Portland Advocate_1981-09&10

AVisit with the Members THE BLACK MOVEMENT PART II transcribed by Joyce Harris Advocate Note: As stated at the end of our Part I transcription (May, 1981 issue), Rev. Daughtry shared with us that, "I want to now talk about a little about the movement." His message began when he reminded us that: There was the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955, the sit-ins, the pray-ins, the wait-ins, the crawl-ins, and the kneel-ins of the 60s. The freedom rides going to the South, getting heads busted -but nonetheless challenging the legal under– griding of segregation, and then there w·as the March of Marches which we have come to call the March on Washington. Looking back it might have been more appropriate to call it .the March to be like Washington. There was not much challenge of the leadership in those days. You remember we called them the Mighty Six, the Great Six, the Big Six; there was Roy Wilkins of the NAACP, Whitney Young of the Urban League, A. Phillip Randolph of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters~ and others. There was James Forman, and lat– er Floyd McKissick of CORE, and - there was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; also, Stokeley Carmichael and John Lewis of SNCC, who fin– ally forced acceptance from what would be the Big 4. Black peo– ple were rather proud of the Big 6, as I remember it. After all, we were on our way, and no– body argues with success. About 1963, around the time of the big march there were rum– blings that something was wrong. The ship was not landigg us at port, that we were floundering at mid sea. Dr. King was sharing with everybody that he had a dream. But there was another leader who had burst on ' the scene one night with a wave of his hand in Harlem, New York. Just a wave of his hand had disbursed thousands of Muslims, followers of the Honorable Elijah Muhammed. Just a wave of the hand had dis– bur·sed thousands of Muslims si– lently and swiftly as they had arrived into the night. Malcolm X said Dr. King may be having a dream, but the rest of Black folks were having a ·nightmare. Well, after 3 years which cul- 11linated in that 50--mile march in the Mississippi sun, it all took a different direction, as Stok– ley Carmichael screamed Black Power. Just two words, and the movement was never the same a– gain. Now, why 'Black Power' should have created the hysteria Rev. Herbert Daughtry Photo by: D. Henderson it did could only be understood It is hard to believe that there in reference to white folk's was such a thing as separate guilt, which makes them think lunch counters, and separate that one day Black people will toilets. It is hard to believe even the score. And also, it looking back that this actually has to do with "Negroes", who e- existed in this society, so xist on the benevolence of theirthere was some social mobility. white masters, who live with I, being from Georgia, it is the anxiety that their white still incredible to me. I was masters will take their crumbs just in Atlanta and standing in away from them and not like them the capital and understand that anymore. After all, all ethnic when I was a boy you just didn't have practiced group power. I go in, or if you went in you remember what President Johnson knew where you were going. And said when he became President, to think that there is a Black he was Irish by osmosis, mean- mayor in Atlanta, surely pro– ing that President Kennedy had gress, no doubt about it, pro– brought so many Irish with him gress, too. The Voting Rights to the White House, that he had Bill of '64 and '65 were great become Irish simply by being achievements. Blood had been around them. But in spite of spilled to realize these pieces those who were for it, and in of legislation, now further po- spite of the hysteria, there was litical and social progress no doubt about it, that Black could be made because the way Power was here to stay. had been cleared. There was some economic progress, so if Now, let us observe some we leave it at that, one might trends, which forced the ship. . . f have asked as many did in 1966, The narrow l1m1ts 0 progress "what's the problem with you which bolstered a sm~ll segme~t all?" Well there's a limita– of the Black p~pulatlon contaln- tion for pr~gress! Progress ed or left behlnd masses of such as it was did not go far Black people. The progress and enough. Did not reach wide there was some prog~e~s, there enough and did not sink deep ~as.some social m~blllty, and enough and I would just under- lt lS hard to belleve that a score that social mobility couple of years ago a Black per- · son could not be served in the front door of some restaurants. (Continued on Page 4)