Page 2, Portland Observer, February 26. 1986
“Civil Rights” Then and Now
by Aldun M orris
The Southern C hnviun Lcadcnhip Conference (SCLC) w u a dynamic driving
force behind the historic c iv il rights movement o f the |930v and 60s and it remains
an important force for change today SCLC »as founded by Dr Marfin Luther
King. Jr and other c ivil rights leaders in I957-5B following the famous 381-day
Montgomery bus hoycotl Di King served as S C LC '* first president until he »as
assassinated on A pril 4, 196K Ralph D Abernathy who »as SCLC's first treasurer
and second in command during King's administration succeeded King as presi­
dent Abernathy served as SCLC's president until 1977 when the presidency »as
passed on to Dr Joseph laiwery »ho had been a founding member o f SCLC and
had previously served as president o f SCLC'» board
SCLC was cruc ial to the c iv il rights movement because I , tor eleven years it was
headed by Dr King, one o f the most dynamic and influential leaders ever produced
by black America 2) it was able to generate a mass movement because it was nailed
in the mass based black church 3) it effectively utilized mass c iv il disobedience
known as non-violent direct actum and 4) SCLC was able to bnng about fundamen­
tal change between blacks and whites in America
SCLC was fortunate to have Dr King as its president King's ability to articulate
the aspirations o f the oppressed and the wickedness o f the oppression through
eloquent oratory gave him an unequaled charismatic presence Andrew Young put
it best when he said that King was so "basically humble and unassuming, and yet
he was so obviously talented The man (King) would become transformed once he
got behind a pulpit " The black masses Hocked Io hear King and the white media
raced to record his words and deeds A close aide of King. Reverend James
I aw son, explained that "K in g gave the black community an advantage it has
never had. and has not had since his death Namely, that any tunc King went Io a
community, immediately the focus of the nation was on that community He had
the eyes of the world on where he went " Additionally. King practiced what he
preached by going to ja il, risking his life, writing informative hooks about the
struggle, receiving the Nohel Pejce Prize at 33. electrifying America with his " I
have a Dream " speech in 196) and working tirelessly to bring about change
SCLC prospered during those years because it had such a visible, talented and
dedicated leader
One o f the great shortcomings o f America is its over emphasis on the indiv idual
King and SCLC could not have accomplished what they did had it not been for the
efforts of the masses of ordinary black people and community leaders who
functioned as the solid rock of the movement The black church provided King and
SCLC w ith the finance, music, spiritual courage, leaders and thousands o f dc
monstrations that made the movmenl the dynamic force that collided head-on with
racial segregation and inequality Social movements are powerful only when they
are able to mobilize the energies o f the masses Therefore. SCLC was powerful
because it successfully mobilized (he black church which housed thousands of
people and rsounes In essence, the SCLC was the political expression of the black
church During his life King was acutely aware that the c iv il rights movement was
not a result of his efforts alone King understood that there would not have been a
c ivil nghls movement had it not been for the work o f ministerial leaders like
Reverends Fred Shuttlesworth o f Birmingham. Alabama, Charles Steele of Tai
lahassec. Florida. Kelly Smith o f Nashville, Tennessee, T J Jemison of Baton
Rouge, Louisiana. A I. Davis ol New Orleans, and Wyatt Walker of Petersburg.
Virginia and the thousands of courageous everyday church people King was the
brilliant icing on the cake while SCLC was the collective cake itself that rose up for
human justice
SCLC was the vanguard of the movement because it championed a new strategy
to overthrow segregation and racial equality known as nonviolent mass direct
action SCLC advocated and implemented nonviolent actions (boycotts, sit ins,
mass marches, mass arrests, etc I in the streets so that the day -to-day activities ol a
community would be so disrupted that it would be compelled to face the issue of
racial inequality and initiate change SCLC came into existence because the year
long Montgomery bus boycott proved that the black masses were themselves ready
to engage in political activiiycv to seize their liberation from the lynch rope,
segregated schools and buses, and the entire system o f Jim Crow that robbed them
o f their dignity and freedom
Today SCLC is still fighting for human equality and peace It continues to utilize
the method o f nonviolent direct action Nevertheless it has heen d ifficu lt for the
organization to overcome major setbacks and adequately combat the sophist Rated
economic and racial inequality prevalent today SCLC suffered a serious setback
when it lost King as its leader Those who have succeeded King have been talented
and dedicated presidents but they do not possess the charisma and visibility that
King brought to SCLC Thus, the organization and its activities are not nearly as
v isible as they were during the 1960s Moreover, as strange as it may seem. SCLC
and other social change organizations function in a racist atmosphere today that is
more complex than it was 23 years ago During the 1960s SCLC was an offensive
organization that aggressively fought the blatant system o f racial segregation and
oppression Today a good part o f SCLC's efforts arc defensive in that they arc
designed to prevent the conservative Reagan Administration from dismantling the
1964 C ivil Rights Act, Affirm ative Action, and the 1965 Voting Rights Act To
keep these gains o f the 1960s. SCLC, like the old days, has had to mobilize people
to make their wishes known by marching and demonstrating in the streets
But SCLC has been offensive also It has heen very active in organizing
demonstrations and boycotts against U S Corporations operating in racist South
AfrR'a Indeed, SCLC and its president. Reverend Dr Joseph Lowery, have
provided an eloquent voice against the racist regime o f South Africa SCLC. along
w uh other organizations, played a key role in the demonstrations and negotiations
that resulted in Dr King's birthday becoming a national holiday SCLC is also
very actively lighting for the economic and political rights o f the poor In this
regard it is constantly organizing voter registration drives and confronting the
private and governmental sectors, challenging them to feed the hungry SCLC
continues to fight against lynchings and questionable deaths which M ill occur and it
sontioiiis i)n- racial activities ot the Ka Kktx Klaa which has experienced a
resurgence during the Reagan Administration
Today the SCLC is more involved in international affairs than it was during the
1960s The organization has grown sophistRatcd enough to realize that the "black
problem " is an international problem Thus SCLC has held talks with leaders
around the world such as President Ortega o f Nicaragua and Yasser Arafat o f the
Palestine Liberation Organization Lowery has also visited Ethiopia in efforts to
provide food and assistance to that country SCLC has also established a women's
division called SCLC/W OMFN This is a positive and much needed step because
in the past SCLC has not utilized the talents and energies of women nearly to the
extent that is possible SCLC/W OMEN is going some very important work in the
drive for freedom Nevertheless SCLC still needs to bring women directly into
high level leadership positions so that their insights can he more systematically
utilized in the fight for liberation
The mass direct action o f SCLC was a tactical breakthrough because it provided
a concrete avenue through which every black and while person could fight to
overthrow oppression Because o f this breakthrough the black masses came
running to the movement by the thousands For example, while over 3.000 tilled
the (ails in Birmingham in 1963. thousands o f others marched through the streets ol
that city conducting sit ins at segregated establishments declaring their protest
would not cease until Birmingham's pharoahs changed their laws and habits
Likewise in 1965 when King, SCLC. and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC) called for a 30 mile march from Selma to Montgomery.
Alabama over 30.000 answered the appeal Thus, it was SCLC's mass direct action
that began Io disrupt and shatter the very foundation o f American racism
W hat made SCLC powerful during the heyday ol the c iv il rights movement was
that its method ol mass nonviolent direct action worked II worked because the
disruption it caused forced the white power structure to work out solutions with
black people II also worked because during the I96t)s black people in literally
thousands of cities both North and South began Io use nonviolent methods in their
quest tor freedom Because o f this historic tactical breakthrough perfected by
SCLC. the federal government was left with no other viable alternative but to pass
the 1964 C iv il Rights Act that outlawed racial segregation and the 1965 Voting
Rights Act which seized the vote for Southern blacks SCLC was on the cutting
edge of the C iv il rights nu>venicnls-4ji the 1930s and |96<>s
DON’T
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Dr. Darrell Millner
Director
Black Studies
Program
Portland State
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Portland C om m unity College has served its five county district fo r
25 years The people who work at PCC. the people who attend PCC,
are your neighbors Meet one of them
In 1969. one of
the first Black Studies
programs in the Uni­
ted States was
started at Portland
State University The
program quickly esta­
blished its academic credibility and now offers 36 hours of undergraduate
course work plus graduate study The permanent faculty of the Black
Studies program will hold Ph D degrees in their respective fields
Dr Darrell Millner, who has been associated with the program since
19/4. is an outstanding example of a dedicated educator who also has a
strong commitment to community service In addition to his teaching he
has served as chairman of the Recruitment and Selection Committee for
the Black Studies Center, as a director of the National Council of Black
Studies Center, and a director of the Oregon Black History Corporation
He has a comprehensive personal collection of memorabilia of Black his­
tory in the State of Oregon Dr Millner has published many articles on
Black history and the Black experience He acts as a consultant for
Portland Public Schools in their multi cultural curriculum project He was
active in the Albina voter registration drive and serves as a member of the
Board of Directors of the Martin Luther King Scholarship Fund
MARGARET CARTER - State Representative
Freshman legislator M argaret Carter, who
represents the 18th district, has been a
PCC counselor fo r 13 years She also has
reared nine children. Com ing to Portland
m 1967, M argaret attended PCC fo r tw o
quarters, earned a bachelor's degree at
Portland State, a m aster's degree at
Oregon State, and com ple te d fu rth e r
studies at W ashington State University.
Says M argaret: "A co m m u n ity college
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We s«3lute Dr Millner. his associates and the students of
Portland State University s Black Studies Program
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