Say Brother; Community Access; 329

Today we have three very distinguished brothers with us who work with organizations that I think represent the best interest of the black community. I'm honored to have them here. The first one is Denise Zulu say to who is from the African Liberation Day Support Committee then we have plenty to rant who is from the Coalition for a clean community. And finally we have Leo Fletcher who is from the United Community construction workers. Thank you all for being here taking your time and attention is very valuable. I'd like to start by talking to you Denise Zulu and I wonder if you could give our audience a little background on your organization. Yeah. OK. I guess most people who are familiar with African liberation Support Committee. I know of it by way of the African liberation day observations that have taken place. The first one was in 1972 and was mainly in Washington D.C. as well as San Francisco Toronto and some other cities. Last year there were about

30 local demonstrations and this year the whole thing was expanded to an African liberation month which was. Which consisted of community forums local demonstrations and then a national demonstration in Washington D.C.. What the African liberation Support Committee is about. Primarily is support for the African liberation movement. That is the national liberation movements fighting in southern Africa and in Guinea-Bissau. The direction that the ANC has taken though has been you know in thought towards focus in much more on things that are happening right here. As I think everybody both in the committee and outside of it realize that we can realistically talk about liberating Africa unless we talk about you know just liberating all black people you know everybody from the

forces that I keep in Africa or in under the heel which is the name the whole thing of racism and imperialism and of course you know the heart of the beast they say is right here are we are. So that during African liberation month the focus was much more on such things as the whole question of the impeachment of Nixon the creation of the energy crisis. The question of police and political repression as well as support for the liberation movements and so on in this respect I think the African-American support committee is you know has moved in a very progressive direction and a much more realistic one in terms of talking about you know liberating African people wherever we are what kind of things are you doing in this country that support African liberation that might be important for people to know you're OK like some of the things I mentioned that

were addressed during Africa in the recent months. The thing about. Informing people about what was like What is this energy crisis thing really about which I think most of us know it's a hoax but to really understand you know you know who who is perpetrating that and why and understanding that as you know the tentacles of imperialism or these multinational corporations that are really responsible for the kind of you know oppression that goes down. You know as the far reaching tentacles cut in various parts of the world by the indigenous people you know it forces those companies to start bringing some of those contradictions back home. And clearly I mean the energy crisis is a manifestation of that on the whole question of the impeachment of.

And you know saying that look black people here in this country as black people as part of an international black community. Here's a man who has clearly shown that he's an enemy of our people both domestically in terms of the kinds of cutbacks on programs that benefited black people and poor people and internationally in terms of supporting Portugal in terms of supporting South Africa Rhodesia and so forth supporting Haiti you know that whole Duvalier clique down there net is selling out the country so that you know what we're talking about is not you know looking at impeachment is just some kind of mysterious you know legalistic thing that happens up in you know the congressional level. Clearly you know people at that level are all making deals but saying that look we who are the people who are actually the ones who are producing and generating the wealth. You know that is coming out. You know we are seeing that this man is an enemy and it should

be you know removed on those grounds. And you know likewise looking at the whole question of policing and political repression that is just something accidental or something that just goes down because well you know there are people in the country who are racist but really looking at that as part of a whole system that is as you know we were seeing during Africa in the region why it is now in crisis. You know the energy crisis is not an accident it's a crisis of the whole the whole system. Locally we've been working with jobs mobilization campaign which Leovy talking about we've been working with the community coalition against repression which has been dealing with such things as you know the police undercover units and so forth which are very similar to the stress squad in Detroit that was responsible for some 23 people. And really

you know trying to bring this whole thing of African liberation down to something that's very real. And you know closer to home and you know something that people can really see is not. Well this is just something about aiding people in a foreign country but that we're really talking about. Our part in a whole international struggle as part of our family. I. What's happening in Angola in Mozambique since the recent political coup in Portugal. Portugal was the in fact the colonial colonialists who were controlling that area. Right. Well of course I think most people understand that the coup in Portugal is brought about as a result of the victories in Africa in things the role of the military in Guinea. In terms of where that stands. Now of course the Portuguese have accepted to

negotiate with the liberation movement. Right now it's at a very tenuous stage where really it's a thing it's developing day by day almost hour by hour in terms of trying to you know knowing just how it's moving. Most of the press and so forth concede that the liberation movements definitely have the Portuguese government in the position that it needs to be in their power base. It is so well-established in Angola in Mozambique. That. The Portuguese now you know really know that they have to agree with independence and all that's really being negotiated at this point in terms of doing. You I think just today it was and kind of saying Oh are you as you know also taking a position you know demanding that Portugal remove itself from

Africa immediately. So there has been a lot of support for that. Other African governments supporting the liberation movements in Angola. Right. Right. In fact right I should clarify that. Oh a you is the Organization of African Unity which is like made up of. Well I guess all all the countries in Africa excluding things like you know the white rule countries are members of the Organization of African Unity. And it's that organization that took the position of demanding the immediate you know independence for the Portuguese terrorism. Could you give us any indication as to what is the state of affairs relative to South Africa and Rhodesia because those two tier territories it by definition need to be liberated. Right. Right. And this sort of different from the Portuguese colonies in that rather than being colonies ruled from from

Europe. You have white settlers who you know claimed that well you know this is home with the African. And there the situation is really. A serious one because. You know no matter how the negotiations go down with with Portugal there are really some I believe 15000 South African troops in Rhodesia or Rhodesian troops have invaded Mozambique South African South African government has pretty much made it clear that they view Angola and Mozambique in particular as buffer zones against this you know wave of Black Terror that might come down. So they are going to. Try to you know. You know commit as much military and other effort to you know preventing you know the total liberation of those territories.

The question is how much can they do and they cannot do really too much without outside support which would naturally be coming from the United States Western Europe and so forth. And I might just throw out right now the. Rhodesia which the United States supports through this so-called brute Amendment which allows trade with Rhodesia. You know this is in defiance of an international boycott. This whole issue is coming up for a vote probably next month in the House of Representatives the Senate has already voted to repeal the amendment. And now the steel industry of course has been lobbying you know not to review that because they can get Crome and so forth much cheaper because you know it can be gotten it's you know slave wages and these are the whole question of the sugar quota. The United States importing sugar from South Africa obviously doesn't have to and this as a straight up you know means of supporting the South African New Zealand coal miners in Alabama of course

that just recently struck in protest against you know coal being brought in from South Africa so that there are a lot of moves that are being made. You know right from here right from the United States that helped prop up the racist regime. But the people in Africa and you know clearly the people here are beginning to become more aware of them and moved to you know prevent that kind of thing from going down you know quietly as if having gone down in the past. Leila Fletcher. Would the United Community construction workers I think would be important for our audience to know something about your organization because I suspect that in many ways you support the work of the African liberation he. Is. United Community construction workers was farm back in 1968. In response to racist practices by white

contractors and the black community doing a couple of million dollars worth of construction work and it brought us to the point where we saw that it was necessary to have folks represent you know represent themselves or be represented in a guide to construction projects that are going on within within the black community. The Bird program which was the start of re renovating apartments for low income low income housing projects was just a first step. That a whole housing and construction industry in the Black and Spanish speaking community. And we felt we felt that that folks needed to be represented in a guide to employment training. And we got to just a general. You know what is built for us and who it's built by and how it's built.

It isn't you know something that we deal with but our pride focuses on community jobs the community people trying to get some of the economic economics that is generated from the construction that's being done in our community and for the last six years we've been we've been fighting both union contractors and and unions and also non-union contractors to bring about even the community that will allow black head of households and women to be able to go to work on jobs within their own community. And also after you know jobs cease in the community but also to be able to go outside the community and be able to compete in an open job market.

And basically. You know that we've been we've been you know advocates in combat and in trying to get out and bring the bring the issue to the people and organize folks. And you know try to get some kind of training to go and keep that going and keep people train you know and deal with it deal with it in that framework. There's probably probably a couple of things that happen that I think probably should be mentioned. One is that because of our efforts back in 73 we were able to get a 20 and a 30 percent quota. Added to state contracts for all construction which says that all state construction jobs will be at least 30 percent across the board will be minority. And that was was one

because of the efforts of CCW and various student groups and other supporters at Boston State College. So that's one one kind of thing that we've been instrumental in hammering out with with government. We hope to do the same thing with the city that this kind of controversial language needs to go into all government contracts that states that you know 20 percent or 30 percent or 50 percent or whatever numerical guidelines be used be put into the contract as contractual language so that we can have some kind of legal recourse if this kind of thing is it is and isn't upheld by the contract. So you know those are the kinds of areas we're moving in as far as dealing with the with the government city government state government and

also the federal government. It's. You know been a it's been a real struggle and I know it's going to continue to be a struggle but as we as we've been. Moving We've also been building and we have now a complex of buildings located in Grove Hall. That come from you know us you know working and trying to you know try to you know have self-determination and try to deal with controlling the area in which we in which we live in. You know we also have put together a bookstore called Black survival bookstore in Grove Hall and also the craftsman shop which is a creation of the black craftsman of U.S. S.W. who put the shop together and put it together to serve the black craftsman in the community and also to

the community at large. So we've been you know dealing with the outside the external forces but we've also learned how to develop a base for self support and self-control. How old is the organization. Well we started back in 1968. And we've that's we've been around a while. We have longevity and we've kind of one thing that we're really proud of too at UCC that we have lasted so long especially being the kind of fight that we end. Up you know kind of just to kind of clear it up to to where with you know how how we approach the situation is that is that we know that the main our main objective is to is to deal with the deal with racism in a total. And that's dealing with you know unions and contractors and

folks in general who have practiced the kind of racism and exclusion against black people for years we see that as one of our jobs that you see CW The other job we see is that the development of the black contractor. And his capabilities and give him the kind of quality of manpower that will be needed for him to compete in a competitive market. Developing the black contract it also develops the black work because as the black contract expands so there isn't a black worker. Right now we have maybe three general contractors that could do any kind of sizable job and employ any kind of sizable number of black people. What we're trying to do is to expand that is to have better relationships with the black contractors to try to bring about some kind of a collective. Understanding with them and try to let them you know deal with us and we deal with them in a in a way that's going to be

beneficial and productive for both parties. And so so we see it like we have two two kinds of jobs that we do. One is to try to deal with you know getting our own folks together and one and two dealing with the kinds of discrimination and racism that is practiced by that by the construction industry now and exposing to the community and to people you know all over the country. The fallacy of the home town plans where the unions and the contractors now have total control of how they bring on minorities into the construction industry. And we're fighting that issue now. And we're trying to you know show folks that unless we have control of our own how we how we feel that racism should be eliminated how exclusion should be

eliminated unless we have the controls in the snow bet that you know they're not going to practice racism on us year after year and then tell us how they're going to solve it without giving us a chance to express you know what our desires and so that we're into that into that every now and you know the Boston plan which is the arm that the unions use for the hometown plan is being funded up until July thirty first and then after that the city is supposed to be taking over the funding. And all we're trying to do is to make it so that if the city does fund it that community input be put in so that we have control and say so you know at least equitable amount of control so that we can determine how many people go to work in our community

because you know this is an estimate of 175 billion dollars that is going to be spent over the next couple of years in construction in the city of Boston. A sizable portion of that is going to be spent in the black communities. In fact you have the new campus high school you have your Franklin Park projects you have your I-95 the transportation part of I-95. You have just just a new you know a lot of work just going to be going on in the black communities and that we're trying to push the black community are trying to emphasize to the black community and to the people in power that the black community has to be treated as a special a special impact area that when construction goes on in our community because the rate of unemployment is so high and because of the lack of jobs and the and the inability of people in power to employ you know people in our community that we have to make sure that folks

get employed by you know bringing these kind of Asians out and trying to organize folks so that you know we can get some jobs we can have some of that economics that's going to be generated from those on those projects. At what levels can people get involved with your organization. Well there's probably three or four different kinds of ways. One is that the support of demonstrations and rallies that not only you see CW has but also just mobilization campaign you know coming out to you know demonstrations and rallies wherever they may be just coming getting information and trying to make up you know what is mine and you know what at least they have the information to try to at least make a decision on which on what on what they think should be done and an offer that is either in body and spirit of

which whichever. But. Along with you know financial support which is always necessary and you know just you know folks at whatever level they can deal with you know to deal with a situation like this like you know like you're doing right you're supporting us by allowing us to have the time to you know bring an issue out to folks you know. So you know so you know those kinds of areas that you know government folks and government like compliance offices and people like that should be bringing the point up should be should be stressing community jobs and community people that because of the unemployment problem that because black people have been excluded and really construction is the only mass avenue in which black people can can't even think about touching the mainstream of the economics of this country. You know just bringing that up. Folks know that this is whether it's you know this is what it's about. You know what

about the construction workers. Do they do they join your organization do they pay dues What do they do. We have presently over 100 members of your CCW. They pay dues. They come to meetings. They make decisions on what what they want to see happen and what I look you know you know just they give it you know the total the total support of the organization. You know we we we. You know do have membership means folks to make decisions and organize things themselves. And. It's it's a you know community participation organization it is an organization where the members do participate. But it's all to Lenny to rant about Coalition for Clean which is no but you know what's what's.

Right. The coal mission started really through circle which is the organization they belong to and which is a community development corporation and it has a board of directors 24 organizations in our community. About eight weeks ago we was sitting around and we were talking about the kinds of things that a community development corporation should be into. And we are to into two other aspects of the the economic development planning aspect and the creation of new kinds of entrepreneurship that will help the community. That we decided that the circle has what we should be speaking out about other kinds of economic issues that affect the quality of economic development in our community as the economic

community construction workers struggle around jobs and construction of the issue. While other organizations are dealing with housing and dealing with health that we need to speak to the issue of whether the the taxpayers that are paying the taxes are getting the kind of quality of city. Services that they should have. And as we begin to look around the community we can see obviously we're not getting that. So what we decided to do was to hold a press conference and to begin to take the press around on it toward the whole community and begin to let them see how dirty the streets are. How there's holes in the streets. I'm on page I want to trash them and come to clean up trash. They drop it and they don't clean it up. Our streets are swept. So we then decided to. To call upon the

city to clean up all the streets and the trash filled areas in our community pave all the streets tear down all the land and houses that not we habitable and to secure those that are to place public trash containers to the black and spanish speaking areas to work with the big the Franklin Park people do it and they plan to restore the Franklin Park to his former greatness and to work out the plan with the organizations of the community to provide the kind of public services that we as taxpayers have a right to expect. After that we sat down with me a white about. 25 or 26 of us and we outlined our grievances and. He responded saying that he was going to get something done right away. He knows that that the issue is real. And that to show that he was really going to do something he it so

it is a long range problem. But he would clean up the streets quickly while we waited for a week a week and a half and. Nothing happened. Then we had to sit down again and really make a decision of how we were going to impress upon the the people in power downtown that we were really we was really mean that this has has to happen. So then we said the one of the ways is we have to take some kind of political act. So we decided to. Hire a talk. Go and one of the streets in our communities. And filled the truck up with trash and bring it down on city hall plaza and dump it on city hall plaza and tell the mayor that it's his dad he can deal with. At that point that we began to get some real response. He then said that he called us and said we

should come down again and sit down with him and the people from the Department of Public Works sanitation street lighting. And it began to work out a plan of how we are going to clean up the community. We was talking about as we talked about cleaning up the community that any of the jobs that was that would come out of that should go to black people. And so then we contacted a. Person from the Greater Boston truckers and contractors. So creation was which is a black minority trucking. Coal mission. And we then went back and we started talking about we wanted to get 10 sites cleaned up in South and 10 in Roxbury 10 and I thought he was doing 10 in the Franklin Field and. We began to then go through the complicated process of the bureaucracy. Downtown which called for

identifying who owns what property. The Boston Redevelopment and the real property board we were going back and forth over thing will probably says I don't want it to be Ayos that back and forth. And finally we worked out a way where they would have a person come along with us. We would go out into the community identify them on the spot. Have them then work out right then who was going to clean it. And we have a process where we have started to clean up Haskin street a little Roxbury and we were getting that done. We are now going around with it people are going more places in lower Roxbury. Next week will be up north. Yes. The other piece to here is that as we struggle around the question of trying to get our community clean and get the kind of public services that we should have is the other part of it of getting into the community and begin

to work with those people who are working with neighborhood groups that. That are working around the issue of their neighbors keeping their areas clean clean and begin to form block groups that would begin to relate to our our effort and see if we could not find ways to support that effort. And that's been that's been going along fairly well. And at the same time we were talking with the people about cleaning the streets up. We have a problem because we have to go and now we find and follow the street sweepers to make sure that in doing the job. And the question about they pick the trash up one day then the following day they clean one side of the street then the next day they clean the other side of the street. So what we've done now is begin to go out and ask people on the blocks to let us know if a street sweeper comes down the street

will begin to go into the communities and asking people at certain times of the day to take their cars off the way so the street can be swept. We're trying to find ways that people can possibly cause that off the streets with all these empty spots around the community. So we are beginning to tell people that they could drive the cars up on them until the street is wet. Last evening we held a community right meeting to inform the community about the progress and to talk about the ways that people in the community could get involved in this. And I'm happy to say that we have about 75 people. We we have people that want to join the people that want to make telephone calls monitors people that want to start different of block associations neighborhood association. What do you see for the future relative to that organization. Do you have any plans for the future. Well

our Yes we do. We did not see this as an effort of circle incorporated a community wide effort. And that we will be looking into a number of other avenues. There's the whole question of the employment practices by the city. We'll be looking into that. We're looking into the question of. Revenue sharing and how that relates to public works and that as we going to have our people look at those questions and come back and tell us what direction we should be going and we intend to begin to engage this city and legal action. And we we feel that that's going to be a comprehensive kind of a piece and that we have a team of students from Northeastern Harvard that are working along with us that are gathering the data and we hope that at some point that we

will begin to impress upon the city officials that black people are struggling to rebuild our community and that as long as we're paying taxes that we we expect them to give us the same type of city services that all of the other communities have. And that if that doesn't work then the next phase will be to begin to talk about tax day. So I think that's a very important issue to the fact that we pay out those taxes you know and that as a result of that the government does have a certain amount of responsibility to us. You know irregardless of what they are about that money should be cut back in some form or fashion to the community. Right. And there's a whole question now that. Revenue sharing. It's not it's not clear to us and we trying to get the documentation of how the revenue sharing is supposed to be split up for our area. And as we began

to look at how the legislation was drafted. We were the one with the kind of information we have right now we can see that there could be a case around if there has been some revenue sharing issues brought up in courts around the country. One in Connecticut one in Chicago. And I think one or two somewhere else. And two of the places you should stop until they are in compliance with the way the legislation was drafted as it relates to the black community. He said that the month of May was a month that was his focus of focus for African liberation. I'm wondering if you could tell us a little about that month. In fact you know translators are interested in that because at one level the struggle in U.S. is another level that might be interesting for the audience begin to understand how

they in fact relate. Right. Because you know like I was saying that the specific issues that we're focused on if you like me held a community forum. People could just come and what they really came down to it was like a brief prison teeth like this folks just discussed things like energy crisis and you know impeach. The whole thing about you know prisons and oppression. But. I think the important thing about the whole thing is that you know when we talk about you know African liberation is that. As the you know liberation movements themselves that you know that we you know so no really support pointed out. And if you really want to support this well then struggle right there with you you know. And you know concrete. I mean what that means is like you know really involving ourselves in something like database struggle like the brothers are talking about right here. And. How. You know that kind of thing

that we were doing during African nation month would fit in. Is I think when we begin to look at it is to say that you know for us to really wage a struggle you know meaningfully we have to you know. Have the tools understanding you know just what's going on so that you know we're not just responding to crises and you know well you know like you know if we go down to City Hall and the mayor says something we feel old it's school. You know if we understand what you know how do we as black people you know how do we use working people that are we as poor people really fit into this the whole you know social order. This is you know it exists right now. Then we can start talking about how to make realistic demands and then start getting some realistic solutions. And. You know and realize that the kinds of struggles that you I we're talking about like right here like talking about you know getting back you know something for the taxes that we're putting in you know

just like we're saying that the United States government you know should not be supported you know South Africa. I mean South Africa ain't paying taxes didn't we. You know. And likewise I mean if were working and paying taxes to the city. You know there's no reason why our community should look a mess. You know. You know other communities are all spotlit up every day. And. So I think it's really important that you know when we look at you know Africa in the recent month and the whole you know the whole question of the international aspect you know where we are we are really struggling you know for the Bible we are struggling just for the basic you know human rights and. You know just picking up on some of the things that Leo was talking about. You know the whole right that people have to self-determination. Look you know I mean we should be the ones to say you know what goes there. You

know community school in terms of. You know if a situation like you know with the whole racist thing that exists right now. You know hiring for jobs exist. Well you know we're not going to sit around and ask you know well you all up there you know take it out for us. We're saying look this is what we will tell you. We're the ones paying the taxes. We're the ones doing the work we're doing is carrying the weight. And you know that's the situation here is exactly like the situation that exists in there go the idea that you're in retail sales. So that. In that respect I think you know even though we are not in Africa you know certainly you know the kinds of day to day things that surround our lives are different. I think there's a lot of lessons that can be learned from those movements over the Blues Brothers and sisters who are you know who are struggling with a real you know

concrete thing in terms of. Coming up with you know like you know real analysis and you know it's sort of like if you if you pose the problem correctly then you you know find the solution more correctly. And. So in that respect I think that you know if we look at African liberation not just you know that was the thing that time you know just another fad but really as just a phase of phase in the movement is a time to sort of you know sit down and gather information and really look at you know. You know what was happening in that big conference that took place in D.C. It was a two day conference which was entitled which way. Against racism and imperialism for the black liberation movement where you know the whole purpose of that was to really bring together all these diverse tendencies that exist. And you know try and hammer

out you know some differences. You know people can really start talking about. Well you know let's not just get up here. Well you know I mean listen and you've met and so forth and you know all of us be celebrities and get over. But let's get down with you know what. You know it's really you know affecting not just you know all of us who want to call ourselves members of the Senate but you know just. In our people you know. Even the folks who are even getting up every day. And like I said we're really you know really carrying the weight of this thing. I mean the people didn't get up and go to work. You know. You know I mean you can imagine I imagine it's all this was working the secretary's just stayed home. You know like the whole the whole thing with it would just come down the next and then some folks are working in factories and. Restaurants hospitals all these things. So. You know the thing I would I would just like to

emphasize about African liberation month is that you know why I feel you know very positive about it is that. It really kind of fit into a struggle it's been going on like you know even with any other seat for quite some time. Of. Bringing that whole thing of you know Africa right right home and saying look you know. You know what we're doing here is not you know isolated. I mean the kinds of you know. Concrete struggles that you know the brothers here you know are relating to are not just you know accidents or anything like that. I mean it's just hard. And you know very necessary part of just a very you know real struggle for survival is happening not only in Boston but you know throughout this country and every place that people have for them in every place we you know third world and poor people. So I think in terms of like you know the significance of that I think that should

really be. I mean if you look at it in terms of accomplishing anything I think best what we should really evaluate here on on the basis that I'll leave how does an organization like you see C.W.. I relate to the question of African liberation through its work through its ideology or whatever. Scott. In Canada had questions answered in my head but. We believe that. You know we support each other in an effort an African liberation support committee and you see the end jobs mobilization campaign you CCW. You know I have worked on campaigns together. And you know the whole question. You know I always support you know we feel that you know the same way we are an African people and that we have to deal for ourselves right here in determining you

know what what goes on in our lives that without without demand or without bringing forth you know problems and try to deal with solutions and then there's no progress. And you know we feel that this was all African people all over all over the world that this form of unity has to take place for there to be any progress for them. To what extent do you think the president of Africa. Has. Affected your work. Has penetrated the consciousness of the black community. I mean you know for example. Maybe five six years ago community organizations wouldn't even have have had Africa in their head. All right. And at least to your organization I'm with you we are fortunate to have about three or four African brothers that work on

our staff. And one heads up a component of ours. And we at Circle used the Google Saba principle and as we hold our staff. Meetings as we end them we end them with the same principle. We we show we show films and circle and try to look at some of the development going on say and Tanzania's president the US military and the other so that the staff and the audience can get a sense of the feeling of the latent ship of the struggle of development in Africa. And the struggle of development here. As we're doing it so they can see that some of the kinds of struggles that they are doing the same kinds of struggles that way we play here. And that what we have to at some point make a decision about not so much

as at the circle but we as black people I think is at what point do we decide whether our our direction and goals and objectives is going to be to try to save this dying country. Well if it's all whatever we do we're doing with the with the idea and the understanding that that each had all relate back to. Back to the country where black people had. Sovereignty having land and. Had the independence. And I just think for my own self that. As the as the Jewish people develop themselves and this country as a people. They they understood the moves and they had ties with Israel. And I think that we need to be about the education and our community of the relationship of. Africans struggling on the continent. And black people

Africans here struggling and that. The two should be supportive of each other with our main goal with our resources as we can to begin to better utilize them in such a way that would begin to bring a lot more focus. On the question that we have in Africa and people just like you and I were both in the booth in the rear view mirror isn't fated to be in a position of you know tooting your own horn. But. You know both circle and you see see you just in terms of the concrete work he has to do. I have been extremely extremely helpful. And. You know my brother from the CW in terms of bringing off you know the march and demonstrations and things like that you know providing security in terms of using the hammer. Publication. To

put information out you know about what's happening on the continent. You know I mean you know all of you know very progressive in America. Certainly in terms of trying or you know. You know the office space that we've had is circling. You know Larry you don't mention this the to telephone and that kind of thing you know hasn't been. You know really really good. I say that just out of politeness out of you know just to point out that. You know these are just you know concrete examples of the way people in the community you will have seen you know the importance of that and actually you know just come up with a you know concrete you know kind of help for that you know for that kind of support. And I think you know we can see it like and I you know we talked earlier about you know Portugal and probably you know two or three years ago you know the whole thing was you know cool for it you probably wouldn't me any We knew the news that it makes now just because people are so much more aware of the fact that. You know. They know.

I mean black people know that this is something that's a fact and it's news really for us. So. You know I would just like to add that. I wanted to ask you. To what degree is it any quantitative measure. You see Africa having penetrated the consciousness of black people I think. I mean I think I mean I know that black people are totally and much more aware of of of Africa. But do you have any visible signs of that yourself. I'd like to just bring that out. I think it's important for people. Yeah maybe more so. Quality and quantity are great you know I mean naturally you know there was the you know the steeds of these folks you know going into you know we see them around and you know in our talking society and things like that

which. You know it is I mean it's so you know you know a willingness to identify with that which is everybody knows you know not to far in the past you know wasn't happening at all. I think that you know following things like African liberation day. I mean what's really been here is that people are now identifying with the struggle of people in Africa you know seeing that yeah well you know I'm going to be you know a matter of picking sides in this thing where we are on one side of our people. You know for example with the whole boycott things and you know people know about the activities of our island. That means means that companies with you know. Oil companies in goal and so forth. And. You know the you know the way. The. American technology and put that ego you know like the South African government you

know you know all of them ID cards and passes and things like that. So I think you know in that respect just on the informational level you know people. Are more aware and I think the fact that like people more people are now asking Hey what's happening with Portugal. You know I mean you know the folks on the street you know are asking that as opposed to you know what probably would have been you know a couple of years ago if folks really. Wouldn't have known knowing or consequently wouldn't have cared. So I think you know those kinds of things you do. You spoke about your jobs mobilization campaign. I don't know if we really discussed it full. Well the jobs mobilization campaign is a council coalition committee folk who. From different organizations who come together around the issue of community

jobs and community people they are willing to support straight demonstrations sit down and and and able to to. Organize forums so that folks can get information and talk about it. You know what what the what the problems are. They able to pull together resources and information. On the question of the Boston plan and also what the job mobilization campaign does too is it takes the weight of them classifying the unions and contracts classifying us as a union when they want to or Labor Organization and taking out injunctions and court orders and restraining orders against you she does. Because. Of you know it's

at either the state of Massachusetts and you know they they take us to the national labor relations we've been twice already one time we were given a restraining order that kept us off the jobs for six months and the second time we came to the hearing and we won as a job mobilization campaign instead of it being your CCW. So it is like a shield to keep those kinds of legal things out because it is like the ad hoc group of folks who are coming together behind the issue of unemployment and jobs in the community. And you know we we we're going to continue to organize for you know to get more support and try to broaden that base. We've got support from various community organizations. We just want to try to make it so that the energies from the folks that come together productive and we can work on that and have some successes because

the situation couldn't exist in the black community if. People. Were more able to to to support organizations and issues that we have you know that is is like a loose loose end that you know we as you know. Black folk have to get together that whole means of communications and supporting each other supporting each other's issues because relating to each other is our issue. So just an elevation campaign is you know that kind of a movement that you know is more diversified and then you see she views attacks. Yeah I want to I want to thank everybody for coming. I guess there are two things that are particularly encouraging about this show. One is that there are organizations that are actively working on behalf of the black community. And I guess the second thing is that

there are organizations that work together. On behalf of the black community. I think it's really important for the audience to know that. You know because I mean that concept is not lost. I mean that's a concept that in fact here's the concrete evidence of that. Thank you for coming today. Great. To be. On the money and they the. Ball. And I. Know. You don't have enough time