capital march to win rights the MILITANT urged by martin luther king Published in the Interests of the Working People By Fred Halstead “sit-ins in congress,” if necessary. bills would touch off “massive JUNE 12 — Rev. Martin Luther The proposal was repeated by acts of civil disobedience all over Vol. 27 - No. 24 Monday, June 17, 1963 Price 10c King has proposed a mass March the SCLC northeast regional di­ the nation.” He said Negro and on Washington to pressure con­ rector, Rev. George Lawrence, white supporters of civil-rights gress to pass civil-rights legisla­ who told a news conference in groups “will tie up public tran­ tion expected to be introduced New York June 11 that unless sportation by laying our bodies next week. The head of the congress acts prom ptly on the bills, prostrate on runways of airports, Giant Detroit Demonstration Southern Christian Leadership “thousands upon thousands of across railroad tracks and at bus Conference — speaking June 9 Negroes” w ill pour into Washing­ depots.” on “Open End,” a television in­ ton to demonstrate for action. Rev. In his taped TV interview, Rev. terview program — also suggested Lawrence warned that a Dixiecrat King offered the strongest critic­ Planned by Negro Groups that the marchers might stage filibuster against the civil-rights ism he has publicly made to date of the Kennedy administration’s DETROIT — In response to the role in civil rights. He declared dramatic events in Birmingham, that both the Democratic and Re­ as w e ll as the accum ulated g rie v ­ publican parties “have betrayed ances of Detroit-style discrimina­ the cause of justice” by their col- tion, plans are well underway for a mass “Freedom March” of 100, 000 Negroes on Sunday, June 23. Beginning at 2:30 p.m., the march­ JUNE 12 — VVe are just going ers will walk from Vernor and to press at the time of the Woodward (near downtown De­ shocking news of the racist troit) to Cobo Hall, the city’s con­ murder of Medgar Evers, Mis­ vention centcr, for a giant rally sissippi Field Secretary of the featuring Rev. M artin Luther King. NAACP. Fighters for equality The demonstration, organized by and brotherhood can best honor the newly formed Detroit Coun­ cil for Human Rights, headed by the memory of this heroic Rev. C. L. Franklin, has received martyr by extending his strug­ pledges of support from hundreds gle for full Freedom NOW. of community organizations, block clubs, churches, local unions, youth groups and others; the Socialist laboration with Dixiecrats, and Workers Party has also expressed sharply criticised Kennedy for its full support. failing to take a “moral stand” on Thousands of leaflets, stickers, the issue of desegregation. King’s posters, etc. arc being distributed words, however, were mild com­ announcing the march. Thousands pared to statements by others in of free copies of the D e tro it the movement. C o u rie r and of Illu strated News, The Rev. James Bevel, an SCLC militant Negro bi-weekly, are be­ aide from Mississippi, was quoted ing circulated throughout neigh­ in the June 9 New York Times borhoods and churches. A group magazine as saying: “Some punk of Wayne State University stu­ who calls himself the President dents, many from the new student has the audacity to tell people to organization, Uhuru, signed up 650 go slow. I’m not prepared to be participants for a campus contin­ humiliated by white trash the rest gent in a single afternoon. Similar of my life, including Mr. Ken­ activity is going on in every cor­ nedy.” ner of the community. The fighting mood summed up Unlike some past civil-rights by that statement and manifested demonstrations, which have tried (Continued on Page 8) to restrict participation to “ap­ proved” organizations, all groups have been invited to march under their own banners and with their own slogans. Battle to Win One of the outstanding features of the march is that the leader­ ship is not in the hands of the Freedom Now conservative “old guard.” In the early stages, when the idea of a march was first projected, the NAACP and Trade Union Leader­ Keeps Rising ship Council (TULC), local af­ filiate of the Negro American La­ By W ill Lutter bor Council, together with white Throughout the country Negroes liberals and certain labor leaders, are marching, sitting-in, picketing tried to discourage the action un­ and sometimes battling the police, less it would be controlled by as the struggle for equality and “ respectable” figures (themselves). freedom thunders onward in a Rumors were spread that funds Vietnam Tyranny in Deep Crisis crescendo of protest. would be mishandled; that Rev. cials were hopeful that there of the population is Buddhist, de­ In Danville, Va., police and King and the Southern Christian By Steve Graham would be a cooling off in the re­ stroys Washington’s whitewash of deputized city employes went wild, Leadership Conference, which w ill Awe-inspiring forms of protest ligious crisis. Diem had issued a D iem “ as le ad ing a broad n a tio n a l using nightsticks and sawed-off receive all money collected, would marked the Buddhist campaign baseball bats on demonstrators al­ statement criticizing some officials movement to which the population not endorse the council while it against the religious oppression for their “insensitive” handling of is constantly rallying.” ready downed by high-pressure was headed by such men as Rev. of dictator Ngo Dinh Diem, as the “people.” However, his surly gen­ fire hoses, as they broke up a Franklin and Rev. Albert Cleage, crisis in South Vietnam continued In the ceremonies over the prayer vigil on the city hall steps eralities did not admit govern­ charred remains of the self-im­ w ho has been characterized as a despite U S. attempts to cool it off. and charged a crowd near the jail ment responsibility for the May 8 molated monk, his co-religionists “racist” because of his uncom­ On June 10 in Saigon, a 73- protesting earlier arrests. Forty- massacre and failed to satisfy the promising militancy. year-old Buddhist monk had his appealed in English to U.S. m ili­ five Negroes were hospitalized. B uddists. All efforts to disrupt the unity robes doused with gasoline and tary personnel to help them and Over 100 more were jailed. Snipers then set fire to himself. Sur­ not to supply Diem’s troops with (Continued on Page 2) Barbed Wire in the Negro community allegedly rounded by a thousand praying weapons to be used against them. fired 15 shots at police prowl cars and chanting monks and nuns, who Moreover, the stacking of barbed Gen. Paul D. Harkins, head of wire barricades on street corners in retaliation. Jury's Verdict kept the police away during the the U.S. forces in South Vietnam, In Cambridge, Md., Negro lead­ ten-minute ordeal, the monk, sat and the concentration of elite on June 10, ordered U.S. “ad­ troops in Saigon gave the lie to ers, charging a doublecross, broke Against Muslims serenely, holding a string of beads, visers” (in plain English: troops) a three-week truce with calls for U.S. talk of cooling off. The very not to accompany South Viet­ JUNE 10 — After unusual­ as he bu rne d to death as a protest mass protests against the inde­ against Diem. day of Diem’s statement, his namese m ilitary units on missions ly long deliberation, the all- terminate sentences given two 15- Monks and nuns carried signs, planes dropped leaflets on Hue to suppress the Buddhists. Fur­ white jury in the eight-week denouncing the leading Buddhist year-old demonstrators previously saying: “A Buddhist priest burns thermore, any South Vietnamese arrested. Negroes, jailed in the old Los Angeles trial of 14 priest. The next day, Madame Ngo for five demands.” These were requests for equipment under di­ most recent demonstrations, went Black Muslims was today or­ the demands put forward May 8 Dinh Nhu, wife of Diem’s brother rect U.S. control — for example, and closest adviser, denounced on a rampage, smashing plumbing dered by the judge to render after government troops, using helicopters — must now be cleared fixtures and stuffing mattresses a partial decision. The jury armored cars, shot and ran down Buddhist leaders as “Communist with Harkins before delivery. U.S. dupes.” The government persisted through cell bars. Rabbi Israel M. returned verdicts finding four Buddhist demonstrators in the personnel, Harkins says, are to re­ Goldman, vice-chairman of the in its pretense that “Communist main “neutral” in the dispute be­ Muslims guilty of resisting city of Hue, killing nine. The Maryland Commission on Inter­ agitators” caused the May 8 tween the Catholic government police. One of these was also demands are: 1) the right to fly racial Problems warned: “These the Buddhist flag; 2) equal rights violence. and the Buddhist population, un­ found guilty of simple as­ people are full of resentment and with the Catholic Church; 3) an U.S. officials now fear Diem’s less “Communist” guerrillas be­ feel they are being betrayed. We sault but not of felonious end to government persecution of regime may be overturned. One come involved. are facing racial disaster in this assault as charged. Jurors Buddhists; 4) government ac­ official, according to the New But the U.S. is not neutral. It country, and, God forbid, violent were ordered to continue de­ knowledgement of responsibility York Times, described the situa­ created the Diem dictatorship. It revolution.” liberation and report further for the May 8 killings and wound- tion as “watching something maintains it in power.