCLC men pulled the Nazi off King, who was beaten racism when a white man jumped on stage and, without so badly he couldn’t continue the speech. -
1 Reverend C.T. Vivian, in Memoriam August 21, 2020 During the Civil
Reverend C.T. Vivian, In Memoriam August 21, 2020 During the Civil Rights Movement many Americans bravely urged our nation to keep its promise of equality for all, but very few met the face of racism, violence, and fear with a clarion call for justice that remains seared in the national memory. “We are willing to be beaten for democracy and you misuse democracy in the streets”1 once said a young Cordy Tindell (“C.T.”) Vivian in Selma, Alabama to Sheriff Jim Clark, as Vivian led a peaceful Black voter registration march in 1965. Reverend Vivian offered these words after Sheriff Clark, acting under color of law, punched Vivian in the mouth on the Selma courthouse steps in front of television cameras with force so great that it both made Vivian bleed and broke Clark’s hand. This moment crystalized the contest and cost of facing segregation, injustice, and brutality with courage, fortitude, and selflessness. Sheriff Clark became a face of injustice, and Vivian the face of Americans seeking justice. C.T. Vivian was an unrelenting advocate for non-violent change to which he was inalterably committed throughout his life. Recalling the courthouse confrontation, Vivian recounted, “with Jim Clark it was a clear engagement…you do not walk away from that you continue to answer it.”2 In his words, “We have proven that we can solve social problems without violence if we choose.”3 C.T. Vivian spoke of Black Americans’ aspiration for equality, and, as we would learn, he spoke of destiny. He was a fearless fighter for equality in a cause that was paved with his sacrifices and those of so many others. -
Biographical Description for the Historymakers® Video Oral History with Reverend James Bevel
Biographical Description for The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History with Reverend James Bevel PERSON Bevel, James L. (James Luther), 1936- Alternative Names: Reverend James Bevel; Life Dates: October 19, 1936-December 19, 2008 Place of Birth: Itta Bena, Mississippi, USA Residence: Chicago, Illinois Occupations: Civil Rights Activist; Minister Biographical Note Civil rights activist Reverend James Luther Bevel was born in Itta Bena, Mississippi, on October 19, 1936. After a stint in the services, Bevel was called to the ministry and enrolled in the American Baptist Theological Seminary in Nashville, Tennessee. While in the Seminary, Bevel joined the Nashville chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), then led by the Reverend James Lawson. (SCLC), then led by the Reverend James Lawson. In 1960, Bevel and other black students trained by Lawson, including John Lewis, Dianne Nash, Marion Barry, and Bernard Lafayette, organized sit-ins against segregated lunch counters. Eventually Bevel and his colleagues won a hard-fought, nonviolent victory; soon after, as chairman of the Nashville student movement, Bevel participated in Freedom Rides to desegregate interstate travel and public accommodations throughout the South. In his home state, Bevel created the SCLC Mississippi Project for voting rights in 1962. In 1963, Bevel was compelled to join the desegregation struggle being waged by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth in Birmingham, Alabama. When King was jailed, Bevel organized black children and marched against Commissioner Bull Connor's fire hoses and police dogs. The "Children's Crusade," as the movement led by Bevel came to be known, turned the media tide in the favor of the desegregationists. -
African American Heritage
JOIN USINCELEBRATING African American Heritage 1868-1963W. E. B. DuBois W.E.B. DuBois was born in 1868 in Great Barrington, MA and was a historian, sociolo- gist, and black protest leader. He was one of the most influential black leaders of the 20th century and he was among the civil rights pio- neers who used their scholarly skills to advance the cause of black Americans. He was also one of the founders of the NAACP. DuBois advocated leadership and advance- ment of the masses through an educated black elite, which he defined as the “talented tenth.” He received a B.A. degree from Fisk University in 1888, and a second B.A. degree in 1890 from Harvard University. He went on to earn M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard University. 1929-1968Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Alabama, the son of a minister. Through his own subsequent career in the ministry, King became involved in the Civil Rights Movement. King wrote and spoke publicly against racial inequality and knowingly disobeyed laws which he believed to be unjust. As a leader in the Civil Rights Movement his oratory was convincing and inspiring to many, and he led the famous March from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. In 1964, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, a direct result of his advocation of nonviolence as a strategy for opposition. 1908Thurgood - 1993 Marshall Thurgood Marshall was born in 1908 in Baltimore, Maryland. In 1930 Marshall graduated from Lincoln University. -
Martin Luther King Jr January 2021
Connections Martin Luther King Jr January 2021 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PMB Administrative Services and the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights Message from the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administrative Services January 2021 Dear Colleagues, The life and legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., inspires me every day, particularly when the troubles of the world seem to have placed what appear to be insurmountable obstacles on the path to achieving Dr. King’s vision. Yet I know that those obstacles will eventually melt away when we focus our hearts and minds on finding solutions together. While serving as leaders of the civil rights movement, Dr. and Mrs. King raised their family in much the same way my dear parents raised my brothers and myself. It gives me comfort to know that at the end of the day, their family came together in love and faith the same way our family did, grateful for each other and grateful knowing the path ahead was illuminated by a shared dream of a fair and equitable world. This issue of Connections begins on the next page with wise words of introduction from our collaborative partner, Erica White-Dunston, Director of the Office of Diversity, Inclusion and Civil Rights. Erica speaks eloquently of Dr. King’s championing of equity, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of life long before others understood how critically important those concepts were in creating and sustaining positive outcomes. I hope you find as much inspiration and hope within the pages of this month’s Connections magazine as I did. -
Rosa Parks and the Black Freedom Struggle in Detroit Downloaded From
Jeanne Theoharis “The northern promised land that wasn’t”: Rosa Parks and the Black Freedom Struggle in Detroit Downloaded from n 2004, researchers asked could stand to be pushed”—42- high school students across year-old Rosa Parks refused to give Ithe U.S. to name their top ten up her seat on the bus. This was “most famous Americans in his- not the first time she had resisted tory” (excluding presidents) from on the bus, and numerous other http://maghis.oxfordjournals.org/ “Columbus to the present day.” black Montgomerians had also Sixty percent listed Rosa Parks, who been evicted or arrested over the was second in frequency only to years for their resistance to bus Martin Luther King, Jr (1). There is segregation. For the next 381 days, perhaps no story of the civil rights faced with city intransigence, police movement more familiar to stu- harassment, and a growing White dents than Rosa Parks’ heroic 1955 Citizens’ Council, Rosa Parks, along- bus stand in Montgomery, Alabama side hundreds of other Montgomeri- and the year-long boycott that ans, worked tirelessly to maintain ensued. And yet, perhaps because the boycott. On December 20, 1956, at University of Birmingham on August 24, 2015 of its fame, few histories are more with the Supreme Court’s decision mythologized. In the fable, racial outlawing bus segregation, Mont- injustice was rampant in the South gomery’s buses were desegregated. (but not the rest of the nation). A Yet the story is even more quiet seamstress tired from a day’s multi-dimensional than previously work without thought refused to recognized. -
Women in the Modern Civil Rights Movement
Women in the Modern Civil Rights Movement Introduction Research Questions Who comes to mind when considering the Modern Civil Rights Movement (MCRM) during 1954 - 1965? Is it one of the big three personalities: Martin Luther to Consider King Jr., Malcolm X, or Rosa Parks? Or perhaps it is John Lewis, Stokely Who were some of the women Carmichael, James Baldwin, Thurgood Marshall, Ralph Abernathy, or Medgar leaders of the Modern Civil Evers. What about the names of Septima Poinsette Clark, Ella Baker, Diane Rights Movement in your local town, city or state? Nash, Daisy Bates, Fannie Lou Hamer, Ruby Bridges, or Claudette Colvin? What makes the two groups different? Why might the first group be more familiar than What were the expected gender the latter? A brief look at one of the most visible events during the MCRM, the roles in 1950s - 1960s America? March on Washington, can help shed light on this question. Did these roles vary in different racial and ethnic communities? How would these gender roles On August 28, 1963, over 250,000 men, women, and children of various classes, effect the MCRM? ethnicities, backgrounds, and religions beliefs journeyed to Washington D.C. to march for civil rights. The goals of the March included a push for a Who were the "Big Six" of the comprehensive civil rights bill, ending segregation in public schools, protecting MCRM? What were their voting rights, and protecting employment discrimination. The March produced individual views toward women one of the most iconic speeches of the MCRM, Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a in the movement? Dream" speech, and helped paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and How were the ideas of gender the Voting Rights Act of 1965. -
Nce Upon a Time in America
Don’t sugarcoat history in teaching the civil rights movement. Students deserve the full NCE UPON A TIME truth about both the racial bias that caused it and our hesitant steps toward freedom. IN AMERICA BY ALICE PETTWAY ILLUSTRATON BY DAVID VOGIN 44 TEACHING TOLERANCE TEAH C ING THE MovEMENT E VERYONE loves FAIRY tales—the easily identifiable villain, the flawless hero and, of course, the happily ever after. So it’s not surprising that teachers of the civil rights movement often skip the more confusing or distasteful aspects of that era, such as the dissension among black leaders and the racism that was widespread then, even among moderate white Southerners. Fairy tales have a place in our cul- ture, but when history’s thorns are pruned until our past becomes just another story, we are doing a disservice to both our students and ourselves. NCE UPON A TIME This school year we will mark the 50th anniversaries of many pivotal events in the civil rights movement. It would be easy to teach the familiar heroes and villains, but 1963 was messier than that. That year was a turning point in the movement—a period when civil rights leaders overcame differing viewpoints to conclude that small successes were no longer enough. If equal rights were to be IN AMERICA attained, hard decisions had to be made—and acted upon. The cast of 1963 includes the figures students already expect to see on the stage: Martin Luther King Jr., President John F. Kennedy and T. Eugene (Bull) Connor, the public safety commissioner in Birmingham, Ala. -
Coretta Scott King
American University Washington College of Law Digital Commons @ American University Washington College of Law Articles in Law Reviews & Other Academic Journals Scholarship & Research 2004 Human Rights Hero - Coretta Scott King Stephen Wermiel Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.wcl.american.edu/facsch_lawrev Part of the Human Rights Law Commons, Law and Race Commons, Law and Society Commons, and the Legal History Commons sands of marchers through the streets of Memphis in mem- humanrights hero ory of Dr. King but also in support of the local sanitation continuedfrom back cover workers whose strike had brought Dr. King to Memphis. Later that year, she participated in the Poor People's Campaign and March on Washington, making it clear that she intended to continue the work she and her husband had started. And she has. Mrs. King dedicated herself to establishing the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change in Atlanta. But that was only a start. She has carried the mes- sage of peace, nonviolence, and the need to work against injustice to several continents and to all corners of the United States. From protesting apartheid outside the South African Embassy to meeting with Pope John Paul to deliv- ering a sermon in St. Paul's Cathedral in London to work- ing for the commemoration of Dr. King's birthday as a holiday, Mrs. King has deliv- ered her message. Her influ- ence has been recognized with numerous honorary degrees and the Coretta Scott Coretta Scott King at a political convention King Book Award of the in 1988 (top) and in the months following her hus- American Library band's assassination (right) Association.