Speech concerning black people and economic stability, ca. 1970 (Doc 1 of 4)

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As black people gather together today in quest of ways and means to achieveing economic stability in a largely white male dominated business world; we find ourself groping with many questions which will directly affect our people and communities in the 1970's. The question that most effect our lives are the ones that have been created from the day the first white man set foot on what he called America. From that day to this we have been treated as if we were only living and surviving at his pleasure and discretion. We have never been allowed to fully enjoy the comforts that we built for him. #1 Housing, Employment, and education all the ingredients necessary to make our communities whole have been nearly non-existant for us in the kind of directions which he thrust himself into when he defeated the British in 1776 and freed himself from taxation without representations. #2 Not only have we had to build the railroads, houses and schools but we have had to serve him his food, nurse his children and fight his wars. Indeed the last 300 years for black people have been no crystal stair. Our sweat and toil in America has been one that I seriously doubt any other ethnic group has experienced and unequivocally we have been under more undue strain and pressure than any other American to pull ourselves up, but without the base which other white ethnic

Last edit 12 months ago by shashathree
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(insert #1) We might honestly say that our position was best described 100 years ago by a black Georgian, Henry McNeill Turner, who in 1868, trying to describe conditions for black Georgians of his era, correctly described our economic position now. He said then: "We have pioneered a civilisation here. We have built up your country. We have worked in your fields we have gathered your harvests, for 250 years. We, who number hundreds of thousands.. have not a foot of land to call our own. We are strangers in the land of our birth, without money, without education, without aid, without a roof to cover us while we live or clay to cover us when we die." It might be argued that conditions have improved a bit since then, but objectively, things are still pretty much the same.

Last edit 12 months ago by shashathree
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#2 It is a shame that we have not been inspired to fight a similar battle over taxes ourselves, for if any group pays a heavy penalty - financially and spiritually - for mere survival in the American welfare state, it is us. #3 The ladders of upward financial mobility open to the voluntary immigrants who came to these shores seeking freedom from oppression are closed to us, America's single group of involuntary arrivals. The European/American drew his strength from his ability to retain and draw from his European culture, while the African-American saw his culture, language, religion and family destroyed. As slaverly passed from the scene, we entered into a permanent phase of un- and under-employment from which we have yet to emerge, while the European found the growth of mercantile capitalism especially fitted to his cashbox mentality. #4 This is a cruel suggestion for a people without any boots at all.

Last edit 12 months ago by shashathree
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groups had to secure economic and political power. #3 We have had to endure physical and verbal abuse. Take hand me down housing - raggedy pawn shop furniture - third and fourth hand books - debilitated automobile for transportation - spend exhorbant bus, train and subway fares to get to our jobs which never met with dignity when we got to them and yet we are still told we have to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. [crossed out:] Hell, I doubt [ ? ?] from Spiro Agnew or J. Edgar Hoover could have withstood one hour of the long series of abuse. That we as a people have taken, before they would have had a blow torch down the throats of the men on the power thrones. #4 But we have survived. We wear our battle scars proudly and continue to move and mobelize our people to obtain the right to a decent life where our culture, our beauty, our soul can be reflected in the kind of ways necessary to make our communities whole and financially stable. Moving in this direction we must begin taking advantage of the various methods available to us. We should not single out any one method or way to make ourselves free. But we need to understand the mind of this nation which is controlled by less than 1% of its population. We have to be clear in our minds when we call down the power structure exactly what we mean and what power we can grasp to change it.

Last edit 12 months ago by shashathree
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The economic power structure of the US is extremely political. One of the best examples, is the fact that the varied industries which are supposed to be regulated by various government agencies in fact control those agencies. The FCC does not regulate broadcasting, it looks after the vested interests of broadasting, routinely renewing radio & T.V. licenses while denying challenges to those public licenses from individuals & groups who are locked out of the opportunity to broadcast on the public airways. The Federal Trade Commission is known as a cowardly burocratic body beholding to consumer industries instead of protecting consumers. And so on down the line - The I.C.C. serving the railroad & trucking industries, the F.A.A. acting as the tool of the airline interest, the agriculture dept representing racist policies and handing out billions to 6000 plantation owners not to grow food. The defense department which gives 50 billion dollars annually to underwrite corporate aircraft giants to make mistakes with C-5A's and pad pocketbooks of former Pentagon Generals. The justice department with Mitchell and Hoover who oversee monopolitic enterprise and the major gambling syndicate and do nothing, yet persecute Black Panthers and black people who dare speak up for their rights.

Last edit 12 months ago by shashathree
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