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It's a wonder to me that the plan doesn't subsidize some of these. Black extremist separatists because here's what I'm running into now. I'm running into whites who are saying whites who before were afraid open their mouths with money. Because they didn't want to be known as racists or bigots. They couldn't defend their position. I'm running into them saying. I want to tell you that I'm for complete equality of understanding and up to a blacks say they want us to live alone. They want to have their own dormitories. They want to be separate and that we why fight to the death for their right to have what they want and this is what's happening. This is the rationale that is being developed in the white. Segregation of society down south and she was setting off hotel dining room and saying our guy come by I knew what. He didn't know that I know the last time I said I had seen him was on a lonely country road and he had a
clan where Obama. Was already called around trying to figure out which piece to take off first you know. But this guy so I well let's just say we had it right all the time down south. Separate but equal is that what's happened up to now. This is the problem this beginning that this is the thing that. I'm signed to and I'm addressing myself primarily Virat of black activists. Keep in mind. Take a good look at what you're doing. To all of us to yourselves and when you talk up one when you're like that white and remember the best of the way this world is going and of and a century of greatest technological revolution. Evan Allen. And mass media and mass transportation. Nobody in this world is going to be able to live separately. Nobody.
Now. Then we have a search operation on the other side. Of the foreground atop pragmatically above us. We have a complete breakdown in communication between blacks and whites. Now this becomes a prime. Problem. The first one that has to be broken through because it doesn't matter what the black side. Programs are developed and terms of this whole issue it doesn't matter what programs we develop on the white side. The fact remains that if there is no communication it is going to be impossible for any kind of programme. To be communicated and to be discussed and to be developed web and to be put into action. This is what I mean by. Specifically you know
very well. That what the tensions of the. Thought of a white man comes up to you and I'm talking to you whites. A white man comes out and the but the blacks will understand very well exactly what I mean. Probably better than you do. A white man comes up to you and makes a statement what just so far out. And so on not enough. That your response is going to be like you know what I think you want to do. You want to go to Bellevue Hospital and get a spinal test if a black man comes up to you and makes the same statement and word for word. You know what your response s. Well that's a very interesting approach. You know. You can't you don't dare to respond you are fraid of getting a label on the role of paying a beggar are being prejudiced
which in fact when you respond that way you are. Because until you can look at a black. Exactly as you look at a White. Until you can hear him. And talk to him exactly as you would talk to whites. Your prejudice can be inversely. But you're stuck with the right and the same thing goes for the blacks. As far as talking to whites. You've got to get rid of this bozo as well you know why you got to watch the new camp. We can't talk to you about anything. And I'm between you're starting to get a new group coming on and terms of identification of southern Iraq which. I recently referred to the black and the great plan of the shaky
but well-known fact can be discussed later. One week in which Time Forgot. So Monica I'm going to hop might throw. Oh I was. I try to you know I try to break it. Now. When we are talking about. Citizen participation when we're talking about when I first began talking about it. And of all people as citizens in a free society having the power upset us. Let me say when I use the word Power I use it as it was defined in Webster's Unabridged. Quote the ability to act. On. It as a life
force or suppress this microphone the power that my power my heartbeat. It's. That. It's the power of government the ability to whacked It's life itself. And we're talking about settlers and we're talking about the power of substance we're talking about their ability to act as substance and in order for a set of zones to act as citizens they must be organized. Ever since there are more than three people on the face of the earth and two of them got organized so this is the way we're going to go because we're two to one here. That's the way it's been. You cannot protect pro-am as a population figures have increased You cannot operate as individuals. And that is basically all that is meant by black power I might add. I think the whites get hung up by the notion of black power for a variety of reasons many of which are familiar to you one of which is a very sad commentary on
white civilization. And quotes to weapon the word Black has been made on them for everything evil everything negative everything tragic. As you are fully familiar with. You never get blue my old. You're always blackmailed and never kept out of a club on a basis of a pink sheet it's always on the basis of a blacklist. You never have a purple tragedy you always have black tragedies himself or you just keep growing up. That's the reason you cannot begin to understand. That terrible terrible importance in the scribing on black culture of black identity I'm just a simple phrase Black is beautiful. Because people because we've done a good job through centuries of brainwashing the black is evil and bad. And White of course. Wesley is a noble and chaste. And represented by one of those things which was around 20 years ago
called for Genevieve etc.. But and All Angels were always white and all devils were always black and Saddam. Now when we are talking about citizen participation we're talking about organization. I'm going to station as as only broad and it only comes into being and order to have an instrument for power. That's very interesting and I was up in Boston just before the last mayoralty election and they have a. Woman up there by name Mrs. hex I don't know what they heard about her down here. Oh I was running for mayor and strutting around with some of these white liberals and discussions you'd hear them talk about their fear of black power. I thought this was an American. At etc. etc. and then what kind of a few moments. You heard them saying Well now this election's going to turn
upon either Irish power or Italian power. Let's not recognizing that any of the and consistency the what they were signed. This is the way a free society operates through people organizing around their own particular interests and then you get the wheeling and the dealing et cetera et cetera. And Rochester New York. Here's where I'll talk about the title. I got a touch of business. In the black community got a lot guys. And that's about it. Let me point out to you I went when we went down there it was not because all the churches of Rochester New York and asked us to come and because we told those churches that we won not. A colonial power such as organized religion. I mean they send their missionaries wherever they want to send them regardless of whether people want to knock you know but they have no right to speak for the black community. I'm told the black community
asked us to come and we weren't moving. And then of course as you're probably aware of just the match of my name Albert explodes and so of a Rochester paper started the front page editorials What if a Lansky comes in here that's the end of brotherhood. He's the man I am but what's most interesting to him was. The man who said the brother had Waco is a pile of blankets so why the PBA and the Race Relations Sundays at the end of the education love and fraternal relationships that exist between our black fellow citizens and I solve they just have the damnedest arrived here before. Etc. and if he comes down what will happen will be the black community will be organized on a militant basis and on the assumption that the only way they can get their rights is to have the power to go downtown and say we are equal we
want our rights are else. And the black community rather. So yeah that's exactly what we believe until and then we got inundated with a mass invitation not only from every civil rights group and not only from black groups right across the board. While the leader of the leader of the Malcolm X voices tell US president. But I would churches thousands of individual sentences on petitions etc.. Even a little bit embarrassed. Even the Muslims would be a bad idea. And anyway. This is where the first issue caught. The big battle between Eastman Kodak and ourselves because a segment Kodak took the position. That when I have made a mistake when I first met Rochester at the blacks in Rochester I had absolutely no representation on any decision making body whatsoever.
And the freshness of Kodak replied to me that that was shared demagoguery because they had a negro Ph.D. on their staff and they put him on every committee to represent the black community. Ya I am at that point one of the top business executives put his head down in his hands and turned to me and whispered and said Mr. Roscoe you're going to have to be patient with us. I am. But the point of that whole struggle the whole point of that whole struggle was that you know Kodak and you know power structure you know and you know and you know you are not going to appoint those blacks whom you decide are going to represent the black community the black community was so like their own representative and you own them. I. And believe me it was quite a long road for Kodak to agree to sit down with the. President a fight which is the name of our nonviolent darkness I am told is also the leader of the Malcolm X forces of upper New York State and treat them as the Representative Brad of the
air ph think I messed up I guess was the same issue there was a couple of days of the American Revolution because Georgia third 1.7 I don't know what they're talking about no taxation without representation. They got representation I appointed them and I must fight keeps going on and all of these issues of the issue of the American Revolution of stellar rowing. The Hamilton possession. Of the people who are lacking in property people are lacking in education should they get an equal vote with the property. Remember the culture society them today would say would be employed. Etc.. How different is that from the. And I'm out of all my are from my and I'm on a boat setting up state in the early days of the poverty program maximum maximum feasible representation the pork the poor why should they be represented what do they know if they know anything they wouldn't be poor you know and some of the Hamiltonian possession and crude
Chicago use language now. I hear what you have however is something that goes a step further. It is not only essential get black power in terms of. Power. But you have the other set aside of the sane and that is suppose let's suppose for a moment that the white establishment. Including several folks in Rochester New York had awakened one morning and had a divine revelation the night before and they decided that everything that they had done before in the past was wrong. And and from now on they were going to recognize blacks as complete equals in every way. And try to make up for a lot about a lot of the injustices of the past. And so they were ready to do what St. Cyr X10.
To join them. And a business operation. And what you would have the first OB black factory. Weapon which would be part of the whole corporate structure because the corporate economy you were loving on the. Porch would be black own community black on. What would be under Repton. Five five years of contracts in terms of the production. So to the extent there would be. An enormous expansion over the next three or four years as well as the summing up of all kinds of other community operations played beyond all plaque from the board president all the way down. And they decided to do this and they turned around to the black community they were ready to do with us and said Send us your representatives. Who is going to come up and represent the community which was not organized.
You don't have to take my word on the solo on a lot of the uncle talk talk tops of today represent no more than ample times of the past. And terms of an actual following and paste in their own communities. What I'm saying to you is that unless a people are organized. And have met and convention elected their officers. Approved their program and are able to turn to other sectors of society and say when you deal with these representatives of the home we have selected you are dealing with us they speak for us. You don't have the basic machinery in which to stack the kind of thing which is now off and running and and rock and Rochester. Otherwise you're going to have this kind of a scene on just economic collapse alone. And go go Zen to Roxbury and Boston and builds a factory for jobs for
blacks. But Apple owns an. Arrow chatt goes into lots and builds a factory for the same reason including all the tax concessions and credits coming in on the president kind of administrative policy. But aero jet owns it. Fight time. And Rochester is owned by the black community itself. So therefore the big problem the big problem with are going to say she is not just a black power it's black power in order to get representation in order to get the Democratic. Pattern mechanism must prevent a really being able to function. My big fear about black power and I talk to the blacks. My big fear about black power. Is that we're not going to get it. My big fear is that there's so much of the talk on black culture and I know how important black culture is I know how important
identity is but I'm saying to you that all of the. All of the afros and all of the Shakey's and all of the soul food and all of the sunglasses in the world. We. Are not going to get black power. And. Wondered what I see happening around us that a lot of people can't organize our using culture as a rationale. For say Well first we got to do that. And then we'll go after power. You doubt that. Press we've got to get our identity then apply power. The two go together. I'm saying to you that when the. When the when Frank Florence. I'm out I'm actually to present a fight. Rochester. I won five years ago he would gulp five and four years ago he got a kodak and try to talk about getting jobs for his people and he's their Assistant
Personnel. And that after the organization up our. Mass based organization the fight. That when used get a situation as you did two years ago in the annual stockholders meeting at Flemington New Jersey of Eastman Kodak when Frank got up and pointed his finger at the chairman of the board of basement Kodak and said I'm giving you a one hour to make up your mind. Yes or no. And walks out of the room with the. Rest of the world following him to find out what he's going to do. I'm telling you he's found his identity you know. And that's the only way. I was only about 60 percent of the way through but I'm going to have to close on that. Let me quickly like a couple of points to you. We are in a saying today for where I've been talking about the black
crisis. I haven't talked to you about the white middle class. But like middle class first of all is where the scar is going to be reckoned. We are as far as I know the first nation in the history of Western civilization which as you might predominantly middle class. FLOCK tips of the American people are economically in the middle class area. You know what that means. That means if you get all the black ghettos of America organized. That means if you get all the Mexican-American body of America organized. You get all the Puerto Rican communities are going eyes and you get all of the Appalachian whites organize. And all the rest of whatever low income people in our nation. And then through some genius of organization you're able to effect a coalition of all those forces. In toto. They represent a very very definite minority. And suppression from power to carry through basic
changes that have to be made. And as a minority they will be compelled. To do what all small nations or small organizations all small anything do and that is seek out allies. And it is for this reason. That I have begun to turn my attention. And I was you are probably right about the training of organizers to organize in those sectors. Of a middle class society. As long as they are being organized. Towards those higher values. The interests of both sides are constant and they will be allies. Let me be more specific with you from that date. We had Rochester we began organizing the white liberals all over the place. Anyone know why. Because. From my point of view from anyone's point of view even Armand's point of view.
You looked over the same was typical of the American scene across to the northern part of the United States. If every black and Rochester. Got into a fight. We would have had 35000 people out of a metropolitan population up to four hundred and forty thousand. Which meant that any goals any potentials would be drastically limited in terms of what could be achieved unless. The Allies were there and the allies were felt. But you've got to keep this in mind them that the big sky is going to be there. And when you're dealing with the middle class and that side of them anyways most of my talks they begin with I'm not a pious and. Just buy weapons. But in the middle class you've got a strange. You've got a sex scene. Our whole society is slack. So nobody is present to an astonishing degree. So Melody is an
escape from life life is what is here now today called existentialism call it what you want to but this is life now. When you get senile and advanced old age so-called. You don't live anymore and the present you stop living in the past. You start reminiscing and you're living back there when you get senile at the age of 20 and I have met vast reservoirs of senility on the campuses of America. You start living in the future and you don't want to live on today you want to escape today you don't want to begin what the world is so that you're not asking for revolution you're asking for revelation. When you start talking about changes and values when you start using expressions like in the system. You know I mean when I when I say to somebody what system would you put up. Well that's irrelevant. The hell of it as irrelevant. Nobody's going to move on anything unless it was better. I want to start talking
about values I've had SJS kids get up in the audience and I appreciate the tribute that I'm one of the few of them. Over the age of 25 but they run out of hate in the past various often for young women. That you know the whole talk weapon part of family. I want some of them said to me Mr. I don't know what your dealing your are going to rise in the poor of America for a while for these decadent degenerate bankrupt materialistic middle class mob values. I look and sound like you want the poor of America in a poor the world want. I want a fatter piece of these decadent degenerate than I was. To go to school some minutes I don't approve but but this is a you got a spare with the world today is this the way it is. What are you going to do with a guy who sang you stiring honest family starving and he sang to you. We want bread bread.
You're going to turn it on this is typical of a lot of our. Campus activist of a young journalist and I want him. To bomb you know the real issue here values you know. Now do you want to know that man does not live by bread alone a are you know what you know what the reaction is going to be on an S&M hot frying spectacle to me because it is the campus activists. It is you kids as it is and you. That are to be found the seedlings for the radicals of the next. 15 20 years the radicals that are so desperately needed that have always been so desperately needed. In a free and open society. And. Not to begin with the world as of as not to began on terms of organization. As it was going to result in a tragic disillusionment on the part of.
So many of you know that you'll finally wind up being. Elder statesman of the age of the ripe age of 28 you know you'll decide you've done your best and. Are your own. That's the way the world as it doesn't appreciate your What's. Your co-op make money on them when the revolution comes around and you're ready to go on with it. Oh I have got a closing line because I'm only 65 percent of white throat. But it's already too burdened. I. At AA Thank You have just heard an address my David Alinsky well-known community action organizer speaking on the topic the role of the business community in meeting the urban crisis. Mr. Alinsky spoke at the Wake Forest universities imposing him on contemporary
American affairs challenge 69. The theme of this year's symposium was the urban crisis. The students response next week Clarence Kohlmann southern regional director of the Urban League will speak on the role of self-help organizations in meeting the urban crisis challenge 69 was produced entirely by Wake Forest University students. The executive director of challenge 69 was Norman Murdock the assistant director was and this radio series was produced by the staff of station WFTDA FM Wake Forest University Radio in Winston-Salem North Carolina. This is an e. r. the national educational radio network A.
Series
Challenge 69: The urban crisis
Episode Number
#7 (Reel 2)
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University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland)
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cpb-aacip/500-jm23gq05
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00:29:03
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Identifier: 69-30-7 (National Association of Educational Broadcasters)
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Duration: 00:29:05
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Chicago: “Challenge 69: The urban crisis; #7 (Reel 2),” University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed March 28, 2024, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-jm23gq05.
MLA: “Challenge 69: The urban crisis; #7 (Reel 2).” University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. March 28, 2024. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-jm23gq05>.
APA: Challenge 69: The urban crisis; #7 (Reel 2). Boston, MA: University of Maryland, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-500-jm23gq05