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Committee for a Unified Newark meeting, 1970
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- speakerGood evening
- speakera number of individuals and agencies have taken responsibility for
- speakerputting this evening if you will on the map
- speakera committee for unified Newark the
- speakerDiocese of Newark Presbytery of Newark.
- speakerThe Metropolitan Ecumenical Ministry the business community the
- speakeracademic community and so on.
- speakerBut I would trust that
- speakereveryone would agree with me that fundamentally tonight all of that.
- speakerAnd the last word is inside and we are
- speakergathered here tonight. All of us fundamentally in the name of humanity.
- speakerSomeone has said as we left the 60s we left behind this slum of a decade.
- speakerWell in the six days the poor were put in motion
- speakerand as for an evening such as tonight for us all to affirm our solidarity with
- speakera kind of most this is an evening we trust
- speakerof solidarity and of affirming
- speakerhumanity.
- speakerAnd on that note if I may I should like to read a paragraph or so from yesterday's
- speakerNew York Times
- speakerand you may wonder who wrote this If you have
- speakernot read yesterday morning's New York Times listen
- speakerWon't you please very very carefully.
- speakerGeorge the Third was the symbol against which our founders made
- speakera revolution now considered bright and glorious
- speakerwe must realize that today's establishment is the new George
- speakerthe Third whether
- speakerit will continue to adhere to his tactics.
- speakerWe do not know.
- speakerIf it does the redress honoured in tradition is also revolution.
- speakerNow I want to affirm that nobody in this room wrote
- speakerthose words
- speakerthose words come to us.
- speakerFrom Justice William O Douglas.
- speakerAnd he speaks to us all.
- speakerThe plain common cause what is known as either
- speakerthe establishment or those who are in motion.
- speakerWe affirm tonight our solidarity and I want to present
- speakerto you at this time if I may our moderator for the evening
- speakerMr. Ralph Grant.
- speakerGrant.
- speakerThank you very kindly.
- speakerIn the words of the great late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
- speakerHe said as evidenced by your presence here tonight we have
- speakerall come to realize that.
- speakerOur destinies are inextricably bound together.
- speakerWhat affects one affects all it
- speakeris gratifying to see as many of you out tonight as our here
- speakerand we certainly take delight in knowing that it's nice
- speakerto swallow our pride occasionally.
- speakerIt's not fattening
- speakerwe have come to a time and since this is a religious
- speakeredifice I think whatever is said in a humorous way should somehow
- speakerbe centered around the religious attitude.
- speakerThere was a short story told of a minister while riding
- speakerthe plane heard from the pilot that they were about to crash.
- speakerAnd they ask the minister riding the plane why Reverend won't you do something
- speakerreligious as a last memento.
- speakerHe said Why certainly. He took off his hat and took up a collection.
- speakerIt is very important to concern our efforts
- speakerbut it's even more important when we consider our efforts in a positive constructive
- speakervein.
- speakerMost of us who've studied science are any phase of physiology
- speakerwe know that somehow a caterpillar rolls along
- speakerits belly in the muck and mire of the earth
- speakerthen this caterpillar goes into a cocoon through
- speakera stage or term known as metamorphosis
- speakerwhen this caterpillar comes out of this cocoon after having undergone this
- speakerchange he now is a butterfly splitting
- speakerthe air with its wings.
- speakerI'm referring to the butterfly in terms of the city in which we live.
- speakerThis city of New at one
- speakertime the city of Newark was resting on its lese
- speakerand then it too went through a political transformation.
- speakerWe thought we were on our way to great things.
- speakerBut the city administration unlike
- speakerthe butterfly has somehow crept back into this
- speakerstage of metamorphosis and has gone back
- speakerto being what it was in its bad days so to speak
- speakernowhere can we find where a butterfly returned to the cuckoo
- speakerwent back through the stage of metamorphosis in reverse and then back to
- speakerthe stage of being a caterpillar what we need to do now
- speakerwith the broken pieces is to pick them up.
- speakerCement them together see just how far we can go.
- speakerThe efforts of everyone concerned is certainly appreciated
- speakernot only in terms of a verbal communication but
- speakerrather in terms of action you know there is an old poem
- speakerthat goes something like this I'd rather see
- speakera sermon. Then here one any day.
- speakerBut rather one should walk with me than merely show the way.
- speakerThe eyes a better pupil more certain than the ear
- speakerflying council confusing examples.
- speakerAlways clear the best of all the preachers are the men who live the
- speakeragreements. Or to see the good in action is what everybody needs
- speakerI can soon learn how to do it.
- speakerIf you let me see it done.
- speakerI can watch your lips in action but your tongue too fast.
- speakerWrong. And the lectures you deliver may be very wise and true
- speakerbut I'd rather get my lesson by observing what you do.
- speakerAnd when this meeting would have come to a close this evening I would hope
- speakerthat the lessons that we will go back and present to our communities
- speakerwill be one that young people older people and all citizens can follow
- speakerin a constructive way.
- speakerWe are certainly certainly happy to have with us this evening.
- speakerThe men seated at the table.
- speakerWe can't technically call it a dais or restroom these
- speakermen have come from far and near to share their thoughts with you.
- speakerThe reference to what's going on in the inner city
- speakerthe very first gentleman upon whom I will call
- speakeris the former administrator for the Small Business
- speakerAdministration in the state of New York.
- speakerIt has been extremely active in the black
- speakereconomic development program especially within the urban area.
- speakerHe is presently a candidate for the governorship
- speakerthat mighty state New York ladies and gentlemen
- speakermay I introduce to some and present to others Mr.
- speakerHoward Samuels.
- speakerI'm glad you made it very clear that I'm not running for the mayor of the city of
- speakerfact is when Dick Gregory found out that
- speakerI was going to seek the governorship of the state of New York he called me on the phone.
- speakerIs that Howard I'll help you in any way you want.
- speakerI'll help in any way that I'll do the best before you again.
- speakerYou guessed it was ever will help you the most.
- speakerI'm very proud tonight to be here and participate for a few minutes in this
- speakerprogram and possibly in some way to
- speakergive some guidance to the specifics that may come from the program.
- speakerSeems to me that dynamic Dalton said it very well few minutes ago when
- speakerhe said the challenges of Newark the same as the
- speakerchallenges of every major urban area in the country except you got
- speakertheir first and whether we make it as a nation and that may
- speakerwell be in doubt.
- speakerWhether we make it as a nation or not will be no small extent
- speakerrelated to whether somehow we can make our political institutions
- speakerresponsive to change.
- speakerAnd maybe this is the theme of what we want to accomplish tonight.
- speakerHow do a black and white set out specifically to make
- speakerpolitical institution Newark responsive chain.
- speakerHow do we take an evening that starts and hope and ended on some
- speakerdirection.
- speakerThat's a film in Martin Luther King also said
- speakerthat we either live together as brothers or we parish schools
- speakerthis is not only the challenge of the world but it's the challenge of Newark
- speakerand so I come here tonight to learn to
- speakerparticipate and possibly in some way to help in the goals
- speakerthat I think you have.
- speakerBeautifully set forth for this meeting and it's my first
- speakerresponsibility to in a divorce the next speaker
- speakerI met Guy Jones METTLER I and
- speakerI active participation in charge of black economic development.
- speakerWashington and there I.
- speakerThink I found out in my own heart that man can make progress
- speakerwith black and white together.
- speakerAnd Roy Jones when I met Larry first he said the great
- speakerfirst thing we have to do is find out how to communicate.
- speakerSeems to me this is a great challenge in the nation's my black and white
- speakerand I found out this week between father and son no
- speakerchallenge in this world is communication.
- speakerAnd so I am proud of the kind of leadership that Roy Jones
- speakerhas said here and it's my pleasure to introduce him to you tonight Roy Jones.
- speakerAs
- speakerI want to be briefer probably than a lot of people thought in my remarks
- speakerbecause actually the reason that we tried to get people together
- speakertonight was not so much to hear us run
- speakeron and on although we certainly are equipped to do it
- speakerbut because we wanted to try if possible to get a real flow
- speakerof ideas interchange of ideas.
- speakerNow we could have gotten together with a lot of
- speakerpeople that many of you would be more comfortable in the room with people
- speakerthat you've used to talking to people that you're used to relating to.
- speakerRather than myself and some of the people you see around you I suppose making Think of
- speakerall kinds of terrible things are things other than
- speakerprogress. But what we are trying to get to tonight is some kind of frank
- speakerappreciation for each other if that's possible.
- speakerSome kind of very elemental communications
- speakernow in this town I know that I certainly represent something
- speakerto many of you.
- speakerMr. Samuels doesn't live in Newark so I suppose what my name means to him is
- speakerquite different from what it means to a lot of people in
- speakerthe cell literature outside Newark had never seen it so
- speakertoo many books in Newark for instance so I don't think that I'm known to much as an
- speakerauthor. For instance in Newark.
- speakerBut what we're trying to sort of is raise Newark to
- speakera level of sophistication if you will
- speakerraise level to raise Newark to a level of communications
- speakerbetween black or white so that we can accept each other first for what we actually
- speakerrepresent. Not for what we think we represent or
- speakerthe euphemisms or the negative descriptions that we might make
- speakerof each other to the detriment of our town.
- speakerThe detriment of our lives.
- speakerBut what we actually do represent
- speakerthe Committee for unified Newark which I have the good fortune of representing is a
- speakernationalist organization. It's also an organizational council.
- speakerIt's a council of many organizations I say it's a nationalist organization
- speakerbecause I'm trying to describe the tone and tenor and direction
- speakerbut this nationalist me is a mean militant.
- speakerWell we say that a militant you can be militant about wanting to have a water fountain
- speakeron your lawn.
- speakerIf a lot of people don't want you to have it then I guess you can make
- speakersome even more militant statements about it.
- speakerA militant doesn't actually determine what you are doing.
- speakerWhat is the nature of your work. What is the content of your activity.
- speakerWe are committed to change as black people
- speakerwe are not. Committed to the compromise for the sake
- speakerof getting along with people past intelligent level
- speakerwe are committed to change because we do not have any choice
- speakerit is much simpler for someone from say a tower ivory
- speakeror stone or removed from Newark
- speakerthat is I would suppose it is a little different looking at Newark
- speakerfrom a few stories up in the air.
- speakerThen being walking the streets when people talk about
- speakerjunkies knowing what a junkie actually is
- speakerhaving one lived next door to you go through your house from time
- speakerto time looking for merchandise.
- speakerWhat we're trying to say is if we can put those two experiences together where they
- speakercomplement each other rather than antagonize each other we can begin to see
- speakera city move.
- speakerEach generation in America new people come with new ideas
- speakerwith a fresh fresh approach to the
- speakerduring the 30s and the 40s
- speakerthe Jewish intellectuals revolutionized Mira
- speakerturned America around not only with their political intensity and the direction
- speakerof their thoughts.
- speakerBut also with their writings with their words that revolution is still
- speakerwith us. The works of people like Saul Bellow
- speakerand Philip Roth who's from Newark by the way Alan Ginsburg who's
- speakerfrom Newark by the way and many other people like this
- speakerwho are writers who are Jewish who are writing about a Jewish
- speakerexperience universe alive by the intensity of their description
- speakerby the clarity of their description by their skill and talent.
- speakerBut. Portnoy is a Jewish experience.
- speakerAugie March is a Jewish experience.
- speakerIt is universal lies by the intensity of the detail but the art
- speakerinvolved.
- speakerAugie March is no more racist then I would think tails
- speakerbut this is what we're dealing with a new generation of thinkers in America.
- speakerThe beginning of say black people beginning to express themselves without regard
- speakerto what it makes other people feel like or say
- speakerthat is what we say we say to describe our situation not necessarily to
- speakeroffend you.
- speakerBecause you are not our primary audience our primary audience as
- speakerwith any artist is ourselves and ourselves multiplied.
- speakerAs our people that is when we look in the mirror.
- speakerWe do not see Governor Rockefeller or President Nixon
- speakeror May or amnesia.
- speakerWe see ourselves and our understanding of these people must be interpreted
- speakerthrough our own experiences now our whole lives
- speakerin this city must be the same way.
- speakerOur lives as black people in this city can only be interpreted by
- speakerour experience to us.
- speakerCrucially where it's closest to us.
- speakerIf I have to live my life by your definition I will never know who
- speakerI am. I will never know what the possibilities of my life
- speakerare. If you had to live your life.
- speakerBy my description of you you would be equally barred
- speakerfrom full participation you would be a particular
- speakercategorization a particular way of describing you
- speakerif I had to describe America.
- speakerAs far as my relationship with its courts with its city
- speakergovernment with its Housing Authority
- speakerif I had to describe all of America by descriptions of how street
- speakeror sterling street where we live our 13th Avenue
- speakerwe had to describe America by saying the only new building in our facility is the new
- speakerjail.
- speakerThen we begin to see that our experience is different
- speakerif I look out of my window on Sterling street I do not see
- speakera plush dining room or a private club.
- speakerI do not see a 50 yard line.
- speakerAre people watering it for me.
- speakerI see two junkies sitting on the step trying to plot a way
- speakerto get into my house and get what I have.
- speakerWe're talking about reality now we must know
- speakerfirst how each other actually live
- speakerwe look at television. We have an idea how many of the people
- speakerwho the television characters
- speakerare archetypes for how you live what you want what you think
- speakeryou need.
- speakerWe have not had similar exposure so we can always claim to be a little more secretive
- speakerwith our lives.
- speakerWe do not have programs coming on 24 hours a day describing our lives and our needs and
- speakerour desires to you.
- speakerWe would like to have.
- speakerWe would like to have programs coming on 24 hours a day.
- speakerDescribing what I wants or needs or desires are
- speakerwhen we say we are nationalists and we are talking from the activist part of the
- speakercommunity now we're not trying to make believe that we're representing here with me
- speakertalking the doctors and the lawyers the teachers
- speakeror that particular person that you know who best whose best friend you are
- speakeror that person on your payroll.
- speakerWe are not trying to represent them.
- speakerWhat we are saying when I stand here what I try to represent to you is a nationalist
- speakerthinker that's what is being represented
- speakeran activist a man committed to change
- speakernow when you say Who do I represent I represent the people I represent I represent the
- speakerpeople who think like I do obviously.
- speakerWho do you represent you represent the people who think like you.
- speakerBut what we're saying is the people that I do represent
- speakerare among the most conscious articulate
- speakerpeople in this community among the youngest the strongest
- speakerthe most energetic people in this community among the most sophisticated
- speakerpeople in this community.
- speakerThat's why I said describing myself to Mr. Samuels and yourself.
- speakerThere might be some difference of opinion.
- speakerWhat does the nationalist one.
- speakerThese are questions that come up again and again.
- speakerWhat do you want. Well we used to say when we were more naive.
- speakerWhat does any mean.
- speakerWe were insulted then because people were asking us what we want.
- speakerAnd we figured that if they knew what they wanted they would know what we wanted.
- speakerOnly we wanted to do it ourselves but what the
- speakernationalists want is self-determination
- speakerin a city say of over 60 percent black people and Puerto Ricans
- speakerwe feel that black people in Puerto Rican should have that let's say about the city
- speakergovernment. Not all of this immediately
- speakerwhen we talk about saying black political power someone says Well that's
- speakera Nazi concept.
- speakerYou're talking about totalitarianism.
- speakerBoth of these are European words. I'm not a European but we
- speakerare accused of some things that we have never done.
- speakerWe were accused of wanting to do the same thing to Newark.
- speakerThat has been done to it.
- speakerWe don't think for instance we could ever do as much to Newark as has been done to
- speakerwe would not try to exceed the present administration's pension
- speakerfor whatever it has a pension for
- speakerbut what we are saying is that black people Puerto Ricans just like
- speakerwhite people have lives to live.
- speakerHave a certain level of development that they are following.
- speakerAnd it goes without saying that sooner or later by one means or another they will achieve
- speakerthese
- speakerwe are interested in the transfer for instance of economic power
- speakerthe transfer of political power the transfer of institutional control.
- speakerWhen you say you're interested in the transfer of these things what do you mean we mean
- speakerexactly in proportion.
- speakerTo the population we mean as there is one
- speakerman in a room.
- speakerHe deserves the life that another man deserves.
- speakerWhat does nationalist mean. What does a nationalist want the Nationalists wants first
- speakerself-respect. What any people wants he wants
- speakerself defense.
- speakerHe wants for instance when we say self-defense.
- speakerHe wants the police department to represent him
- speakeras well as being used to contain this is a hard
- speakerconcept to understand perhaps many people I don't think understood what police brutality
- speakerwas until Chicago and the Democratic convention
- speakerwhen white youth were beaten and police brutality became
- speakera reality for somebody this has never been a fantasy for us.
- speakerWe're always accused or imply that we lie when we say police brutality
- speakerself-determination we mean that we black.
- speakerJust like the white community must determine what we want to do with our lives
- speakerit does not have to be detrimental to the interests of the United States of
- speakerAmerica.
- speakerBut we are saying what we want.
- speakerWe must decide now this might again sound greedy
- speakeror like we are trying to cause friction.
- speakerBut this is what any people Shirley Chisholm said as a press at a press
- speakerconference last Friday. This is what every people has wanted when it came to these
- speakershores. I suppose even those anglo saxons came
- speakerwith the Mayflower who were immigrants of a sort
- speakerwanted that self-determination and certainly all the other waves of immigrants
- speakerthe East Europeans the Central Europeans the Middle Europeans
- speakerhave all wanted the same thing self-determination to be in control of some
- speakeraspect of the society in which they live to be in control say
- speakerof the schools we're faced with a situation now where we
- speakerhave 78 to 80 percent black and Puerto Ricans in the school.
- speakerYet we have no say about where the schools are.
- speakerRun we have no say about what the curriculum
- speakeris when we talk about black studies again
- speakerthe mind seems to close on black studies as if we were talking about some kind
- speakerof totalitarian attempt to force our culture on someone else.
- speakerThis is racism to try to force your culture on another people
- speakeris racism. We agree to that.
- speakerBut Black Studies is meant to balance racism
- speakerhas already existed if our children have to study
- speakerthe fairy tales of La Fontaine and grim but never
- speakerunderstand Anansi or Ashanti fairy tales.
- speakerThat's racism.
- speakerIf our children have to internalize the literary
- speakerand political and economic histories of Europe but
- speakernever even conceive of themselves as finally being an African people
- speakeras militant as that might sound then that's racism.
- speakerWhat we're trying to see happen here in Newark if its possible
- speakeris to order that to balance that.
- speakerKenneth Gibson said the other day that wherever American cities
- speakerare heading Newark is going to get their first
- speakerwhich I think is a very profound thing to say.
- speakerWherever these cities are heading this town will beat the rest of
- speakerthem by several yards and that's what we're here
- speakerto see which direction we can get this city to go
- speakerin the reason we tried to call this and this might
- speakerhave sounded very presumptuous to a lot of.
- speakerHere he's calling a conference.
- speakerWhy should become.
- speakerWell we call this conference because we wanted to try to communicate
- speakerwe want to tell you what we wanted and we wanted to find out what
- speakerthe white community.
- speakerOne it's fruitless we think to keep pretending that
- speakerthese terms don't exist. That there is not a white community and there is not a black
- speakercommunity. Unscientific liberalism is not the answer to our
- speakerproblems. Claiming that there is no black community or there
- speakeris no white community that we all here in America together is not the answer
- speakerto our problem.
- speakerWe feel that the answer to our problem is begin to understand that there is a white
- speakercommunity and it has certain desires certain needs and certain priorities
- speakerand the most certainly is a black community and a Puerto Rican community and a Mexican
- speakerand Indian community who have certain needs and
- speakerpriorities.
- speakerAnd can we isolate these.
- speakerFind out what they are and see can they complement each other.
- speakerSo we have some points here that we wanted to
- speakermention. I don't know maybe it is premature.
- speakerWe have some points here that we wanted to mention as perhaps food for thought.
- speakerThe reason that we made this up is because we call the kind of
- speakerthe next time. We hope that we can have lists.
- speakerPriorities from the white community and as long as we resist these
- speakerdesignations we can't get anywhere as long as they
- speakerpeople resist the idea that Bell Telephone Company and Prudential and Rutgers
- speakerare run by white people.
- speakerAnd by and large the interests served the needs
- speakerthat are met.
- speakerAre those of white people.
- speakerUntil we can get that and not gulp or not be mad at me because
- speakerI have said this when we can confront this
- speakerhorrible idea you think desirable and begin to
- speakermove on that then we can make some progress if we can admit actually the way north
- speakeris today.
- speakerNot what you think it is and not what I think it is but what it actually is.
- speakerWe can admit these things then we can make some progress but unless
- speakerwe can actually say that these things exist.
- speakerFrancis we talk about drugs and say drugs where do drugs come from.
- speakerWell they must come from or do they.
- speakerDo they come out out of the earth that do little gnomes bring them out
- speakerof the alleyways no one
- speakercan win.
- speakerWhen will we be able. When will influential black people and white people in this town
- speakerbegin to sit down and say look you know the way I think drugs get into this town.
- speakerI think they come in boats to port. No.
- speakerAnd I think that if you put somebody down and look in all those boxes you could stop it
- speakeror if they come from New York City.
- speakerI think if you stopped and looked in these boxes this is just an illustration.
- speakerI'm not being specific. I don't want to you having any drugs
- speakerbut we're saying that when can we sit down and discuss these issues as if they actually
- speakerexisted in a real world.
- speakerAnd could be solved by real people.
- speakerNow when we start working together we do not mean that we must live together.
- speakerWe're not talking about.
- speakerWe do not mean that we must have the same cultural interests.
- speakerIf we say we going to work together it does not mean that I am going to run out and buy
- speakertickets to see the Bolshoi Ballet.
- speakerNor does it mean necessarily that you have to start looking for John Coltrane.
- speakerBut is there some meeting place given our
- speakerdiverse backgrounds interests
- speakerthat we can begin to talk about absolute concrete things and make some adjusts.
- speakerThere is no future for Newark and we said this in 1967 at a meeting
- speakerthey said we said there's no future for Newark if things keep going like this.
- speakerTalk about the medical school. You say you a million.
- speakerAnd we went through that. We all went through 1967 I lost some
- speakerteeth.
- speakerSome people lost their lives. Your loss and property.
- speakerSo now in 1970 and we again at the same point
- speakerwhere we can begin to say now what can we do right now right now
- speakertogether in some kind of rational way so that we can begin
- speakerto come closer together to achieving our goals.
- speakerNow even though you might have the biggest corporation in the
- speakerworld or the third biggest because I have a lot of money I live out
- speakerthere and are not affected after 5:00 by what we say
- speakerif you are here it means you have some interest new there is no
- speakerchance of picking the telephone company up overnight moving
- speakerour prudential or the Newark news our record's
- speakernobody is going to pick that up and move it.
- speakerGateway proves that there is some continued interest and commercialization
- speakerof Newark Now what we're saying is we want to outline
- speakercertain hard and fast thing and we want to see well what is your opinion about this
- speakerwe don't necessarily want to argue we can't.
- speakerI'm not adverse to argue but I don't think we can achieve anything
- speakerby arguing. What I would like to see and all these gentlemen are going to get up
- speakerand say the same thing is if we could put some major issues down
- speakerarrive at a consensus you know what this is what I think.
- speakerYou know the activist community thinks this is what I think the business community.
- speakerThis is what I think the religious white religious community thinks
- speakerand begin to see can we move a little closer.
- speakerA little closer on these objectives
- speakerall right all right.
- speakerI'll be back to read these a little later.
- speakerThank you. All right. I want you know when I came from the Ark.
- speakerI didn't bring one of those boxes
- speakerbefore I was the head of the small business administration I was
- speakerunder secretary of commerce.
- speakerAnd before that I was a businessman.
- speakerSo my background in life comes from the private sector in
- speakerAmerica and probably that's the contrast
- speakerI saw and maybe was unprepared for.
- speakerWhen I entered government service and became active in American politics
- speakerbecause I saw an the private sector of America the whole dynamics
- speakerof chain the ability of an institution
- speakerthat's what's happened to American business.
- speakerBe creative to adjust its management.
- speakerTo attract its brainpower to stimulate its structure to meet its objectives
- speakerthe paradox is wherever you go in the world the management of American
- speakerbusinesses to meet its objectives is considered as an institution
- speakerthe idol of the world.
- speakerAnd what I saw on government was the antithesis so institutions
- speakerthat were not responsive.
- speakerI saw as Thomas Jefferson said when he said
- speakerthat laws and institutions was changed with changing times as man makes progress
- speakeras institutions must keep pace.
- speakerI saw institutions that didn't keep pace but I also
- speakersaw some hope.
- speakerAnd part of the hope I saw was is the undersecretary of commerce
- speakerand as the head of the small business administration the beginning of the involvement
- speakerof the creative minds of American business and the need to
- speakerguide social change in the nation the beginning of a whole
- speakernew era of American businessmen long absent
- speakerhe began to recognize that the business of business was America.
- speakerWho began to recognize that the free enterprise system will never be free.
- speakerIf it doesn't pay attention to the public sector of the country
- speakerthat the creation of wealth is not the answer to America.
- speakerIt's one of the answers but how we use it in terms of our social goals
- speakeris the real answer.
- speakerAnd one of the businessmen that that's really taken a leadership role.
- speakerIn America is a man in Newark
- speakerand he added me when I left is undersecretary of commerce
- speakerand head of the SBA when I came back to private life to see if possibly
- speakerI couldn't in some way with him and work
- speakerand involve his business more actively and how they could serve the social
- speakerprogress in Jersey and New Jersey and Newark
- speakerso I like the man I'm gonna introduce now and I like him because I think he represents
- speakerthe what I see as the best in American business.
- speakerI present to you your applause.
- speakerThank you Howard ladies and gentlemen
- speakerI was very pleased when Mr. Jones wrote
- speakerme a letter and asked me if I would not attend this meeting tonight.
- speakerBecause in his letter he said that he thought
- speakerthat for New York to survive and thrive
- speakerin the future it was essential that all elements of the city
- speakercarry on.
- speakerA positive worthwhile dialogue.
- speakerAnd I can't agree with you more.
- speakerI take that you are absolutely right that unless
- speakerthe various elements of our city
- speakerare able to sit down and discuss the problems of New York
- speakerin a positive manner then the future of Newark is indeed
- speakerbleak.
- speakerAs was already said
- speakerNewark is simply one example of what is happening to
- speakerall of the great urban centers of America at least all of the Northern
- speakerurban centers of America.
- speakerAnd I sincerely believe that our economic system
- speakerour social system and our political system.
- speakerCannot survive.
- speakerThe failure. Of these great urban centers
- speakerto say nothing of the tremendous hardship
- speakerthat many of the people who had to live in these great urban centers must
- speakergo through. So it is the responsibility
- speakerof all of us those who live
- speakerin the city those who work in the city and those who do not.
- speakerTo put whatever effort and attention they can
- speakerto helping to solve the problems of the urban centers
- speakerand it will take the efforts of everyone all
- speakerelements of our society and I speak particularly to
- speakerthose who live in the suburbs if you think you can
- speakerwalk away from the problems of the city because you do live in the suburbs
- speakerand work in the suburbs or simply work in the city day times and live
- speakeroutside at night.
- speakerIf you think you can simply walk away from the problems of the cities I say to
- speakeryou again that our whole way of life cannot
- speakersurvive the failure of our cities.
- speakerAnd that includes your way of life to why
- speakershould a businessman sound like a sociologist.
- speakerWell because my business
- speakeris as much a citizen of the city of New York
- speakeras are the individuals who make up the citizenry of Newark
- speakerand like all citizens this corporate citizen of mine
- speakerhas the same responsibility to its community as does all citizens.
- speakerAnd if this dialogue that we are beginning tonight
- speakerwill help in some small way to bring about
- speakera better state of affairs in the city of Newark and a better city for
- speakerthe future. Then I will devote all the time that
- speakeris necessary to help make that a reality.
- speakerThank you.
- speakerI'm certain most of us if not all have enjoyed everything that's
- speakerbeen said thus far.
- speakerAnd just sort of break in here with a bit of
- speakerdry or dry humor.
- speakerThere is a story told of a young man that applied for a job one
- speakerday.
- speakerAnd the personnel manager asked him young man do you drink
- speakerNo sir I don't drink well then do you smoke.
- speakerNo I'm not really addicted to tobacco.
- speakerWell do you like lots of women said.
- speakerNo I don't particularly care for women that much.
- speakerSo wait a minute that way.
- speakerHe said You must have some advice.
- speakerSaid I do.
- speakerWell what is it. He said I lie a lot.
- speakerWell we need and stand here and tell you of all the truths that have happened in Newark
- speakerrecently because you may say we lie a lot.
- speakerRabbi Jochen Prince who is the leader
- speakerof Temple the Abraham in Newark could not be with us this evening.
- speakerSo in turn he has sent his assistant we'll come
- speakerto us with a few words.
- speakerMay I introduce to some and present two others Rabbi Barry Friedman
- speakerfrom Temple Vinay Abraham.
- speakerNUR.
- speakerDr. Prince didn't send me.
- speakerHe escaped.
- speakerActually when this meeting was first being discussed Dr. Prince was about to take
- speakeroff for Israel and asked me to participate in
- speakerany way that I could and that he would join us as soon as
- speakerhe returned. But Israel is now in the very beginning of the spring.
- speakerAnd when one returns from bathing on the beaches of Tel Aviv to the glorious
- speakerweather of Newark it was much too much of an adjustment even for
- speakerDr. Prince to make and so he's in bed sick now.
- speakerI come this sort of a representative of at least part of the
- speakerreligious community of Newark.
- speakerAnd in that role feel compelled also to tell you a very
- speakerbrief story of a clergyman who is interviewing for a position and
- speakergave what is affectionately called in the clergy his test
- speakersermon. And prior to the service he was having a meal with the president
- speakerof the congregation who said to him sir what will you give your sermon on.
- speakerAnd he said well I thought I talked about the war in Vietnam and how immoral
- speakerit is. And the president said well there are many hawks in the congregation
- speakerI think it would be best for you to avoid that subject.
- speakerSo he said well then maybe I'll speak about the
- speakermore realities of suburban living.
- speakerAnd he said you better not do that either because some of our successful business men are
- speakerinvolved in a little hanky panky on this side and they may take offense
- speakerto some of the things that you have to say.
- speakerSo he said Okay I won't talk about that.
- speakerAnd then he said Well what about open housing and the president had a bit of a fit and
- speakersaid you know this is a nice suburban community we don't talk about those things.
- speakerSo the clergyman being at a complete loss after having gone through anything
- speakerand everything that he thought relevant to modern American life said to the president
- speakerwhat do you suggest I talk about.
- speakerAnd the president said well why don't you talk about religion.
- speakerNow that I think all too often is a great
- speakermerit of religious life in the United States it all too often is
- speakerconcerned with those things mostly irrelevant to what is happening in the world around
- speakerus. Many people have referred this evening to what is going on
- speakerin the American city. I don't want to be too particular about it because I
- speakeronly returned to Newark a year and a half ago but in general my observation
- speakerof what is happening in the American city is absolutely nothing.
- speakerAnd perhaps that's the problem of the American city I was in Cleveland during
- speakerthe riots.
- speakerThey called them riots and we had a meeting of clergymen on this
- speakerthe second day of of the rioting in half and
- speakereveryone gave their suggestions at what should be done for the city of Cleveland.
- speakerAnd most of the clergymen in many of the the laymen there said well we have to set
- speakerup food centers and a friend of mine who is a rabbi stood up and said you
- speakerknow it reminds me of my grandmother.
- speakerThe solution to any kind of problem is feed them and there
- speakerare problems in the United States today which food will not solve.
- speakerNow I think that we are guilty of
- speakerand see the fulfillment of a certain biblical prophecy coming true.
- speakerThere are parts of the Bible that rub us sophisticated man of the 70s
- speakerthe wrong way. We don't like the idea that sons will suffer for the
- speakersins of their fathers and yet this is the life that we live in the United States today.
- speakerBecause I am not concerned with the city of Newark just because I live
- speakerin Orange and because I'm not concerned with transportation from Newark
- speakeror from orange to Newark my son can take advantage of nothing that the
- speakercity of Newark has to offer.
- speakerAnd therefore I because of my total neglect of this city
- speakerhave.
- speakerHave caused my son to suffer.
- speakerIn that he does not know what life in an American city is.
- speakerAll of those great things that only the city can offer.
- speakerHe is denied he's denied because of my petty fear
- speakerof the suburbs. And this is what we discussed when we sat quietly and thought one
- speakerof the reasons that I am here is because I resent the euphemisms
- speakerin my community talking about Newark as they
- speakerI can't go to Newark because I'm afraid of them and they
- speakerdo this and the same situation I think exists in the residents of Newark talking
- speakerabout the person in the suburb. It's time that we do away with the euphemisms and
- speakerwe talk to each other in terms that both of us understand
- speakerand.
- speakerAnd stop punishing the children of the suburbs for my
- speakersins and stop punishing the children in the city for my sins.
- speakerAnd and this is something that I as a father and only a father can do.
- speakerHow does one sleep at night whether it be in a quote nice section of Newark
- speakeror in a suburb. How can one possibly sleep at night when we
- speakerknow that there are mothers who are afraid to put their children to sleep because rats
- speakerwill come out of the walls to convey the gross immorality
- speakerof Vietnam is only to tell the mother or father go in tonight
- speakerand talk to your child.
- speakerTuck your child in and look at that kid and say that this year he is being tucked
- speakerin and there are parents in places of the world that can't tuck their children in.
- speakerAnd that in five years or 10 years from now he won't be around for you to talk
- speakerand personalize it to that point.
- speakerStop visiting the sins of the fathers on the children.
- speakerMartin Buber recounts a story that this found in Farsi the literature of the
- speakertwo men who are sailing or rowing in a boat.
- speakerAnd one that is rowing while the other man sits with a drill and drills a hole
- speakerin the bottom of the boat.
- speakerAnd the man who is rowing turns around and says What are you do.
- speakerWhat are you doing. As the water comes up the center of the boat.
- speakerThe man with the drill in his hand says don't worry about it I'm drilling under my seat
- speakeras the boat sinks.
- speakerNow we all live in the same boat
- speakerand the ignorance of the communities around here.
- speakerThat went nowhere thanks. I see.
- speakerThere is no suburb without the mother country so to speak.
- speakerThere is no suburban Essex County to revolve around the city of Newark.
- speakerAll that it does offer all that it can offer.
- speakerAnd if I sitting in the suburbs drill the hole and say nine to five
- speakerI care after five o'clock the hell with the city in Newark as I drive up.
- speakerSpringfield Avenue.
- speakerThere is a great deal that we are all guilty of.
- speakerWe missed the boat.
- speakerI think that the white business man in Newark has never been convinced
- speakerof the fact that people get sick from mind to fight and it's good to
- speakerhave decent hospitals where you get sick.
- speakerNot everybody gets sick in the evening at the nice hospitals in the suburbs and to
- speakerwalk around with this kind of attitude of the drilling the hole in the bottom of the boat
- speakerbecause it's not under my seat.
- speakerI think it's not only criminal I think it's ignorant and we are a society
- speakerin the United States today that does not tolerate ignorance on any level.
- speakerThere is a responsibility that the person in
- speakerLevittown has to know it.
- speakerAmericans must have a sense of responsibility to the American city.
- speakerIt hits us a little more because we live in this town.
- speakerI think that it's enough talk.
- speakerI think we've had enough sober enough seminars in the suburbs.
- speakerI think that the time has come to do certain things.
- speakerI think the time has come to do some kind of work.
- speakerI've seen it done in Cleveland.
- speakerCarl Stokes was an acquaintance of mine and I think he was qualified
- speakerto do it. He involved the business community.
- speakerAnd let's not question one's motives.
- speakerAmerica is a business community and we've heard that there is a risk a sense of
- speakerresponsibility on the part of the business community.
- speakerBut it is it is time for work I think there is a sense of
- speakerone this or that if it's not existent it has to be created.
- speakerAnd I think the religious saying for our times and the City of Newark can no longer
- speakerbe. I am my brother's keeper.
- speakerIt's a sense of patron is.
- speakerThat's not religious enough for us in our community I think the byword of the 70s
- speakerfor us is without any kind of schmaltzy religiosity in
- speakerit. But in a real sense of work and sense of responsibility not sense of charity.
- speakerThe motto for us for the seventies has to be.
- speakerI am my brother's brother.
- speakerAnd if we do this and if we believe this this sense of responsibility
- speakerfor people.
- speakerAnd for the city then we will not visit the sins of the fathers upon
- speakertheir sons and we will win the race of where all the
- speakerAmerican cities are going. But at least when it cry.
- speakerWith a firm hope that that fund this meeting would come
- speakerwith some specifics and with the
- speakerrabbi mentioning one of the specifics that I am my brother's
- speakerbrother it seems to me that we should now get down
- speakerto opening the meeting for some
- speakerhope of some specific plans that we might come out of this meeting
- speakerwith together.
- speakerOne of the specifics that I discussed with Ryan.
- speakerDo you want me to mention this.
- speakerBecause if we're going to talk about self-respect we're going to talk about brothers
- speakerbrother.
- speakerWe're going to talk about political participation talk about political
- speakerparticipation.
- speakerWe've got to talk about a specific voter registration
- speakerit seems to me that one of the things that might come out of this meeting
- speakerand I now open the meeting as for suggestions as
- speakerto how this community could maybe lead the nation
- speakerand a massive program of voter education and voter registration
- speakerand if no one objects I open this up now for the first
- speakerattempt at some specifics to come out of the meeting and I would open
- speakerup either rye or Don.
- speakerDo you have any suggestions of.
- speakerFrom the start.
- speakerVoter registration I think that Dr. Nathan right said Friday that
- speakerthe greatest enemy of voter registration and political participation black
- speakerpeople in Puerto Ricans is urban renewal.
- speakerThat is the buildings are torn down. None are put up.
- speakerThere is not sufficient voter education to tell those people who
- speakerhave to move that number one they have to notified
- speakerpeople that they moved that they're not automatically registered.
- speakerAlso just in term of voter education we see
- speakeradvertising for some of the most horrible products known to man
- speakerproducts that people even tell you will kill you.
- speakerOne ad says smoke this is good.
- speakerAnd then the next answers will kill you.
- speakerBut. We never see any kind of concerted
- speakereffort to educate people about the political institution
- speakerto educate people on how actually to involve themselves with the political process.
- speakerWe are told very superficially you must involve yourself in the political
- speakerprocess. But since the resources are all in one part of the
- speakercommunity. How do we go about involving ourselves with this
- speakerpolitical process. And I just want to add that
- speakerin the last two years we've unified Newark which I'm representative of has registered
- speakerabout thirty six thousand people in two years.
- speakerWith the help of the NAACP project concern and the Urban League.
- speakerBut during these same periods of time some 20000 people have been removed from
- speakerthe rolls because of urban renewal
- speakeralso we're facing a situation in this town where we are going to be refused
- speakerthe books. Refuse to let us bring the voter registration rolls
- speakerout into the community not out not refuse but they will limit us to say
- speakerStephen Green Village or many other places
- speakerthat don't really have the black population.
- speakerSo this is one point.
- speakerHow can the business community and all of the community involve themselves in voter
- speakerregistration. How can we get these books these voter registration books
- speakerout of the.
- speakerWhat is it. Hall of Records and into the black communities for instance
- speakerone of the candidates had an idea that since the people in the projects pay their rent
- speakerusually once a month.
- speakerWhy not have the voter registration books right there.
- speakerWhy not make it so that everybody in these projects is eighteen thousand people in one
- speakersquare mile between High Park gardens and Hayes homes
- speakerif voter registration was pushed with the same kind of intensity that say the
- speakertaxes are pushed it's all part of you know our involvement with
- speakerAmerican life.
- speakerThen we would see a change we'd see a change in the political process and we'd see more
- speakerinvolvement by black people in the political process.
- speakerI think Howard you picked a good subject to start off
- speakerwith because I think the basic problem is voter registration
- speakerI think that in order for this city to
- speakermake any progress politically that all of the
- speakerelements of the city should have a viable political
- speakerpolitical tone.
- speakerFor example the majority of the population the city
- speakeris black.
- speakerTherefore the the black people of the city should have a viable
- speakerpolitical base and organization and they never will have until there is
- speakeradequate voter registration and education and incidentally also
- speakerpolitical leadership got to have that too.
- speakerThe same is true of the Puerto Rican population of the city as well as the
- speakerItalian population of the city and or any other elements there may
- speakerbe voter registration is beginning now.
- speakerVoter registration is going to be tougher than it has been in the past because
- speakerI know that some of the funds that you got last year ago to help
- speakerwith voter registration came from one of the foundations in New York and it was funneled
- speakerthrough the urban coalition here and it's going to be tougher under
- speakerthe new tax law for foundations to participate in voter
- speakerregistration drives.
- speakerSo this is will tend to dry up
- speakera source of funds.
- speakerHoward Samuels made a suggestion a little while ago which I thought a very interesting
- speakerone. He said that he thinks that voter registration ought to be the
- speakerresponsibility of government that government should
- speakerfinance and see to it that adequate voter registration
- speakerwas carried out in all areas of the country.
- speakerI hadn't thought of it myself.
- speakerI think it's a rather interesting proposition.
- speakerNobody has any objection.
- speakerI think what we've come up with is a specific way in which the black community
- speakeris saying to us that they feel that in terms of self-respect
- speakerin terms of participation they want to help and
- speakergraduates in the community devote they
- speakersay to us in the white community and I hope you don't mind me using
- speakerus in your community.
- speakerWe have the resources we have the communication they need help.
- speakerAnd if we're going to come out of this meeting with some specifics and I'm a great
- speakerbeliever in specifics not just rhetoric we're going to come out of the meeting with
- speakerspecifics.
- speakerDo I hear some suggestions from the field on the floor
- speakeras to how we might organize white black.
- speakerTogether. For a massive program of communication
- speakerand a registration Noah if I have some comments
- speakerfrom the field and floor in the field I want to I think I
- speakerhave.
- speakerAs to how we might do that.
- speakerYes I'm making very
- speakergood. I guess I just came from the
- speakercheap league with
- speakerfootball.
- speakerI think you get together fine
- speakerI think that the Lou I mentioned
- speakersome very specific kind of problems that we have we have a communication problem.
- speakerWe have many people here from the television the leadership of the television stations
- speakerin Newark Do you have any suggestions in terms of the
- speakerbusiness station should directed almost
- speakerexclusively the Spanish speaking population.
- speakerMy other patient we don't need it.
- speakerWe will not need an organized group to come to us.
- speakerWe will conduct a very active voter registration drive 47.
- speakerI pledge to all that we've started rapidly as from
- speakernext month.
- speakerGot it.
- speakerIt seems to me that what is needed here
- speakeris and I think what Roy would like if I read into this
- speakeris some specific organization that might come out of here
- speakerthat may then call a meeting with what the lady in the back
- speakersuggested other organizations NAACP Legal
- speakerwomen voters and have some whole structure of of the society
- speakerin terms of organizing everybody and voter registration.
- speakerDo you have any suggestions as to
- speakerhow we might do that.
- speakerThere is a man.
- speakerYes.
- speakerThat's my point.
- speakerI guarantees against the legislation.
- speakerWell I think that those are the specifics that this group can then deal with and I
- speakerdon't think tonight we should attempt to deal with each of the individual specifics
- speakerof procedures should be put together by a massive organization who would relate to the
- speakercity administration and its responsibility because they have a responsibility.
- speakerVoter registration relate to the communication groups
- speakerthat are here representing the newspapers and television relate to the business community
- speakerand the chamber I hope will take an active part in this.
- speakerBut can we come out with a specific thing done of somebody
- speakerwho would put this together and and meet.
- speakerDoes that sound like a reasonable beginning.
- speakerAs a practical matter voter registration traditionally in this country
- speakerhas been pretty partisan.
- speakerVoter registration groups usually work for the purpose of
- speakerthe advocacy of a group of candidates a candidate.
- speakerThis is not true of the League of Women Voters and several other community organizations
- speakerbut it has been the traditional pattern of voter registration in this country.
- speakerYou're suggesting that as far as New York is concerned that should and that
- speakerwe should get all of the various groups together under one head
- speakerfor the purpose of a citywide voter registration drive.
- speakerI think it's a good idea. I'm not quite sure how.
- speakerDon I also go back to your comments at the first step that we have to
- speakermake in bringing self respect here tonight as a method of voter participation.
- speakerAnd if this is the strong feeling of the black community.
- speakerThen I and I agree with it then I think you know we have to decide that
- speakerif this isn't a Democratic or Republican registration
- speakerwhoever has the best candidates to.
- speakerAppeal to the people who were going to register to win but there is no question
- speakerthat a right of America is the right of voting.
- speakerAnd in this city our registration percentages are considerably lower
- speakerthan they are in some other cities in the nation.
- speakerAnd even then I can take you to my state they're very bad and in almost all the urban
- speakerareas of the state of New York and that's one of the reasons that I mentioned that the
- speakerwhole approach to voter registration is is a disaster.
- speakerCan you imagine what we could do.
- speakerMy friends today that the politics of this country if we could register the blacks in the
- speakersouth we could change the whole politics of the country.
- speakerThat's how important it is.
- speakerYes.
- speakerI don't suggesting things Mr. McDonald.
- speakerFirst of all the other coalition has already developed in terms of a jewelry scheme
- speakerof something called maximum density registration and per operation by which attempts to
- speakeramend the Coalition act with some sort of neutral kind of do it coordinated
- speakeradministrative capacity. As you are probably all aware there are various
- speakerorganizations in the city that are already conducting relatively effective and relatively
- speakerlow registration activities to.
- speakerIt bothers etc.
- speakerI would estimate success what they are lacking is two principal agrees
- speakerthat the greater the American citizens need a greater sum of money
- speakerit costs money to register and be unrestricted particularly access
- speakerlistening for state long which provides more registration
- speakeractivities up until 40 days prior to the initial confrontation with your customers
- speakeryour mail is being made.
- speakerSo it was not when I asked you specifically in terms of a commitment on behalf of a
- speakerpresident of the world's largest corporations it certainly is unchallenged business
- speakerleader in the city tonight.
- speakerWould you commit yourself to providing once a specific
- speakermechanics are worked out that is even through the Coalition or the League of Women Voters
- speakeror the Urban League or the NAACP would you commit yourself to engaging in a public
- speakerfund drives whatever funds are necessary to increase the effectiveness of
- speakervoter registration a and b also commit yourself to undertake whatever
- speakerexecutive political force is necessary i.e.
- speakerCounty Registrar's Office with the governor necessary and legislature to ensure
- speakerthat these organizations will have unrestricted access to both.
- speakerWalking through the city I would like just one last.
- speakerYes. I need you.
- speakerI don't know how this is structured in terms of all logarithms opportunities that are
- speakerthere. Samuels rules of order.
- speakerDoes that correspond to the normal policy the.
- speakerI mean I don't really think we wanted to get that.
- speakerYou got a specific suggestion Make it out and we'll try to put it together.
- speakerI might suggest find it been since three of these suggestions.
- speakerSo moving of any verb present because the instructor can immediately move
- speakerthe area helping the necessary apparatus mechanisms and convening the
- speakernecessary groups and it be within a specified period of time 17 days
- speakerreport to his body necessary in terms of what their findings are in terms
- speakerof what's necessary certainly and what funding.
- speakerAnd the last one I think I think the Coalition
- speakeris logically the organization which could very well
- speakerat this point. Let's be very frank because as you know there
- speakerare many people in the industry that the Coalition would be suspect
- speakerwould say would be favoring one group as opposed to another.
- speakerI think that maybe we ought to get the coalition and several other
- speakerorganizations to head this up rather than just the coalition
- speakeritself. For example the mayor and the president
- speakeradministration would say that if there was a coalition sponsored
- speakervoter registration drive that it was suspected of being organized for the purpose
- speakerof see to it that only those voters who
- speakerwould vote against he and his administration should be registered.
- speakerThat's a great idea but this is a criticism of it.
- speakerWe have a lovely coalition so I think there ought to be more than the coalition.
- speakerWell it is I took it down and I hate to put it.
- speakerWhat do you want to say.
- speakerI just want to say I agree with your reasoning.
- speakerBut I think it should be a new thing.
- speakerI think it should involve.
- speakerI think what he's saying is very good but it should involve the most
- speakerinfluential people in whatever areas we could frankly look as
- speakerand they should be each come together.
- speakerI mean that very sincerely I mean we should have a representative of the attack
- speakerbusiness and they should come together and do the same as equitably as
- speakerpossible.
- speakerNow we certainly don't care as long as everybody comes together.
- speakerMean we have opposed any group or groups
- speakerbeing represented equally.
- speakerI mean I think because you could do it but I know prejudice
- speakeragainst the urban coalition simply because they were the conduit for us getting money as
- speakerif it was something bad.
- speakerI mean we went out with that money but still I understand
- speakerthe prejudice against the coalition so I would say that perhaps the best thing
- speakerto do is get the names of businessmen
- speakerlegitimate and form a totally new group committed
- speakerto voter registration in all areas
- speakerwith the same kind of stipulations.
- speakerYes.
- speakerCouple more comments on one of the comments.
- speakerI think it's one thing being overlooked that
- speakerthe point of this mental.
- speakerCredential is the ability for printing on printing press
- speakerprinting presses down on unused time.
- speakerWell you can see this could put you or your faith pretty
- speakerbroadly which potentially can still save a lot of doubt
- speakera lot this week.
- speakerSo here's
- speakerone of the few big business
- speakernews credential of innocent men to be hanged and having
- speakera vice president and some individual
- speakerusually working hand-in-hand and getting off using that expertise.
- speakerAnd the central personality of the individual on the street I think is
- speakergreat.
- speakerThank you for your comments coming out.
- speakerWe have already started our program voter registration
- speakerin the city. In fact we have over 50 days
- speaker50 sites to bring the books.
- speakerThis is the first time we've tried to have voter registration
- speakerbecause I'm afraid it would not.
- speakerPeople might think it's a tough thing to volunteer
- speakerbecause you cannot control prove you have a volunteer
- speakerforce you to set out and you have about four hours if you want to have
- speakerpeople out of any area soliciting votes knocking on doors
- speakerwhen you have a volunteer.
- speakerThese days. These months it feels like giving you a half an hour.
- speakerGive you a half time. There's nothing you can say about though you can see that
- speakerunless you have money you're not going to be affected.
- speakerSo even though at this time we have the less
- speakerI have the feeling in the last few weeks at the school that
- speakerhe will not bring a substantial amount of money
- speakerunless we do have some fun out
- speakerbreadsticks people knock on the door and maybe it was of
- speakercourse ready to that all secret
- speakerand you slam the door.
- speakerWell I don't have time to talk about voter registration
- speakernot because I have but this is the
- speakervolunteer will come back
- speakerand ask you to let him go on the long wait.
- speakerBut if you have people then you pay him a small amount of money and
- speakerespecially the youngsters this means a lot to them and they will
- speakerdo a pretty good job.
- speakerSo what we are saying is we have the things we have
- speakerquite a number of supermarkets and we can't let the supermarkets
- speakerregister more easily because we had a built in thing.
- speakerWe didn't go out to shop.
- speakerI don't know what a restaurant registry
- speakerin the private. But this kind of weather because it's going to be tough to
- speakerget people out here with this kind of weather.
- speakerI don't know. What we did go ahead to move to a good job and
- speakerget the stairs and going and all these sorts of alleys
- speakerand buildings unless we have moved.
- speakerSo this is the paramount thing. If you have make money I feel as though we can do the
- speakerjob.
- speakerYes I might say My brother is very good
- speakerto see that we have bread.
- speakerWe don't let anyone deny it now.
- speakerI think it would be instructive for us to understand something
- speakerof a magnitude dollars required
- speakerto do the kind of job.
- speakerOur brothers are. Thank you both tonight.
- speakerAnd perhaps one more thing be the one and
- speakercite something at the mention of this before us because I dare say most of us really
- speakerbegin to appreciate they at the mention of money
- speakerrequire that I call can't believe.
- speakerI just want to say one thing I think is very important.
- speakerRather than getting into a situation where somebody will be giving money to someone
- speakerdo.
- speakerWhat I would like to see happen is a vehicle created
- speakerthat whose job it will be to see that it's done what it
- speakerhas done in a total sense because people tend to be reluctant about watch.
- speakerBut we want to see something created a structure created that can assume
- speakerthis and get it done for the whole city in a completely efficient scientific
- speakerway today.
- speakerI'm not 1930s mimeograph
- speakerbut the same way you do your marketing you sell your products
- speakerthe same way you get people to buy provincial or advertise
- speakeron Channel 40 said these.
- speakerUp to date modern contemporary methods.
- speakerThis is the way voter education and voter registration is not good in
- speakerWashington.
- speakerIn 1968 registered twenty thousand people have voted for
- speakerit.
- speakerWell maybe not voting for hopefully over 12000 voters
- speakerwere looking to find out what our military education is now.
- speakerSo we're asking for a modern scientific debate
- speakerhere on our program that can involve all these heads
- speakerof state as it were in figuring out how to do it.
- speakerWell the arms and legs that's one function.
- speakerThe money is another function advertising press media
- speakeris another.
- speakerHow can we break all those together and have one function.
- speakerThat's what we're interested in not sending somebody out again to do
- speakera good job but not as good as radio or television
- speakermotion pictures loud speakers at your disposal.
- speakerWe want to reach as many people as you get in trouble
- speakerwith the same methods the same effect.
- speakerThat's what we're interested in making is making comments.
- speakerIt to Work.
- speakerAnd I think everybody
- speakeris saying the things that these people
- speakerthey may never know or make time for
- speakerme and I might add.
- speakerWhat do you say to that.
- speakerSo far everything is said and much
- speakermuch more 74.
- speakerThe only thing I've heard so far this year don't
- speakersay we should get everybody out by the way.
- speakerThat's why I came here.
- speakerAnd that's why the Bible can make
- speakereverybody.
- speakerYes everybody read
- speakereverything the other day.
- speakerNot that we went out to raise money.
- speakerThe only place we've gone so far that I can see
- speakerto think everything else.
- speakerGood thing.
- speakerYou know it seems that you all
- speakerincluding my right side both parties
- speakerwhich is not the to people that
- speakeris not getting us anywhere I would be up for
- speakerthat.
- speakerListen I think that you know let me get something else.
- speakerOne other thing it seems to me that what came out Jones said
- speakernot everyone is dead.
- speakerAnd that is why they didn't feel that the black people must
- speakerdo for themselves the kind of registration that
- speakerit is equally to blame for a crime.
- speakerOh is this same many white people who are still
- speakerlike it is the most important thing.
- speakerI think or I don't believe that we're going to have an area
- speakerlike the women voters going to the 8th or
- speakerregistering people that know that they're gonna be out
- speakerany more than I believe number eight or nine.
- speakerNo are not going to give up silver like this.
- speakerYou are right. Knocking on the doors at 8 o'clock
- speakerat night.
- speakerI'm like there's no real.
- speakerWell we have a black
- speakerand white.
- speakerWe all have our own game.
- speakerOh.
- speakerMany of those games and the
- speakerO or a if we can learn even
- speakera boy who saw the same problem
- speakerin I don't care what you make of voter registration or
- speakerpublic account I can think of six that
- speakerNorm Miller show you some pretty horrible things down
- speakerthe way like Sterling that we don't like.
- speakerOr I can take you to North Broadway.
- speakerIt doesn't say that all problems in housing
- speakerare all public.
- speakerOf all the people there are so many things
- speakerthat our a 78 percent in
- speakerschool lack. I'm not going to forget that 20 percent of them are
- speakerour view is we're going to move ahead in this new.
- speakerWe must bring everybody in the
- speakerday together every day
- speakerof what can be a beginning by working on common
- speakeraim.
- speakerEach doing his own thing with his own people if he
- speakerdesires.
- speakerWe not that line of comedy.
- speakerIn addition to voter registration.
- speakerI know that. How well I have to.
- speakerNow.
- speakerAnd although when we agreed on one aim tonight
- speakerand I'm not leaving until we get a specific plan on how we're going to approach that
- speakerAyman trying to deal with specifics in that rhetoric I didn't come over here for rhetoric
- speakerI can get that New York State.
- speakerI came here to see if we could contribute to some specific.
- speakerWe have a specific game.
- speakerI think we all agree on and that's voter registration and voter education and we have a
- speakersuggestion from some done that he'll take some leadership in
- speakerthis role role in this.
- speakerTalbot will you take some leadership in that work.
- speakerBut that's that's you.
- speakerBut Mr. Jones mentioned you once in this program representatives from all
- speakerareas of the community.
- speakerYes I believe in the Senate confirm that you sent.
- speakerSo I want to be very specific. Yes OK.
- speakerI would suggest that where we are right now each point you an individual
- speakeror an organization undertake following text and then of course the next three or six days
- speakerthis whole organization will undertake to consider what I
- speakerdid with composition or for that matter if you'd rather individuals organizations
- speakerconsider which other organizations and individuals represent the sectors of this
- speakerlarger community that industrial.
- speaker39 cents education etc.
- speakershould be engaged legitimately in nonpartisan voter registration activities and a list
- speakerof those organizations today's meeting can use forty six persons or some other
- speakerarbitrary and that sense would have to be arbitrary body upon which I
- speakerwould charge during the census would suggest these are the 80s personalities that ought
- speakerto be gay. So you've got my understand.
- speakerYes you made your comment earlier about the urban coalition that is not
- speakerbeing new for you. I can certainly understand there might be objections.
- speakerMy point in response to that is that it might be seen by some segments every party
- speakeror any other organization would be passed.
- speakerThat's why there has to be a body to which in a sense potential individuals organizations
- speakerare being considered roles are submitting and that kind of chart charter after a
- speakerconsensus can be agreed upon.
- speakerWell I think the Urban Coalition minds might
- speakerserve the purpose of creating a committee such as yours suggest.
- speakerMaybe that's about right.
- speakerWho could we then move to draft Mr. Halliburton.
- speakerThe Coalition would be undertaking investigation as to what maintenance these
- speakerorganizations do or should be engaged in the committee to deal with non-partisan.
- speakerOh boy that worries me right now.
- speakerTake an investigation.
- speakerWe want action out of this meeting if we want action.
- speakerLet's put a committee together tonight and let's go do it.
- speakerGot.
- speakerI take it you represent the Urban Coalition
- speakerthe community a
- speakercouple more and then I'm going to have some recommendations.
- speakerOne is registration at age 0 1.
- speakerThere's one thing we're all asking.
- speakerI don't unify or bad experience because you ask for 50 or 100
- speakerof them to show up.
- speakerI'm speaking from my own experience.
- speakerHow many of you have been on the league two nights.
- speakerThey promised to show up at 3 a.m.
- speakeron a Sunday. Throughout the Bush administration I had 24
- speakerlet us say I'm going to let them on the telephone this
- speakerI'll show up three people showed up.
- speakerYou can register all you want.
- speakerYou can do anything you want to donate the money on the right.
- speakerPray tell me how you want to get the blacks and whites in the city.
- speakerBe concerned with the condition additional North.
- speakerThis isn't your crime. The merit of it is absurd.
- speakerSo many ideas are needed. I would like how many and when we can suddenly
- speakerreal upset is really not what Rainbow.
- speakerMaybe 100 percent yes. No I get it.
- speakerLaughs You got to get people to serve the nation in the north.
- speakerThey don't have to be people who live in the suburbs and all around us
- speakerpeople who are eligible to vote.
- speakerI'm sorry.
- speakerYou're just wasting your time because if you register everyone notices that
- speakeryou're getting your boss.
- speakerWell let's get these people so sorry.
- speakerOn your real.
- speakerYes that's right.
- speakerI would like to make a concrete proposal.
- speakerIt's getting late and since there are people here in the machine not
- speakerthe U.S I selected that word.
- speakerEveryone that's in the room now.
- speakerI think that voter registration can be a diving board to every community
- speakerill that faces us but it's an instrument which serves
- speakeritself as well as an hour period.
- speakerI think that we need we need from the people here and expanded
- speakeras was mentioned by now that we need a committee of up.
- speakerThis is a group whether whatever groups we represent we
- speakerin this room now constitute some kind of group.
- speakerI would like to see something concrete.
- speakerWe assume we're in favor of voter registration.
- speakerThe mechanics of it there are people who know the mechanics of voter registration.
- speakerThe problems have been pointed out.
- speakerThe ascent of leaders of the business community and religious community has
- speakerbeen good. I think that in terms of the people sitting here we need a group
- speakerof people a smaller group to sit down tomorrow morning to get this thing going.
- speakerSomebody tell me what are three groups American Jewish Congress like marathon doing.
- speakerI don't know tell me who you want me to call tomorrow morning and I will call.
- speakerTell me what do you want me to do.
- speakerGroups that I can relate to and I will do it.
- speakerI think that we should not go away.
- speakerWe should do it quickly with some kind of committee and voter registration
- speakersubcommittee.
- speakerDon't go away. Lock the door until we decided that publicity.
- speakerI think find it should not be open.
- speakerWell I obviously I think get done and maybe you have the suggestions because I think in
- speakerthe end you represent the Muslim community here and in terms of the presentation
- speakeryou want I picked out the name of the present Urban Coalition.
- speakerI picked out Frank.
- speakerI think Rabbi Friedman.
- speakerI think we're all you should set out that Malcolm Talbot I think
- speakerwould you set out that those five.
- speakerI think we probably do if we left out in terms of of
- speakera meeting that Italian community is or somebody
- speakerand the Puerto Rican community.
- speakerMr. Damiano here you here.
- speakerWould you sit on that committee
- speakerand we'll find a member of the Puerto Rican community who would sit down.
- speakerWhere will the media be and when
- speakerI hate to put you on the spot but you're here.
- speakerOh I don't know.
- speakerYou don't have to pretend to know.
- speakerCan we have it. We have it at the convention.
- speakerLet's meet at the Prudential Building. Let's look.
- speakerI think nobody's right.
- speakerDo you have any. Is that OK.
- speakerDoes that I think any anybody more than sit.
- speakerThat's a group of six we will make with it with
- speakerDon and we'll set up a out of that meeting will come a specific
- speakerplan of voter registration.
- speakerI don't organize a community out of being the community groups together how to finance
- speakervoter registration program in Newark.
- speakerI got I put Gus Hindenburg from the Urban Coalition I don't know gas but I think
- speakerhis participation frank in our host.
- speakerAll right John welcome Talbot from Rutgers University.
- speakerRabbi Friedman and Mr. DiMaggio
- speakeris at it.
- speakerAnd we'll ask for a Puerto Rican representative.
- speakerAnd I guess you'll just have to decide that.
- speakerDan maybe you can invite somebody from the Puerto Rican community.
- speakerDo we have somebody for the Puerto Rican community.
- speakerCan we. Is that a specific name.
- speakerWhen's a meeting on you know what your schedule is.
- speakerAll right.
- speakerOne of the essential things this meeting will be for
- speakermedia outlets both I don't know not to speak for the
- speakermedia. That's my window.
- speakerIt's basically business as I would I would be very
- speakeranxious to include someone from either the television or the newspapers
- speakeron radio.
- speakerDefinitely gentleman there. What would you what is your name.
- speakerMr. Green.
- speakerCertainly a immediate plan is an important part radio television communications important
- speakerbut we've we've covered one
- speakerspecific plan here tonight.
- speakerThat's why I have your comment I find myself unique
- speakerwhen I come here.
- speakerNo one but myself to take time.
- speakerI come here every night.
- speakerI guess my presence here is guarding obviously concerned
- speakerand in some way very much involved in your work and problem.
- speakerI hope that you're right.
- speakerI also don't work here and it seems to me that in this committee is certainly one
- speakerof the reasons that I am here is that if you overload
- speakerthe server if you do not make my opinion I would be
- speakerway off but if things do not involve someone you do not
- speakerknow those huge masses of people whether they are economically
- speakerinvolved a player like to be involved.
- speakerAre emotionally involved no matter how they are resolved.
- speakerIf you do not involve those people in these problem then you will have will have lost
- speakerone of your most valuable assets in every way.
- speakerSo it would seem to me and I'm not welcome here.
- speakerI could be the. But I think you really should have no
- speakerproblems like. I was a are you concerned money to be made.
- speakerWe have vast suburbs in this city or of city.
- speakerI think you're right. I've been pointing out the suburbs can't exist city but
- speakerwe know the problem and is restated that.
- speakerBut again I must caution that you must talk with yourself or what you might
- speakercall it the other way. You must get someone to work with you.
- speakerGreatest way would go to a metropolitan government in this state which
- speakerI'm going to fight for in the state of New York and we certainly should have it here.
- speakerYes
- speakersir I
- speakerknow
- speakeryou have a secret.
- speakerI don't even try it.
- speakerDoes any day. Can I can I move on here a
- speakercouple of minutes because there were some specifics that we related here tonight.
- speakerOne was I'll be with you in a minute.
- speakerOne was to hope to get some program on the macro to
- speakerdemocratize izing or whatever the word is.
- speakerWhat did we say that close.
- speakerYou can tell I've been up since 5:00 this morning and voter registration was more
- speakerit was very important how to get the books right is all involved in registration the
- speakerquestion and why I wanted us to talk about a little
- speakerresources and technical economic aid and I'm convinced that political action is
- speakerpart of the road to economic action.
- speakerI don't know I think it's getting very late in the night tonight and we've been here for
- speakera couple of hours and we've come out with a specific I believe that after all
- speakerthe rhetoric after we commit ourselves have a plan of action and that we may need to
- speakerbegin with.
- speakerYeah.