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Involving the common man
Grassroot News, N . IF .— In P o rt
lan d , R onnie H e rn d o n , co-chair o f
the Black U nited F ro n t, (p eak* out
against racism, exploitation and op
pression in the same manner as D r.
M a r tin L u th e r K in g , J r. In this
u n iq u e in te rv ie w H e rn d o n gives a
p o litic a l an a ly s is o f D r . K in g ’ s
movement.
Q : D r. M a r tin L u th e r K ing, J r.,
was a m o n g th e cen terp ieces o f
m o v e m e n t th a t s p a n n e d tw o d e
cades. W h a t s h o u ld he be re m e m
bered fo r?
H e r n d o n : I th in k i t ’ s im p o rtan t
to remember the effect King had on
th e c o m m o n p e o p le . I t was K in g
who told everyday people that they
had to act, to be persistent and con
sistent. T hat was a valuable contri
bution in the struggle for the libera
tion o f Black people. Everybody can
b em o an o u r p lig h t b u t i t ’ s m uch
m ore when you say th a t you must
c o n fro n t in ju s tic e s s tra te g ic a lly ,
tactfu lly and intelligently. King was
the past master o f that.
Q . : W hat k in d o f appeal d id King
have with com m on everyday people
that got them to move?
H e rn d o n : A ll King did was to say
to Black people that what was hap
pening to us was u n ju s t. H e re are
some things that we feel will w ork in
combatting injustices. W hen you go
back to the M o n tg o m e ry bus b o y
co tt (h e fa c t th a t B lack p eo p le
w o u ld h ave to g ive th e ir seats up
when the bus filled up was unjust.
The th in g ab o u t o u r struggle is
that things that are unjust about the
way we are treated are easily under
sto o d . B ut w h at frig h te n s B lack
p eo p le is c o n fro n tin g in ju s tic e .
T h ro u g h o u t o u r h is to ry w e’ ve a l
ways responded to someone whom
we th in k is sincere and who speaks
to the basic needs o f the people.
Q .: K in g 's message was tra n s
m itte d d u rin g th e ‘50s a n d '60s.
W hat was im p o rta n t ab ou t th at era
in history?
H e rn d o n : One o f the things that
m an y people d o n ’ t re a liz e is u n til
the m o v e m e n t th a t B la c k p eo p le
b ro ug h t to a feverish p itch in this
c o u n try , th ere w a s n ’ t m uch going
on in term s o f p ro gressive m o v e
ments. T h e m o vem ent occurred at
th e end o f th e M c C a r th y e ra in
which a lot o f people had been hurt,
lost their jobs and been frightened.
It was the B lack m o v e m e n t th a t
brought the whole country out into
the streets to d e m o n s tra te . T h e
K orean W a r had ended and Black
men were coming home saying that
they were being killed and m aim ed
to come hom e where they co u ld n ’ t
even buy a h a m b u rg e r w here they
wanted to.
A t th is same p o in t in h is to ry
many A frican nations were dem and
ing their freedom . The same move
m ent was fe lt in m an y C a rib b e a n
nations. I t ’s im portant to make this
international connection. King was
just a part o f it.
D.-. H o w d id K in g respond to the
segregation o f the South vs. the dis
crim ination in the N orth ?
H a r n d o n : W h e n th e strug g le
re a lly began to heat u p, as Blacks
were d e m o n s tra tin g fo r basic h u
man rights, many newspapers, p oli
tic ia n s and leaders in th e N o r th
fo u n d it co nven ient to p o in t th e ir
fin g ers at the S o u th . W h en K in g
talked about moving the struggle up
N o r th he fo u n d th a t m an y o f th e
same people who praised him , now
were criticizing him. The tactic* that
were used in the South were no long
er u sefu l in th e N o r th . K in g said
himself that the violence he ran into
in New York was more extreme than
a n y th in g he en c o u n te re d in the
South.
Racism is something th a t’ s preva
lent a ll o ver A m e ric a . W h e n K ing
moved up the M ason-D ixon Line he
became a source o f em barrassm ent
fo r w h ite lib e ra ls . T h e y c o u ld no
longer say that racism was an aber
ra tio n o f th e S o u th . K in g asked
w hat w ere they g oing to do ab o u t
the racism in th eir own back yard.
The answer he got from most people
was, “ N o th in g .’ ’
Q .: In the homes o f m any B lack
fa m ilie s is th e p ic tu r e o f R o b e rt
Kennedy, M a r tin L u th e r K ing. J r.,
and John F. Kennedy. What was the
true relationship between the K en
nedys and King?
H a r n d o n : M a n y p eo p le th in k
that the Kennedys did a lot o f things
to h elp B lack p eo p le. I f you ex
am ine the record care fu lly you w ill
find out that this is not true. John
Kennedy was a clever enough politi
cian that when King got arrested he
called o ffic ia ls in the South along
w ith K in g ’ s w ife . T h is was p u b li
cized all over the country and Black
people loved K en n ed y. T h e B lack
vote which was so overwhelm ing in
fa v o r o f K e n n e d y d e te rm in e d his
victory over N ix o n . A fte r Kennedy
was elected and m a k in g prom ises
and not progress, K in g questioned
him . Kennedy responded that they
were m oving too fast and that this
wasn t the right time. King was very
d is a p p o in te d . A t the same tim e
when Kennedy was m aking broken
prom ises to B lack A m e ric a n s , he
was trying to overthrow the govern
ment in the Congo.
Q .: Is n ’t It ironic that II was R ob
e rt ''B o b b y ” K ennedy who a u th o r
ized a wiretap o f D r. King?
H a r n d o n : W hen John K ennedy
was president, Robert Kennedy was
A ttorney General. H e not only wire
tapped K ing’s phone but where King
w ent as w e ll. N o w , h ere was th e
same m an w h o m th ey said was
O .K . as long as he stayed in th e
South, but now they were w ire ta p
ping K ing as i f he were a c rim in a l.
W e need to do a lot m ore research
and look at the Kennedys a lot more
c a re fu lly , because we give the K en
nedys a lot more praise than they de
serve.
Q . : K ing's philosophy m atured as
he began to speak o u t ag ain st the
V ietnam W ar. H o w d id this a ffe c t
the movement?
H a rn d o n : King saw the war as an
unjust w ar. It was an o th er case in
which W h ite A m erica was destroy
ing people o f co lo r. H e said it just
like th at. H ere you have p o o r, yel
lo w p eop le th a t w ere b eing o p
pressed and now the U n ite d States
was s u p p o rtin g a d ic ta to r . T h is
country hated King for speaking out
ag ain st th e w a r. T h e N e w Y o rk
Times came out attacking King, say
ing he had no rig h t ta lk in g ab ou t
matters concerning foreign a ffa irs .
H ere you have a man who earned a
P h .D . and was co nsidered one o f
th e sharpest men in th e c o u n try .
King recognized that whatever hap
pens in th e w o rld e ffe c ts B lack
p eop le here in A m e ric a . A n d we
should be in fo rm e d . M a n y people
say that K ing was assassinated be
cause he had spoken out against the
Vietnam W ar.
Q .: W henever y o u say " K i n g , "
the to p ic o f n o n vio len ce is n o t f a r
behind. W h at do y o u th in k K in g ‘s
nonviolent philosophy was?
H e rn d o n : In the beginning most
o f the confrontations they had were
n o n v io le n t. This means th at when
th e y had a d e m o n s tra tio n and
w hites cam e up to th em to th ro w
eggs, hit and beat th em , they were
not going to strike back. For a long
tim e many people tried to go along
w ith it. B ut a fte r a w h ile m an y
Blacks involved in the d em onstra
tions said la te r fo r th a t. T his shift
came about th ro u gh o rg an izatio n s
like S N C C , different college organi
zation' and young people.
M a n y p eop le b e lie v e , and I in
cluded, that King took a tactic and
made it a principle. Peaceful dem
onstrations are a tactic. W hen they
w o rk you use th e m . N o t w hen
yo u ’ re involved in a peaceful dem
onstration and you get attacked and
do nothing to protect yourself. Near
the end o f his life as he was organiz
ing the M arch on W ashington, i f it
w a s n ’ t e ffe c tiv e , he was g o in g to
tu rn e v e ry th in g o v e r to th e m i li
tants.
I f the c o u n try was faced w ith
M a r tin L u th e r K in g sayin g th a t,
w hat younger leaders were te llin g
you was c o rre c t: i f th e y becam e
united in a p ro gram it w o u ld h u rt
the pow er brokers in this c o u n try .
Rather than facing th at, they killed
him.
Q .: Ronnie, in P o rtla n d yo u con
fr o n t as much as K ing did. Does the
possibility o f being assassinated f o r
speaking out ever concern you?
H a r n d o n : E v e ry o n e , at some
p o in t in th e ir liv e s , th in k s a b o u t
death . N o one w ants to check o u t
any sooner than we think we should.
F o r me I k n o w h o w th is c o u n try
treats Black people w ho speak out
against injustices. But it gets dow n
to , are you going to a llo w yourself,
your fa m ily and c o m m u n ity , to be
treated like dogs? A re you going to
sit by and let your children go to a
no-good school? T o see businesses
set up in y o ur c o m m u n ity and not
even hire you? T o have your women
w alk dow n th e streets and tre a te d
lik e p rostitutes? W h e n you see a ll
the injustices that we’re faced w ith,
like drugs, bad housing, and police
brutality, i f you have any concept o f
yourself as a man or a wom an, then
you have to speak out and do some
thing against it. I f you are not, then
act like a dog.
I w o u ld m uch ra th e r have m y
tim e spent on th e p la n e t fig h tin g
against these in justices th a t beset
o ur co m m u n ity and people. I can ’ t
th in k o f a m ore im p o rta n t w ay o f
spending your life.
GET READY
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Portland Observer, January 21, 1982 Section II Page 13