Vincent Harding Cont'd from P

LA VOZ de ESPERANZA • July/August 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 6• 11

cont'd on page 14 . . . cont'd In Memoriam In on Woodlawn in 1961. Woodlawn on th Vincent and Delton and three other church members, (2 black black (2 members, church other three and Delton and Vincent My wife and I first metVincent when we moved toChicago well We Freeney during this time. Rosemarie met Vincent at 46 moved out of our apartment We Vincent and Rosemarie moved back to the Chicago area Vincent the growing involvement rights movement, Along with the civil were all that was left of the Mennonite Biblical Seminary, which which Seminary, Biblical Mennonite the of left was all that were mid-50s, By the white. all almost was in 1945 when it had started Elkhart, and moved to American African totally it had become by the General church were kept The buildings and Indiana. independent, to start up an Church Mennonite Conference church the of population white The area. that in church interracial graduate of young Mennonites attending were a combination voluntary doing youth plus Chicago of University the at school armed the to alternative an (as elsewhere and church the in service the church were primarily attending Americans African forces). and worked in the city. from the local neighborhood 1958. a trip to the South the summer of and 3 white men), made was developing said that while the church in Chicago Vincent to explore wanted they community, interracial a real, loving, into South. the in elsewhere happen could such relationships whether and Coretta and visited they stopped in Montgomery Alabama, In Before they left, King told Harding that, Martin Luther King, Jr. Mennonite and a American African with his background as an in the battle for civil rights. pacifist, he should come south to help lived in a small We in the fall of 1959 to begin graduate school. Vincent Mennonite Church. Ave. Woodlawn next to the apartment laundry cooperative had basement The floor. 3rd the on living was and a shared freezer so many conversations between facilities in the choir and occurred there. Omer sang Vincent Zona and the The class included taught a high school Sunday school class. of the Black Muslims, whose Mohammed, leader niece of Elijah Omer walked by it mansion was near the University of Chicago. Population the work at to and University the on his way to daily had been members family Mohammed’s Elijah Center. Research but the brother had Mennonite Church earlier, Woodlawn of the Woodlawn the was at passed away (his funeral subsequently attended the church. Mennonite church), and the family no longer “Old an to belonged their wedding. Rosemarie remember Mennonite” church in another area of Chicago, and was the first cap” “prayer white a wearing seen we had American African eventually, that She shed wear). Amish women what to (similar Atlanta. after they moved to At about the same time, Vincent and Rose moved to Atlanta to Atlanta to moved and Rose Vincent time, same At about the King start a “Mennonite House” around the corner from where Dr. close advisors. For the King’s one of Dr. became Vincent lived. in the civil deeply involved next three years, the Hardings became was jailed for his activities Vincent rights movement in the South. According King visited him. area where Dr. Georgia Albany, in the Vincent are you doing in there?” King asked, “What Vincent, to responded with, “What are you doing out there?” in 1964, so that Vincent could finish writing his dissertationadvocate antislavery the minister, Protestant the on Beecher, Lyman and Harriet Beecher Stowe. In Beecher Ward and father of Henry chair of the to become Atlanta back to was invited Vincent 1965, Spelman College where he of history and sociology at department King. continued in his role as friend and advisor to Dr. King asked Dr. both men. U.S. concerned Nam by the Viet in by Omer R. Galle with Zona Galle and Kristin Galle St. This was a transformative meeting for for meeting This was a transformative St. th

incent Harding was born in Harlem on July 25, 1931. incent Broome, a domestic Mabel Lydia by his mother, Reared was a Vincent Bronx when the to moved they worker, After graduating from Morris High School, he youth.

The Woodlawn Church building and two residential buildings two residential and building Church Woodlawn The

After the army, he was accepted into the graduate history graduate the into he was accepted After the army,

1931-2014

Harding Vincent Vincent

Vincent and the Mennonites. He joined Delton Franz as co-pastor as Franz Delton joined He Mennonites. the and Vincent of the Woodlawn Church and found the pacifist communityand inspiring found an Church Mennonite The been seeking. had he influential figure in preaching non-violence and civil rights. V Note: This is a story of our connection with one of the lesser one of the with This is a story of our connection Note: Gordon Vincent known giants of the Civil Rights Movement, died Vincent Jr. Luther King, Martin of friend a close Harding, him with friendship on May 19th at age 82. Our in Philadelphia began at the University of Chicago in 1959. received a B.A. in history from the City College of New York York of New a B.A. in history from the City College received In 1953, he was from Columbia. in journalism and a master’s first “private as years two for served and Army US the into drafted army in the his time He said that at Fort Dix, New Jersey. class” transformed him into a pacifist. he met Elmer Neufeld, There program at the University of Chicago. a Mennonite, who was also working on a PhD (Philosophy). Elmer at located Church Mennonite Woodlawn the to Vincent invited and 46 Woodlawn 14

de

LA VOZ ESPERANZA • July/August 2014 Vol. 27 Issue 6• ...Vincent Harding cont'd from p. 11 n sca tasomto” n acrig o icn t “teach to anything youwant toteachinwhateverway youwanttoteach Vincent religion to according of and “professor transformation” as social and faculty their join to Vincent invited rights movementshouldbeheading. between spirituality and social transformation, and where the civil civil rights veterans and younger people to ponder the connection they wereholding at PendleHill for someofthe more seasoned the summer of1979,ZonaandourdaughterKristinattended a retreat In Philadelphia). of outside Center Quaker wereat (the Rose Hill and Pendle 1979, Vincent By Studies. Black of field the defining to dedicated Atlanta, in World” Black the for “Institute and MemorialCenterin Atlanta. Hebecameitsfirstdirector. Jr.Project King Documentation Luther Martin the found her help speech. And overtheyears,that’s beenquiteastruggleforme.” “And I am convinced that that bullet had something to do with that interview: 2010 a Vincentin him,” said with up caught time long this speechthatthebulletwhichhadbeenchasinghimfora King.” It was precisely one year to the day after Dr. King gave come tohaveprofoundregretsabouthavingcomposeditforDr. Vincent nor Dr. Kingdisavowedthe address. But Vincent would described theaddressas“aserioustacticalerror.” NAACPThe Hanoi.” Radio for script a like sounded that slander “Dr. King’s Cause,” His titled to Disservice an editorial In firestorm. a off touched then, have we game decided toplay.” deadly and clumsy horrible, some as this see to than alternative other no with left be will world immediately,the Vietnam. If wedonot stop ourwar against the people of Vietnam in the mind of the world that we have no honorable intentions in He added: “If we continue, there will be no doubt in my mind and Vietnam.”to relation in us for come has time that “And said. he Nam was morally wrong. “A time comes when silence is betrayal,” and/or “A Time toBreaktheSilence”. April 4, 1967. It became known variously as “Beyond Viet Nam,” on YorkNew Manhattan, in Church Riverside the at gave King Harding towriteupnotesthat eventually became the speechDr. n 91 te lf Sho o Telg i Dne, Colorado, Denver, in Theology of School Iliff the 1981, In the of director and founder the became Vincent 1969, In Vincent that asked King Coretta assassination, King’s After neither Silence,” Break to Time“A around furor the Despite position unpopular relatively a articulated which speech, The Vietin doing was U.S. the what that argued he speech, the In magazine called it “a demagogic “a it called magazine Life 70 push forsuch“maladaption.” bring about needed change. Fifty years later, Vincent continued to to order in you around world the to maladapted” be to “necessary sometimes itis speech. Kinghadspokentherein1960abouthow possible. made thistribute Kamala Platt who Brenham. Thanks to lives in Geronimo, TX Church ofChrist in Friedens United Interim Pastor at Kansas. Kristin, Newton, Emeritus, live inNorth at U.T. Austin,Worker andZona, aSocial Bios: Omer, Professor EmeritusinSociology loved andinfluenced. His spirit lives on in the many people he 2010 to be part of the 50 of January in Kansas Newton, North in College Bethel to came of equality, socialtransformation,andpeace. he Iliff, continued to speak across the nation (and the world) asan advocate at While 2004. in retirement his until remained He it.” in Philadelphia where he died from aheart aneurism hospital on May19 Pennsylvania of University the to went and ill became where Vincent was planning to write his autobiography. He world, andhisconcernforboththepooryoungpeople. continue the struggleforequality and social transformation in the we continued to be impre ssed with his clarity of purpose to social activists. Intheselastmeetings withhim(in2010and2012) young train to group mentoring a Elders,” of Council “National the launch helped he Aljosie 2013), wife of December new in married his he (whom With Project. Hope of Veterans the like projects on working and places various at speaking reconciliation Vincent continuedtobeveryactiveworkingtowardpeaceand times.” (Seewww.veteransofhope.org/) for the value of indigenous and folk wisdom forcontemporary centered approach tocommunity-building … andanappreciation healing- a “encourages Project Hope Veteransof The peace. for Native and Chicana/os/Latino/as, Americans, working Americans especially African activists, young train to project outreach an as which collected stories of past civil rights workers and used those Freeney Rosemarie wife, Harding first (who died in his 2004), the “Veterans with of Hope Project” founded, at Iliff, also Vincent book ontheMiddleEasttogivethembeforeweseparated. Plains, Georgia (Carter’s hometown) to purchase a copy of Carter’s were flying off to the Middle East after the meeting, so we drove to from friend with close VincentAtlanta, his met and Aljosie. They on Friday and Vincent was the last on Saturday. We Conference shared a meal the at speaker first the was Carter President Former Georgia. Americus, of outside Community Intentional Christian Vincent Harding, historian "Beyond Vietnam" speech "Beyond Vietnam" th The last time we saw Vincent was in September, 2012 at the at 2012 September, in was Vincentsaw we time last The The nexttimewemadecontactwith Vincentwhen he was icn ad loi wr saig t ede il n May in Hill Pendle at staying were Aljosie and Vincent Theology, of School Iliff from retired having Despite niesr clbain f h fudn o Kioi, the Koinonia, of founding the of celebration anniversary who co-wrote MLK's

u

th anniversary celebration of Dr. King’sDr. of celebration anniversary th .