Wrap up, 2000 April / Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee 40th anniversary conference videocassette tapes, 2000 / Duke Digital Repository

(mumbling)

0:02

-

Do you mean the jail?

0:12

(mumbling)

0:14

(mumbling)

0:20

-

[Woman In Red Shirt] I mean, she would beat

0:45

me all the way with a switch.

0:46

I'd be holding my leg (mumbling)

0:48

and as soon as I get around that corner,

0:51

I'm going back.

0:52

(laughs)

0:53

And I'd be right back up in there.

0:57

(laughs)

0:58

(mumbling)

1:01

Well, my sister was the one that was in love

1:03

with the boys, I was really interested

1:07

in what Bob and them was talking about.

1:08

But they'd trick me up in there,

1:11

I'd get the stuff,

1:12

and I'd get the whipping after I get home.

1:13

We laugh about it today (mumbles).

1:18

(mumbles)

1:26

-

Now, are you working with North Carolina Central

1:51

University Law school?

1:53

Man

Yeah.

1:54

-

(mumbles)

1:55

Man

Yeah.

1:55

-

He was here yesterday.

1:58

(mumbles)

2:03

-

Yeah, we usually keep at least two full-time students

2:06

we try to develop a clinic so that we can

2:12

to more of our law students engaged

2:15

in these issues in the future,

2:21

they'll be more receptive

2:24

to the issues related to civil rights

2:25

and struggles for that.

2:28

(mumbles)

2:35

-

You wonder what I'm up to,

2:36

just pick up a subscription,

2:37

the work that we do is cataloged in there regularly.

2:38

-

And I don't know if anybody can tolerate

2:43

an hour and a half panel,

2:46

which is what we're prepared to do,

2:48

so there are a couple of options,

2:51

we can just suspend (mumbles)

2:54

we can have evaluation of the conference,

2:56

or we can do a mini version of what we

2:59

plan to do and hopefully engage in some discussion

3:02

of what the panelists have presented,

3:05

and then maybe end up with a slight evaluation,

3:07

or some feedback, so what's the pleasure to folks?

3:11

Woman

I would like to hear what the people are saying.

3:16

-

Option two?

3:20

Other Woman

I'd like to hear your ideas.

3:21

-

Okay, so--

3:23

(crowd speaks up unintelligibly)

3:24

-

Consensus, have vote, right?

3:27

(crowd laughs)

3:29

Yeah, I mean, I actually,

3:32

it's supposed to be called, "Where do we go from here?",

3:33

and I was telling my friend Howie, this morning,

3:37

it should be "Where did everybody go?".

3:39

(crowd laughs)

3:41

But I mean, I think we knew full well

3:46

that with such a long weekend,

3:49

that it wasn't likely that we'd have a big participation,

3:52

but I think what Charles wanted to do

3:55

was to present some of the local work

3:58

that's going on, and of course,

4:01

even some national work as we'll

4:02

see with Debbie's presentation.

4:04

Not so much as a plan, or outline for where

4:07

we should go, but just some things

4:10

for people to think about,

4:12

that we think kind of comes out of the spirit

4:14

of the conference.

4:15

But I wish you would indulge me for one minute,

4:17

everybody got a chance tell a SNCC story this weekend,

4:19

so I get to tell mine.

4:22

Okay, and actually I grew up in a house

4:24

behind (mumbles).

4:27

Okay, he doesn't remember me,

4:29

he was five years older,

4:33

he ran track, he was an athlete, a pretty good runner, too.

4:35

My crew came behind him, wanted to run as well,

4:39

so we looked up to Ivan, who was a track star.

4:42

Who went off to Michigan State, I believe it was.

4:44

And we heard he joined the civil rights movement,

4:47

he went to SNCC, and we never saw him again.

4:50

We never saw him, really this is the first time

4:54

I seen him since he went off to school, right?

4:55

That many years.

4:58

And so, just kind of been thinking about him all these

5:01

years, his work was influential.

5:03

In 1964, at Bradley University,

5:06

we got arrested for sitting in traffic stop,

5:09

trying to integrate a white barber shop in Pury, Illinois.

5:15

In retrospect, I mean, what?

5:19

Where was it, it was a barber shop

5:22

that we didn't frequent, we had,

5:24

we call Jack day barbers in the dormitory that cut our hair,

5:26

probably 100 black students on the campus.

5:30

But one student who had a pretty nice afro in 1963,

5:33

worked with the NAACP, and they figured they

5:39

needed to do this, and so it kind of spontaneously,

5:40

we did it, we were arrested.

5:43

At that moment, if SNCC hadn't been around,

5:45

and somebody had said, you need to come work

5:47

with us, somewhere in the South, I would have been gone,

5:49

but it didn't happen.

5:52

And then, I think in 1966,

5:53

students at Tennessee state were robbed

5:56

in a battle with the State Police.

5:59

And Stokely had been in contact with someone,

6:01

and we formed a friends with SNCC chapter there.

6:06

And had a demonstration on West Virginia State's campus,

6:09

and I remember he sent us literature of the Black Panther

6:13

poster was the prominent thing that he sent,

6:17

and we got it around the campus at that time.

6:20

So I didn't get a chance to join SNCC,

6:22

it's one of the tragedies of my life,

6:24

but certainly from that point on,

6:27

always influenced by the work of SNCC,

6:29

and later years, had an opportunity to meet,

6:30

and work with so many people that

6:33

had a part of the SNCC experience.

6:35

So, kinda like this weekend is like

6:36

kinda bringing it all together, for me, personally.

6:38

I really appreciate all the people that put it together.

6:42

And that came here.

6:44

So what we wanna do, it's not an agenda for struggle,

6:46

but just a little look at what's going on in North Carolina,

6:50

first we wanna hear from Stefan Bollins,

6:53

who worked for the land loss fund,

6:56

to talk a little bit about the struggle of black farmers.

6:58

Primarily in North Carolina,

7:02

but throughout the South.

7:03

And the environmental justice movement,

7:05

and we kinda think that's fitting,

7:07

I mean, those of you who have that SNCC experience

7:09

know how important black land owners were.

7:11

During that period, bail money, having meetings,

7:14

and providing even a safe-haven from the Klu klux klan,

7:19

in so many places, but particularly in Mississippi,

7:23

so we wanna hear about that work that's going on.

7:25

And then we're gonna ask Indiza Laughinghouse

7:28

from the black workers to justice,

7:30

to talk about organizing workers in the South,

7:31

and the importance of Unions,

7:34

and I think he's gonna say a little bit about

7:36

the African American, Latino alliance that

7:37

we are trying to build in this area.

7:39

And then finally, we're gonna hear from Debbie Bell,

7:42

from Philadelphia, who's a SNCC veteran

7:44

from the Atlanta campaign.

7:46

Who's gonna talk about the black radical congress,

7:48

as a kind of modern day expression,

7:51

at least to the black movements,

7:53

attempts to bring together a coalition,

7:54

or united for the people,

7:57

to fight on a program which many think

7:59

represents the lessons that we've learned over the last 40

8:01

years, so that's what we've got,

8:05

and we'll probably ask people to speak,

8:06

maybe for 10 minutes, or so, at best,

8:09

and then we'll try to open it up

8:12

to some discussion, 10 minutes or less, okay?

8:13

So first, we'll ask Stefan Bowins.

8:16

You can sit, stand, it's up to you.

8:20

-

Okay, well I guess first of all, good afternoon.

8:23

Crowd

Good afternoon.

8:25

-

My name is Stefan Bowins, again,

8:26

and I'm an attorney and the executive director

8:28

of the North Carolina association of Black lawyers,

8:30

land loss prevention project,

8:33

we call ourselves land loss prevention for short.

8:36

And our project was founded in 1983,

8:40

to try to curve systemic and wide-spread

8:43

land loss throughout North Carolina,

8:48

since '83, our project has worked feverishly,

8:51

not only to address issues of land losses North Carolina,

8:55

but to address issues of land loss throughout

8:58

the Southern regions of the United States.

9:01

More particularly, I was asked to talk

9:05

today briefly about some of the things

9:08

that are going on presently,

9:11

as it relates to land loss,

9:12

as it relates to civil rights,

9:14

and as it relates to how we improve the state of America.

9:16

And in doing that, I would be remise

9:22

if I didn't talk about the black farmers.

9:25

In 1920, the United States had more

9:29

than a million black farmers.

9:33

Today, we have less than 16,000 black farmers.

9:37

And that has been through hook, crook, and pilfering

9:43

of African American farmland,

9:49

and of the general way in which the American system

9:52

and the United States' system of laws work,

10:01

in some respect, to the disadvantage of people

10:05

who are sometimes land-rich and money-poor.

10:08

In some real respects, what we've found is that,

10:14

for example, the United States department of Agriculture

10:17

has been a big impediment to retention of land

10:20

in the African American community.

10:24

And in looking at that, what we really have to think

10:26

about is what does land mean, in America?

10:30

What does land mean in America?

10:34

And for many of us, we think about,

10:38

"Well, how can I get my first house?"

10:41

And give me one acre of land,

10:44

and have a decent subdivision where I can

10:47

raise my children, as the same, my family.

10:50

But, as many of us know, and was previously eluded to,

10:53

farmers, for the most part, had access to land,

10:59

which meant they had access to capitol.

11:04

Because land and capitol, in this United States,

11:07

are synonymous in some very real respects.

11:11

And holding of land was powerful.

11:15

And in a real respect, the divestment of black farmers

11:19

from that land was a divestment of an economic base,

11:23

and of a social power.

11:28

And so in putting, trying to put the black farmers,

11:30

in some context, in the loss,

11:33

from one million 80 years ago,

11:36

down to 16,000, that translates to a tremendous

11:40

loss of equity and state in this country.

11:45

And we have been representing, most recently,

11:49

a little bit over 3,000 black farmers

11:54

for around the United States,

11:57

about 500 in North Carolina, specifically,

12:00

against the United States department of agriculture

12:06

for systemic practices of discrimination.

12:10

And in looking at those practices,

12:14

discrimination, just to give you a typical example,

12:18

in this all-too-often heard type of scenario.

12:22

Farmer comes in for assistance.

12:28

He's told to sit in the lobby and wait.

12:32

He's the first one there in the morning.

12:35

Yet, a white farmer comes in, two hours later,

12:37

is given an opportunity to meet

12:43

with the county supervisor immediately,

12:44

and given the assistance that ultimately,

12:46

when that black farmer is seen, later that day,

12:50

is denied.

12:54

And that's a typical scenario.

12:56

And there was a huge class-action,

12:58

actually led by two farmers from North Carolina.

13:02

One named Tim Pickford,

13:06

from the Southern portion of the state,

13:08

and one named Cecil Brewings.

13:12

Both Mr. Pickford and Mr. Brewings,

13:16

for black farmers who were subjected to tremendous

13:19

acts of discrimination that I couldn't begin

13:23

to quantify to you,

13:26

yet to say, not only, for example,

13:30

in Mr. Pickfords case, did he lose his farm,

13:33

his livelihood, his connection to the land,

13:37

but the manner in which it was done was most horrifying.

13:42

To find out that you go to the government for assistance,

13:47

that any other American enjoys,

13:50

and they deny that very assistance,

13:53

and then they turn around foreclose upon your property,

13:56

and you leave in the morning,

14:01

and come back home, and your doors are locked and shackled,

14:04

your children and your wife are told

14:08

that they can't go in to get personal items,

14:10

like clothes, things of that nature,

14:13

and you have the sheriff who's telling you

14:15

that you have to do the best that you can

14:18

based on the circumstances that have been

14:20

presented to you, but if by no means,

14:22

and no circumstances will you be allowed

14:24

to go back into your home,

14:27

and get those things that are important to you,

14:29

and important to your families livelihood.

14:31

And you're basically left destitute,

14:36

that's the struggle of black farmers right now.

14:39

They have been left destitute.

14:43

You know, I think some have heard the saying,

14:47

of a nation of people without a land,

14:50

well this case, in the United States,

14:54

black farmers are a nation of people without land.

14:56

And so we're fighting and we're struggling,

15:01

and we're working very closely with a number

15:03

of organizations, a number of groups,

15:06

for example, the Black Farmers in Agriculture Association,

15:11

here, based in Tillory, North Carolina.

15:15

With Gary Grant, and some other leaders

15:19

from around the country, to try to get black farmers

15:22

back into agriculture, back into the holding of land,

15:26

because it's important to rural communities,

15:31

but it's also important to urban communities,

15:34

because the land base is something that can never

15:37

be recreated, you know, we can make a lot of money,

15:40

and we could do a lot of things,

15:44

but without the land wealth, it's meaningless,

15:46

because land is one thing that can't be regenerated.

15:48

And the significance of that land wealth

15:52

in communities can't be understated.

15:56

So, the second thing I wanted to just briefly touch on,

16:00

before I move away from the black farmers

16:07

is the fact that right now,

16:09

there are about 20,000 people who have claimed

16:11

that there were problems with discrimination

16:15

at USDA, of those, about 11,000 cases have already

16:17

been heard.

16:22

Of the 11,000 cases, almost 5,200 people have been denied

16:23

claims under this consent decree.

16:29

What that really translates, what was told to the farmers

16:31

when they applied for this assistance,

16:35

from the government, as a result of a class-action

16:37

lawsuit settlement, was that if you could tie your shoe,

16:40

and I'm not quoting now, lead council,

16:43

that represented the farmers.

16:48

If you can tie your shoe, and you were black,

16:51

and you farmed in America, you will receive benefit

16:53

of this agreement, and you probably will receive

16:56

a cash settlement, and you were more than likely,

16:58

if the land was available that was taken from you

17:01

by the government, you will receive that land back.

17:04

Well, I'm here to tell you today,

17:07

that less than 60% of those farmers

17:09

are receiving the cash settlement,

17:12

much less even less than 20%,

17:15

are receiving any of their land back.

17:18

So it's again, a dream deferred.

17:22

(man mumbles in the background)

17:26

You can say that, too.

17:28

(laughs)

17:29

And I wouldn't argue with you.

17:30

So we're working diligently with those

17:33

farmers and they're working hard to try to continue

17:34

to be that base for society.

17:38

Because, truly, without food, and without land,

17:42

you can't have a fight for struggle and for justice.

17:46

Truly, people don't fight if they're hungry.

17:49

The other issue that we work on

17:54

as an organization is environmental justice.

17:57

Some call it environmental justice,

18:00

some call it environmental racism,

18:02

call it what you will, what it means to me,

18:04

is the unwanted sighting of types of facilities

18:07

that no one else would want in their community.

18:18

I'm trying to put this in very plain language.

18:21

For sometime, we represented a community

18:26

in the Southeastern part of North Carolina,

18:29

in a county called Jones County.

18:32

Near a town called Pollucksville,

18:38

in a community called Goshin.

18:41

Goshin is one of the oldest African American

18:45

communities in North Carolina,

18:49

but also in the United States.

18:53

It is historically significant,

18:56

had a historically significant

18:59

African American graveyard,

19:01

yet and still, the town of Pollucksville,

19:05

in Jones County, in all of their magnanimity,

19:09

all of their splendor.

19:14

(laughs)

19:16

Chose to place a waste water treatment facility

19:17

in the community of Goshin.

19:23

If you know anything about Jones County,

19:25

and if you know anything about the town of Pollucksville,

19:27

you know that the town of Pollucksville is 80% white.

19:29

You know that the community of Goshin is 100% black.

19:33

You also find that the residents of the Goshin community,

19:38

this is the most interesting, and in my opinion,

19:42

the most damning thing that could be said about

19:45

the placement of this facility,

19:48

we're never given notice and opportunity to be heard

19:50

on the placement of this facility.

19:54

But more importantly, weren't even going to receive

19:58

the benefit of this wonderful facility,

20:00

which was bestowed upon them.

20:03

In other words, we're gonna take our crap,

20:05

for lack of a better word, and we're going to put it

20:08

in your community, but not only are we gonna put

20:14

it in your community, we're gonna spray it

20:17

on fields adjacent to your land,

20:20

where you grow your crops, that you feed your family with.

20:23

And we're gonna tell you it's okay.

20:28

Well, the Goshin community created a community action

20:31

team called GREAT, Goshin Road Environmental Action Team.

20:39

And this community team worked diligently,

20:44

with other groups, and other organizations from

20:49

around the state and around the country,

20:52

to try to stop this facility.

20:55

And land loss being one of them.

20:58

And I have to say, this was one that we didn't win.

21:00

This is one where the facility is up and running,

21:06

and unfortunately, the residents of Goshin

21:10

are receiving the waste treatment from

21:15

the town of Pollucksville, despite the fact

21:19

that the town of Pollucksville had the opportunity

21:22

to place it, for example, on a 600 acre former plantation,

21:25

where there was only one owner who was known

21:30

in the community, despite the fact that this

21:35

particular facility is being placed in the community

21:43

where there were a number of people,

21:46

and a number of residents who would have been impacted,

21:49

this facility is up and running,

21:54

and all the efforts, with the lobbying,

21:56

the marching, the complaining in this instance,

22:01

did work to no avail, we argued before the four circuit

22:05

court of appeals in January,

22:10

and it was very striking,

22:15

the argument before the four circuit court of appeals

22:18

for the United States was very simple.

22:23

You know how sometimes they say lawyers argue

22:28

about the facts when the law isn't on their side?

22:30

And then they say argue about the law,

22:34

when the facts are on their side.

22:36

Well, in this case I had the pleasure of arguing

22:38

about the facts and the law because both were on my side.

22:41

In this case, whenever Justice Todd asked me a question,

22:45

I could point to them, specific facts about

22:50

why the council didn't send notice to this community,

22:53

about where they were going to place this facility.

22:58

And each instance, I could point to specific facts,

23:00

about how the notice was supposed to go out, under the law,

23:06

and the fact that it didn't.

23:09

Yet, the one thing that I couldn't do was ensure

23:12

that the law was going to be interpreted fairly,

23:17

and appropriately.

23:21

And in this case, it wasn't.

23:22

And it's amazing to me to be able to see the mass nations

23:25

that the court of appeals went through

23:29

to deny this community, an opportunity to live

23:32

in a safe and health community,

23:37

and enjoy the benefits of society.

23:41

That all of us should enjoy.

23:45

Finally, I wanted to talk very briefly

23:50

about the Holly Springs Landfill case,

23:52

which is another environmental justice case

23:55

that we became involved in.

23:57

Some of you who are from Holly Springs

24:00

may be aware (mumbles).

24:02

Some of you who are from North Carolina

24:07

may be aware of Holly Springs.

24:09

Holly Springs is a growing bedroom community of Rolly.

24:11

It's just about 15 minutes away from here.

24:17

A little bit less than 13 miles from this very point.

24:20

Holly Springs, in the early '80's was a predominantly

24:25

African American community.

24:29

And since then, the growth of weight carried.

24:34

Has begun to spread out into Holly Springs.

24:38

Well, prior to the growth coming to Holly Springs,

24:43

Wayne County decided that they needed a new landfill,

24:48

not only that they needed a new landfill,

24:53

but they needed the largest landfill in the Southeastern

24:55

United States.

25:00

So they went about developing plans and receiving

25:02

of approvals and obtaining permits to place this landfill

25:05

in the Holly Springs community.

25:11

And in 1990 they began that process,

25:15

in 1992, the process was formalized and they waited

25:20

until 1996 to really begin the process

25:27

of developing the landfill.

25:32

In 1998, the land loss prevention project

25:35

was approached by a number of local groups,

25:39

including the NAACP, and other community leaders

25:44

to look at this issue of deciding,

25:51

well what was significant about deciding in Holly Springs?

25:53

The significance was that there were

25:58

at least 5 other existing landfills within

25:59

the community, already.

26:03

The significance was that the location

26:04

of the landfill was beside an old landfill

26:07

that had previously been closed because

26:11

it was an unlined landfill.

26:13

And of course, unlined landfills have numerous

26:16

health hazards associated with them.

26:19

And the residence of that community were then

26:21

going to be asked to bear the burden of a new landfill,

26:24

which would be the largest landfill

26:30

in Southeastern United States.

26:32

And certainly had the potential for taking

26:38

unwanted trash from other states.

26:39

With that in mind,

26:44

the residents of Holly Springs got together,

26:47

and challenged and petitioned, had opened,

26:52

public meetings, issues related to the sidings.

26:55

And when that went to no avail,

26:59

and the permit was ultimately approved,

27:02

we filed an action in the administrative

27:04

office of Administrative hearings,

27:08

and ultimately that was successful,

27:12

the administrative law judge ruled

27:15

in our favor, in our clients favors

27:18

on every single issue raised.

27:22

Now, what you might have heard most recently,

27:24

if you've kept up with the newspapers,

27:27

is that the Holly Springs case was appealed

27:30

to the department of environment and natural resources,

27:33

and that (mumbles) in fact ruled in our favor,

27:36

what you may not know is that they reversed

27:40

every single point that in finding of fact,

27:44

that the administrative law judge made in our

27:48

favor, and in our clients favor,

27:50

and essentially created a mechanism,

27:52

in ruling in our favor,

27:54

by which they could argue that they

27:56

have adhered to environmental justice

28:00

because the only issue that remains,

28:02

the only issue that prevented Deener from going

28:06

forward with issuing the permit, two weeks ago,

28:09

was simply that Wade County did not do

28:12

the requisite things under environmental justice act,

28:18

which provided them to do a social economics status

28:20

of survey and study to determine weather

28:23

or not there were issues that were related

28:26

to socio-economic factors that may adversely

28:31

impact the appropriateness of the siding of the facility.

28:34

So, essentially, all Wade county has to do

28:39

at this point, at least their argument would be,

28:40

is to go back and do that study,

28:43

and then rubber stamp the siding of the facility.

28:45

So, in some respects, one may argue that is a victory,

28:48

and we take victories, nonetheless,

28:52

but in some respects, its a victory with some real

28:54

serious and long-lasting ramifications.

28:58

And at this point, the case is in the court.

29:03

Finally, I will close by saying,

29:06

it's going to superior court.

29:09

Wade County is going to appeal their denial,

29:11

and we're going to appeal the issues

29:13

that were overturned,

29:16

but finally, I'll say that the issue is not

29:18

that you have litigation going,

29:20

but it's that you have litigation,

29:23

you have political action, it's that you have social action,

29:25

going, and you have a multi-faceted approach to dealing

29:31

with issues as well as having a community-based sense

29:34

of encouraging and empowering you to be engaged in these

29:39

issues, as they arise, and that that is going

29:44

to be the key to ensuring that issues

29:49

of social justice, economic justice,

29:52

environmental justice are met in this society.

29:54

Thank you.

29:57

(crowd applause)

29:59

-

Folks, there's some chairs in the front row.

30:03

Okay, (mumbles), the black witness for justice?

30:06

-

Yeah, first I'd like to extend to everybody,

30:10

just a very warm, heartfelt greetings,

30:12

really, cause this has been a very special event,

30:14

some very special people, I really sort of enjoyed

30:16

this very inspirational celebration,

30:19

and educational opportunity.

30:21

I just wanted to say that,

30:24

but I would like to address,

30:25

just basically three main developments here in the South,

30:28

and here in North Carolina.

30:32

And I wanna give you some context.

30:34

You know, the main thing that we've been talking

30:36

about is really been the 40 years of struggle

30:38

against Jim Crow, segregation, and the role

30:41

that some of these great visionaries

30:44

have played in helping us lead that fight.

30:46

But, as we all know, the other side of the coin

30:49

in this whole struggle for democracy,

30:51

one for democracy in the workplace.

30:53

You know, the struggle for workers rights,

30:55

the struggle for a living wage,

30:58

and I want to make sure that all of

31:01

us understand the legacy that has

31:04

been left by right to work,

31:07

by this segregation as it's continued to deny us

31:09

this basic democracy in the workplace.

31:12

So, in addressing those issues,

31:16

I just think it's just important

31:18

that we be mindful that that's the context,

31:20

the struggle against a right to work,

31:23

still a struggle for democracy,

31:26

you know, the board of democracy,

31:28

the people in the workplace.

31:29

I've just been privileged to work with

31:32

many folks around North Carolina,

31:35

in particularly the members

31:36

of black works for justice over the last 19 years.

31:38

And also had an opportunity to work with

31:41

farmer to legal services and a couple of unions

31:43

organizer, it's really been insightful in terms

31:45

of just understanding just how monumental

31:48

these struggles are, these three struggles

31:51

in these three areas are.

31:54

But, for like the first maybe try to address

31:56

the question of the struggle around

31:58

the right of public service workers

32:01

to unionize, and their right to collect the bargain plans,

32:05

I know way back in the 1980's,

32:10

that was one of the things that the black

32:13

workers for justice had attempted to do,

32:14

they attempted to try to develop workplace

32:16

organizations, organizing committees and unions.

32:19

In the public service sector.

32:23

And it's been a long fight, a very long, difficult fight,

32:25

cause of the political climate,

32:29

Jessy Helms climate, the confederate flag waving climate

32:32

that has made it very, very difficult.

32:35

But I think that the founding of UE 150,

32:37

The North Carolina public service workers union

32:42

has really just been a monumental

32:44

event in this particular fight.

32:46

And I think as part of that fight,

32:51

it's an ongoing fight,

32:54

this is not only to organize workers into the union,

32:55

but also taking up the fight for the right

32:59

for collective bargaining, which is, again,

33:02

requires building a very strong labor community alliance,

33:04

not just within the African American community,

33:09

the white community, but particularly

33:11

with the growing Latino community,

33:12

again, I'm trying rush through this,

33:15

cause I wanna get some feedback from many of you,

33:17

which brings us back to the question of

33:19

the long fight for organizing agricultural

33:22

workers here in the South.

33:26

Particularly here in North Carolina.

33:27

I recall in 1983, when I first had an opportunity

33:29

to work for farm work illegal services,

33:32

I remember black works for justice

33:35

attempted to start organizing in packing houses,

33:37

also in poultry plants,

33:41

and again, very challenging, many of you heard

33:43

of the hamlet and pearl food fire,

33:46

I think that represents some of the conditions

33:47

and the need, and also the fear that exists amongst

33:50

workers, many of you are familiar with the 25

33:53

workers that burned up in that poultry plant,

33:55

out of fear of challenging their boss,

33:58

and putting those locks on those fire engine doors.

34:00

Again, this has been a very long, difficult fight,

34:03

it's been a fight that requires a certain

34:07

political climate, and I just think that we're

34:09

moving in that direction, as we try to build

34:12

an alliance and community to community labor alliance,

34:16

that also includes the Latino brothers and sisters

34:21

in the work place.

34:25

I just think that that's critically important.

34:28

But in particularly, the fight that flocked the farm

34:30

labor organizing committee, as labeled,

34:34

particularly their boy-cot,

34:36

how many of y'all familiar with the boy-cot

34:37

of Mount Olive Pickles?

34:40

Raise your hands, please give me somebody here.

34:41

(crowd erupts in chatter)

34:43

Well the farm labor organizer committee--

34:51

part of it is just I have a respiratory problem.

34:56

Excuse me?

35:01

Man

Stand up.

35:02

-

I assure you that I'm not gonna just stand up (mumbles).

35:03

(crowd laughs)

35:06

That's why I keep coughing, I have bronchitis.

35:08

But the farm labor of organizing committee,

35:13

the FLCL, and over five thousand workers

35:17

in North Carolina have been fighting

35:19

to gain a labor agreement that has been initiated by

35:21

this boy-cot of the Mount Olive Pickle plant

35:25

here in Mount Olive, North Carolina.

35:28

The black works for justice has been participating

35:30

in that boy-cot, trying to educate folks,

35:32

and actually going to some of the grocery stores

35:34

and trying to educate many of the workers

35:36

as well as the consumers about this particular boy-cot,

35:39

and it was initiated in March '99,

35:44

and I think the main thing is is that

35:47

we all have to try to support this particular boy-cot,

35:51

but more important, as you know,

35:55

in terms of trying to organize many of these workers

35:57

is the question of many of the workers,

35:59

as you know, are migrant workers,

36:05

some legal, some un-legal.

36:08

And as you know, that too is very divisive

36:10

in terms of how the bosses use that

36:13

to try to undermine their particular organizing effort.

36:15

One of the things that that's really critically important

36:20

for all of us is to try to understand

36:22

why we must all make a call for just,

36:25

general, unconditional animosity.

36:28

For all undocumented workers.

36:31

Cause otherwise, as we try organize in these work places,

36:33

weather a pickle plant, poultry plants,

36:37

where a lot of our Latino brothers and sisters

36:39

are presently working, it just makes it a lot

36:41

easier for the boss slit out unity,

36:44

and prevent us from organizing unions

36:46

for these various workplaces.

36:49

So, one of the things that

36:51

comes out of these struggles

36:54

is the need for solidarity,

36:57

and the black workers for justice has always

36:59

upheld that solidarity is a question of necessity,

37:01

not one of gratitude, and not one of just

37:05

doing someone a favor,

37:08

you know, in order for us to win these fights,

37:09

we need that type of solidarity, it's a necessity.

37:11

And as a result of that perspective,

37:15

the black workers for justice has initiated

37:20

building an alliance of African American and Latino workers,

37:22

the African American Latino workers alliance.

37:28

As an effort to strengthen these two very

37:31

very important fights in the public sector.

37:34

Where more and more Latino workers too,

37:37

are coming in to the service sector

37:38

of the public sector, as well as the agricultural area.

37:42

So, I'm asking all folks to support this petition drive

37:50

that we have going on,

37:57

I just want to share with you what this petition's about.

37:59

It's a petition to president Clinton and the US congress

38:02

calling for a grant of unconditional animosity

38:07

for all undocumented workers

38:12

and also to ratify international labor organization

38:15

that addresses the fundamental rights of all workers.

38:20

To number one, their right to freedom of association,

38:24

their right to organize.

38:25

Also their right to also recognize the collective

38:29

bargain rights that all workers should have,

38:34

and finally to defend the human rights

38:37

of all migrant workers.

38:38

Before all of you leave, I'd like you all to,

38:40

more or less, either sign one of these petitions,

38:43

or if it's possible to take one of these petitions,

38:46

and have friends and supporters,

38:50

and your coworkers sign these petitions,

38:53

and wanna make sure that all of you

38:56

get a chance to do that before you leave here today,

38:58

and there's an address on these petitions here,

39:01

where you can send them back.

39:04

You can just send them back to the black workers for justice

39:08

address that's on the back of the petition.

39:11

The other point I just wanted to touch on,

39:22

is the question of globalization.

39:25

And why it's important that we try to develop

39:28

a broader national perspective on what's

39:32

going on with working people today.

39:34

I had an opportunity over the last few years

39:38

to work with United (mumbles),

39:40

in some textile plants, in the Western part of the state,

39:44

and it's amazing what the gulf American free-trade

39:48

agreement globalization has done.

39:53

To what was left of part of the state

39:55

didn't really have a lot of industry,

39:57

other than furniture and textiles.

39:59

In order for workers to develop that sort

40:03

of international conscious and understanding,

40:06

the black workers for justice has

40:08

seen the importance of trying to make sure that

40:09

there's some sort of educational peace going on.

40:12

To sort of broaden that understanding

40:15

of why globalization is something

40:17

that we all got to try to get a handle,

40:19

in terms of understanding, in terms of how it impacts us.

40:21

And why we gotta build broader international solidarity

40:24

with workers abroad.

40:27

So, as a result of the last couple of years,

40:32

the black workers for justice has convened

40:35

a international workers school,

40:37

that was a phenomenal experience of brother (mumbles)

40:39

of two particular schools.

40:46

It was an opportunity to really learn first-hand,

40:51

about sisters and brothers from Britain,

40:55

Germany, Zania, South Africa, Brazil,

40:58

and many of these other places where

41:03

the auto industry's running,

41:04

and textile plants are running.

41:05

To just see the devastation that globalization

41:08

is really meant for all workers

41:11

in terms of lowering the standard of living for workers.

41:12

I just think it's very important

41:18

that folks really support these efforts here in the south,

41:20

the efforts to support the right of all

41:24

public service workers, to unionize,

41:28

and have collective bargain rights.

41:30

The right of agricultural workers

41:31

to organize the agricultural sector,

41:35

and also just the critically important issue

41:41

of building this alliance with Latino community.

41:44

In closing, I really want to really have

41:49

an opportunity to hear questions and have

41:52

some dialogue with you folks,

41:55

on these particular questions,

41:57

cause they're critically important,

41:58

and I know the BWJ has been struggling,

42:00

black workers for justice has been struggling

42:02

with trying to answer some of the important

42:04

questions of how to build the broader

42:07

political climate, as you all know,

42:09

all of us have a roll to play in building

42:11

that broader political climate,

42:13

and building support for these particular struggles.

42:14

So, in closing, I'd just like to say

42:18

that it's really been an honor,

42:21

and to have been apart of this development,

42:22

and to have worked with some of the best organizers,

42:26

really, that I've ever had an opportunity to work with,

42:28

from labor organizers, community organizers,

42:31

and looking forward to hearing some of your

42:34

comments and questions.

42:37

(crowd applause)

42:42

-

I think part of our perspective on this panel,

42:48

is at least, that this is a conference who comes

42:51

to reflect on and honor a life and death struggle

42:54

in the South, that was initiated 40 some odd years ago,

42:58

that we certainly ought to look at what is the

43:04

conditions in the same areas today,

43:06

and that's pretty much a sense of what we tried

43:08

to do, at least in hearing from the first two presenters.

43:10

Our third presenter, Debbie Bell's gonna talk about

43:13

some organizational developments in the black liberation

43:16

movement, and I might argue, and others might too,

43:19

that in many ways, it represents an extension

43:22

of what it was that SNCC sought out to do many,

43:26

many years ago.

43:29

So, Debbie Bell.

43:29

-

He took my opening line away.

43:31

(laughs)

43:33

But that's alright, we learned to be creative,

43:38

that's part of the Elle Baker teachings.

43:42

Yes, I don't think it's arguable,

43:46

but to follow up on that, I also know just by

43:50

sitting on this panel, and from some of the discussions

43:55

that have taken place during the course

43:58

of the last four days,

44:01

that people are in motion,

44:04

and people are trying to change their communities.

44:07

But, the thing that the black radical congress

44:13

is trying to address, or the issue that the black

44:16

radical congress is trying to address

44:18

is how do we unite, how do we coulisse all of these

44:20

energies so that we're not just chipping away

44:26

at our one little corner.

44:30

So the issues that were just presented to you,

44:32

are issues that fall within the preview

44:35

of the black radical congress agenda.

44:38

Let me take a step back and give you a little background.

44:41

First, on the name.

44:47

The black radical congress is basically in formation

44:49

to try to give a vehicle for anyone who

44:56

considers themselves, one, black,

45:03

whether they're blond, blue-eyed, or African,

45:07

or whatever, but if you self-define yourself as black,

45:11

then you are eligible to participate,

45:15

so it does not have a rigid definition

45:19

of how many crinkles you have in your hair.

45:22

That was one of the discussions, by the way.

45:25

(laughter erupts)

45:28

It is an attempt to bring together the full spectrum

45:36

of black people on the left.

45:43

So that all avenues, or spokes of radicalism,

45:49

can unite with whatever the issues are,

45:58

and we have tried to bring these issues

46:02

under an umbrella, a working umbrella,

46:05

so that your issue is not isolated

46:09

from all of the issues that affect

46:13

the black community.

46:18

Within that umbrella, as part of this radicalism,

46:21

we clearly state, in both two formal documents that we have,

46:25

our principles of unity, and the freedom agenda,

46:30

we state that capitalism does not work,

46:34

and that it is not an alternative for the African American

46:37

community, and because it is not an alternative,

46:40

because of it's history of oppression,

46:43

and hasn't shown that it's going to reform itself,

46:45

or that it can be reformed,

46:50

that this is not an option for freedom

46:54

for the black community.

46:57

So, with that premise, we are trying to

47:00

organize to, well, we're not looking to overthrow

47:08

the government yet, obviously,

47:13

but there is a significant left

47:16

body of thought that has never moved

47:21

in the same direction.

47:28

And all the times it's been antagonistic to each other,

47:30

June tenth of 1998 we had an exploratory conference

47:35

that was held in Chicago and that conference

47:43

was to by our estimate, draw about 500 people,

47:50

to begin to explore, what are the possibilities

47:57

of getting this whole diaspora of thinking,

48:00

left thinking together,

48:03

and beginning to form an organization.

48:05

Well, about 200 people showed up,

48:10

I'm sorry, not 500 people showed up, 2,000 people showed up,

48:14

so it far exceeded what we had expected,

48:18

and it also told us that the interest and the need

48:23

was out there, and that something needed to be done.

48:28

The period between '98 and today

48:33

has been a period of local organizing

48:37

of ideological discussion and some

48:42

strategy of development, in that period,

48:48

there has been sort of a metamorphosis,

48:56

a genesis of all these divergent left forces

49:01

of moving from a period of skepticism,

49:07

looking over their shoulder,

49:16

and not quite sure what the next person was going

49:17

to do, and not quite sure where

49:20

you wanted to go, to a period of,

49:22

to a state of confidence, and beginning to trust,

49:25

which means you're then in a stage where

49:34

you can now move forward and build.

49:36

In that light, we have planned an educational conference,

49:40

which I think, having had the marvelous experience

49:47

that I had this weekend, will somewhat

49:52

mirror in many ways, some of the discussions we heard

49:55

in terms of how SNCC was built,

50:00

because the purpose of this conference,

50:03

which will take place at Waynestaid

50:05

on the weekend of June 25, 26, and 27,

50:08

the purpose of that will be,

50:13

it's called an organizing conference,

50:15

to teach ourselves how we can organize

50:17

the agenda that we have set for ourselves.

50:22

And it will be a working congress,

50:26

in order to learn the skills,

50:31

and share the information that we need to go back home

50:34

and hopefully start building and touching

50:39

those people who feel that they want

50:44

to move in a direction for change.

50:48

What are some of the issues?

50:54

We have, it's interesting,

50:59

in discussing issues, everyone has their own

51:04

pet issue, and we've gone through that.

51:06

You know, this one thinks there's is the most

51:09

important issues that's going to change the country,

51:13

and the next one thinks there's is.

51:15

But in reality, what we know is that all issues

51:18

are interrelated, one way or the other.

51:23

The farm question is related to the reparation question,

51:28

and to the education question,

51:33

to the police day question, and so forth.

51:35

There's something that can,

51:38

There is some strand that you can find

51:39

that will connect all of these issues.

51:41

And those are the main issues in which we have

51:45

chosen to begin to develop a program around.

51:48

For instance, almost all of what we call

51:57

local organizing committees,

52:01

and there are 16 local organizing committees

52:03

that we have established since 1998,

52:07

almost all of them are working on anti-police state

52:11

issues, primarily, the case of (mumbles).

52:16

The cases of (mumbles).

52:21

However, we know that in New York,

52:24

while they might be working on Remia,

52:27

they're also working on Dialo,

52:29

and that is the kind of latitude,

52:33

and also the creativity that we would

52:38

like to have in our LOC's,

52:40

New York has two LOC's, the other LOC has chosen

52:46

to work on anti-police state (mumbles),

52:52

and education.

52:57

And the relationship there is that

53:00

if you can improve the education system,

53:04

and work for quality, free, public education,

53:08

and by the way, the premise here is that

53:14

public education must be saved,

53:16

it is one of the last bastions of democracy

53:19

that we have in our country.

53:21

(crowd erupts in applause)

53:23

That with education, then there's the possibility

53:30

of getting a job, and then the whole question

53:34

of the police, not police state,

53:36

but of criminal justice, and what happens

53:40

to young, black men, certainly will lessen,

53:44

if not, become a moot point.

53:48

Because people will have a purpose in life,

53:50

and it will help to collect some of the criminal activity,

53:53

that people find necessary in order to survive

53:57

in this country.

54:02

We have LOC's that are working on criminal justice

54:05

and the question of reparation,

54:10

and this is for those of you who are

54:13

not quite plugged into this,

54:19

the question of reparation or,

54:20

and it has not become part of your daily work,

54:23

and daily thought, has become an increasingly

54:26

important arena of struggle,

54:29

and more and more literature is written,

54:34

almost on a daily basis,

54:38

and certainly if you go onto the internet,

54:40

there are many, many avenues,

54:43

and many articles, pardon me,

54:47

that give clear, sys inc, and rational arguments

54:49

to the question of reparation,

54:57

including where the money would go,

54:59

and who would be the recipient of such requisitions.

55:04

And, finally, but not least, in terms of issues,

55:11

this question that was so well discussed

55:16

under the black workers for justice program,

55:21

and that is economic justice,

55:27

and this is where our distrust of capitalism

55:29

takes its sharpest turn here, or connection,

55:32

and that is that workers are overwhelming majority

55:40

of our population, black people are overwhelmingly

55:47

in the working class, the working class

55:56

is anyone who has a boss and earns a wage,

55:59

and is not in control of where their wages are coming from.

56:06

And the exploitation, securely,

56:11

people of color, in our economic system

56:19

has just been stated, I don't need to repeat,

56:23

but this is a question that is paramount,

56:28

and it's paramount for the growing

56:34

numbers of people who are only being employed

56:38

in Mcdonalds-type wage jobs,

56:43

and have to work two and three jobs,

56:47

in order to put bread on their table,

56:49

and a roof over their head.

56:51

So those are our main areas,

56:55

and let me just go back,

57:00

and I wanna just say that,

57:01

you know, the question of a living wage,

57:04

I need to include on the economic justice,

57:06

because if you don't have a living wage,

57:09

there is no economic justice.

57:13

And this is what affects most people of color.

57:15

And, by the way, in terms of workers,

57:20

we include those people who are unemployed,

57:23

under employ, and all of the millions

57:29

of women who have been thrown off the well fare

57:35

rolls and still don't have any kind of jobs,

57:39

they are potential workers,

57:43

and we need to look at them as potential workers.

57:44

And as allies.

57:49

So, this is one of the places that the racial

57:52

discrimination and prejudice is most

57:58

easily identifiable, is in the work place,

58:04

because of the types of jobs and opportunities

58:08

that are available to African Americans.

58:11

I don't wanna go on too much longer,

58:16

but I do wanna say that

58:18

the BRFC is a membership organization,

58:23

it has a sliding scale of membership

58:25

to vote for those who are unemployed,

58:30

to those who would like to give us a whole lot of money,

58:32

is certainly welcomed, and that to date,

58:37

the composition of membership is across the economic

58:43

and intellectual spectrum.

58:54

So we have intellectuals, such as Cornell West,

59:00

we have people who are unemployed, we have students.

59:04

And we are certainly eager to have

59:11

everyone who's interested, join us.

59:17

We have a number of websites,

59:20

and the reason for this is that we have found

59:24

that when the question of black radicalism,

59:28

and on any given issue, and our website,

59:30

by the way, one of our websites will have

59:32

an issue for a given period of time.

59:38

Wrap up, 2000 April

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John Hope Franklin Research Center

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