13 april 1968 & educational rally on racism, uprising in georgetown park
#OTD 13 April 1968 James Bevel, Harvey Cox, Dick Gregory, Willie Hardy, Tom Hayden, Julius Hobson and Arthur Waskow spoke at the educational rally--on racism and the uprising--held at Volta playground (34th Street & Volta Place, NW) in Georgetown. The rally was sponsored by the Center for Emergency Support and the permit was granted to the Washington Ad Hoc Committee on Urban Problems. There were 500 individuals in attendance. The park was surrounded by police officers.
Here's a sampling of speeches:
Harvey Cox (Harvard University white theologian):
"Whites should help black revolution by providing money to match imagination of black community."
Dick Gregory (activist & comedian) to white audience members:
"When will you get upset enough to be as concerned about white crime as you are about black crime?
Willie Hardy (activist & executive director, Metropolitan Community Aid Council)
"Thanks for the opportunity of coming west of the park."
Tom Hayden (white, former head of Students for a Democratic Society)
"No surprise there is violence in American cities when Negroes are taught to kill and sent to Vietnam."
Julius Hobson (held 100s of demonstrations against white-owned business owners practicing racism):
Hobson called for an end to "white oppression" and stated that the "fountainhead of America's problems lies in the white community."
Arthur Waskow (white, Institute for Policy Studies resident fellow):
He and his colleagues chose Georgetown as the site for the educational rally because "nonviolence must come from white America."
Please comment below. Did you attend this rally? What do you remember about it? Were you affiliated with the Center for Emergency Support and/or the Washington Ad Hoc Committee on Urban Problems? You may comment privately here.
Photo source: Courtesy DC Public Library & Library of Congress. UPI Photo. Photographer rkm/jf.
Elizabeth Bruening, "Harvey Cox's Radicalism," The Nation 5 January 2017.
Russell Chandler, "What Caused Riots?: The Militants' View," Evening Star 14 April 1968.
Jonathan Paul Rossing, "Dick Gregory and Activist Style: Identifying Attributes of Humor Necessary for Activist Advocacy."
