Mark Naison (born 1946) is a professor of history at Fordham University , the Jesuit University of New York.
81-539: Naison, a former political activist, was a member of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) in the 1960s. He is a graduate of Columbia University and holds a Ph.D. in American history. Mark D. Naison was born in 1946 in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, New York. As the only child of Jewish intellectuals (both schoolteachers), Mark D. Naison had an easy childhood. Although he
162-473: A CORE demonstration in the city turned violent. As a result, he had to be smuggled out of the city accompanied by two armed men. After this event, Farmer would go on to permit armed guards to attend CORE meetings. In New York City, the Brooklyn chapter of CORE was seen as one of the most radical chapters of CORE. This chapter employed increasingly aggressive tactics with a focus on racial discrimination. Primarily,
243-546: A Spanish-speaking part of Chicago. On October 11, the Weathermen attempted to regroup and reignite the direct action. About 300 protesters marched swiftly through The Loop , Chicago's main business district, watched over by a double-line of heavily armed police. Led by Jacobs and other Weathermen members, the protesters suddenly broke through the police lines and rampaged through the Loop, smashing windows of cars and stores. However,
324-517: A Western Region Conference in the Sacramento area, and launched an equal employment campaign at restaurants and stores throughout the state. In 1968, Seattle's chapter of CORE decided that, in order for it to function best in the community, it needed to be an all-black organization. CORE has an African branch based in Uganda, with Fiona Kobusingye as its director. Bringing attention to the malaria crisis
405-558: A concrete wall. Flanagan was charged with attempted murder and other crimes but was acquitted on all counts. The Weathermen later produced a song mocking Elrod, a parody of Bob Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay", including the lines "Lay, Elrod, lay / Lay in the street for a while / Stay, Elrod, stay / Stay in your bed for a while." The Days of Rage cost Chicago and the state of Illinois about $ 183,000 ($ 100,000 for National Guard payroll, $ 35,000 in damages, and $ 20,000 for one injured citizen's medical expenses). Of Weather, 287 members were arrested during
486-500: A couple of days in jail, Naison was released on bail (by his comrades) with the assumption that he would contact a gym teacher at a local school to get the word out about the Days of Rage. Naison did not want to put his life on the line and be back in jail within the week. After tangling with members of the Weatherman, Naison ceased associating with the group. Naison was briefly investigated by
567-431: A draft board office, but they were overpowered by police when they tried to leave the park. Later that day, Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvie announced that he had called in over 2,500 National Guardsmen to "protect Chicago". The Weathermen cancelled protests that had been planned for that evening. The largest event of the Days of Rage occurred on October 10, when RYM II led an interracial march of 2,000 people through
648-447: A group, the three organizations collected volunteers that taught in the schools and the curriculum now included black history, the philosophy of the civil rights movement. During the summer of 1964 over 3,000 students attended these schools and the experiment provided a model for future educational programs such as Head Start . Freedom Schools were often targets of white mobs. So also were the homes of local African Americans involved in
729-521: A growing number of chapters on college campuses. In the South, CORE had active chapters and projects in Louisiana , Mississippi , Florida , South Carolina , and Kentucky . In 1944, Irene Morgan , an African American woman, was arrested for refusing to move from the front "white" seating section to the back "colored" seating section of a Greyhound interstate bus while traveling from Virginia to Maryland. After
810-786: A gym in a Harlem Park was something I was proud of at the time—and am still proud of now." Naison claims that his only regret in life has been not leaving Weatherman when they started talking about getting rid of monogamy. Naison has been on the faculty of Fordham University in New York City since 1970, where he is Professor of African American Studies and History, Director of the Bronx African American History Project, and has served as Director of Urban Studies . His most popular course at Fordham, "From Rock & Roll to Hip Hop: Urban Youth Cultures in Post War America",
891-399: A half-hour or so, the riot was over: 28 policemen were injured (none seriously), six Weathermen were shot (none fatally) an unknown number injured in other ways, and 68 rioters were arrested. Jacobs was arrested almost immediately. The next day a "Women's Militia" of around seventy women Weatherman members met at Grant Park, where Bernardine Dohrn addressed them. The plan was to raid
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#1733085203461972-724: A life membership to CORE. In 1973, Innis became the first American to attend the Organization of African Unity (OAU) as a delegate. In 1981, to settle illegal fundraising allegations under Roy Innis, CORE paid a $ 35,000 fine. CORE provides immigration services to immigrants in the preparation of petitions and applications to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services . CORE also provides classes for immigrants in fields such as English and American Civics in its center in Nevada . Winning victories in northern cities in
1053-569: A reported $ 40,000 from ExxonMobil ." In his book, Not A Conspiracy Theory: How Business Propaganda Hijacks Democracy , Donald Gutstein wrote that "In recent years CORE used its African-American facade to work with conservative groups to attack organizations like Greenpeace and undermine environmental regulation." Days of Rage Law enforcement The Days of Rage were a series of protests during three days in October 1969 in Chicago, organized by
1134-684: A summer of similar rides by CORE, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and other civil rights organizations and thousands of ordinary citizens. In the 1960s, the Chicago chapter of CORE began to challenge racial segregation in the Chicago Public Schools (CPS), addressing disparities in educational opportunities for African American students. By the late 1950s, the Chicago Board of Education 's maintenance of
1215-474: A tactic against racial segregation . The group was inspired by Indian nationalist leader Mahatma Gandhi 's support for nonviolent resistance . Indian writer and journalist Krishnalal Shridharani , who was known as a vibrant and theatrical public speaker, had been a protege of Gandhi—being jailed with him in the Salt March —and whose 1939 book War Without Violence heavily influenced the organization. During
1296-526: Is "to bring about equality for all people regardless of race, creed, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, religion or ethnic background." To combat discriminatory policies regarding interstate travel, CORE participated in Freedom Rides as college students boarded Greyhound Buses headed for the Deep South. As the influence of the organization grew, so did the number of chapters, eventually expanding all over
1377-460: Is an organization dedicated to non-violent philosophies and practices. In Louisiana , efforts were being made to increase voter registration among rural communities. Though their motives were noble, there was no national attention or support gathering around the work of the Louisiana members. As such, acts of violence or harassment against them often went unreported and the victims were not supported by
1458-625: Is co-founder of the Badass Teachers Association , a group dedicated to fighting the Common Core Curriculum and corporate influences on American education . Congress of Racial Equality The Congress of Racial Equality ( CORE ) is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States that played a pivotal role for African Americans in the civil rights movement . Founded in 1942, its stated mission
1539-566: Is documented in the 1966 short documentary film Cicero March , which was added to the National Film Registry in 2013. In 1966, James Farmer resigned as Director of CORE. He was replaced by Black Power advocate Floyd McKissick until 1968, when California activist Wilfred T. Ussery served a brief term as national chairman. He was replaced by Roy Innis , who was the National Chairman until his death in 2017. Innis initially led
1620-588: Is fraudulent." CORE has been criticized by environmentalist groups for its efforts promoting DDT use against malaria in Africa. A 2005 article in Mother Jones magazine accused the group of selling influence, writing that, "is better known among real civil rights groups for renting out its historic name to any corporation in need of a black front person. The group has taken money from the payday-lending industry, chemical giant (and original DDT manufacturer) Monsanto , and
1701-545: Is one of the organization's main activities. It has championed the use of DDT to fight the disease, and it has partnered with a variety of conservative and libertarian think tanks in this effort. In 2007, CORE organized a 300-mile walk across Uganda to promote DDT-based interventions against malaria. According to an interview given by James Farmer in 1993, "CORE has no functioning chapters; it holds no conventions, no elections, no meetings, sets no policies, has no social programs and does no fund-raising. In my opinion, CORE
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#17330852034611782-532: The FBI . According to his memoir, the FBI bugged his house electronically and tried to question his neighbors, who, however, refused to say anything about him. After three days, the FBI was satisfied that he was no longer in the Weatherman and they left him alone. Naison lost one of his dearest friends, Ted Gold , during the accidental explosion of a Greenwich Village townhouse by an amateur SDS bomb-making group. Kathy Boudin , in
1863-661: The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) helped organize the "Freedom Summer" campaign—aimed principally at ending the political disenfranchisement of African Americans in the Deep South. Operating under the umbrella coalition of the Council of Federated Organizations (COFO), volunteers from the three organizations concentrated their efforts in Mississippi. In 1962 only 6.7 percent of African Americans in
1944-738: The Vietnam War . These groups also voiced their opinions that they were not in support of the university making plans for the building of a gym in Morningside Park , and brought awareness to the lack of student involvement in discipline at Columbia University. In addition to these efforts, the Harlem chapter of CORE gathered food and resources in Hamilton Hall, for the impoverished to use as needed. On September 4, 1966, Robert Lucas and fellow members of CORE led activists through Cicero, Illinois, to pressure
2025-443: The "Days of Rage" demonstrations was not as broadly based as advertised, or as participants had hoped. About 800 Weatherman members showed up prior to October 8 and faced 2,000 police officers. No more than 300 were left willing to face the enormous gathering of police a second time around on the evening of Wednesday, October 8, 1969, in Chicago's Lincoln Park , and perhaps half of them were members of Weatherman collectives from around
2106-645: The 1940s and 1950s, CORE became active in the South with the lunch counter sit-ins of 1960. The following year CORE organized "Freedom Rides," sending black and white students south to disrupt segregated interstate bus service. Drawing much of its membership from college campuses, CORE kept up civil disobedience campaigns in the North as well as the South. They also organized activities in California, where they protested housing discrimination in San Francisco and Los Angeles, held
2187-608: The 1947 Journey of Reconciliation , only this time under a new name - the Freedom Ride . On May 4, 1961, male and female participants started their journey through the deep South , testing segregated bus terminals as well. The riders were met with severe violence . In Anniston, Alabama , one of the buses was fire-bombed and passengers were beaten by a white mob. White mobs also attacked Freedom Riders in Birmingham and Montgomery . The violence garnered national attention, sparking
2268-431: The 50 original founding members, 28 were men and 22 were women, roughly one-third of them were Black, and the other two-thirds white. Bayard Rustin , while not a founding member of the organization, was, as Farmer and Houser later noted, "an uncle to CORE" and provided it with significant support. The group had evolved out of the pacifist Fellowship of Reconciliation , and sought to apply the principles of nonviolence as
2349-481: The Board instated double shifts at some of the schools which helped with the overcrowding but provided new issues. Double shifts meant that students in affected schools attended less than a full day of class. In another measure to alleviate overcrowding at some schools, the Board sanctioned the construction of mobile classroom units. Moreover, a significant proportion of students dropped out before finishing high school. Faculty
2430-587: The Board to desegregate the schools pushed CORE towards separatism and away from desegregation efforts. The chapter collapsed in October 1968. In 1962, CORE set up a headquarters in Durham, North Carolina where upon arrival, local black women activists, including Sadie Sawyer Hughley , welcomed them into their homes. CORE worked with the local NAACP to organize pickets at Eckerd's Drug Store and Howard Johnson's . The goals were to increase employment opportunities for black workers and integrate local restaurants. In 1963,
2511-642: The Board to implement transfer plans to desegregate the schools. In July 1963, CORE staged a week-long sit-in and protest at the Board office in downtown Chicago in response to the Board's inaction. Finally, Board President Claire Roddewig and Willis agreed to meet with CORE to negotiate integration, but no significant changes came to the schools. During the mid-1960s, CORE turned towards community involvement, seeking to equip Chicagoans with ways to challenge segregation. Freedom Houses, transfer petitions, community rallies and meetings served to educate Chicagoans about segregation and provide them with tools to circumnavigate
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2592-550: The Brooklyn chapter of CORE used community-based activism which made it one of the most influential chapters in history. In 1964, the group held a Stall-In, deliberately preventing the flow of traffic to the World Fair with the goal of drawing attention to racial discrimination, which was one of their main focuses. Brooklyn's CORE's aggressive tactics would cause it to be suspended from the National CORE groups. Brooklyn's CORE used
2673-607: The Chicago Freedom Movement met with representatives of the city to negotiate in the summer of 1966, they agreed on ten fair housing reforms but did not discuss reforms to desegregate the schools. While CORE played no role in the housing summit, it had shifted towards promoting and developing Black power in Chicago. By the fall of 1966, CORE was no longer a civil rights organization, but a Black power organization. Changes in CORE's national leadership and continued inaction on behalf of
2754-722: The Columbia campus. Naison participated in the demonstration, but to distinguish himself from SDS members, he wore his athletic jacket and carried a sign saying "jocks for peace". In February 1968 Naison was arrested for civil disobedience at a protest on the Columbia campus at the proposed Harlem site for the new gym. In April of that same year, Naison's father and Martin Luther King Jr. died within two weeks of each other. Both of these deaths had profound impacts on Naison. At this point in his life he decided that he needed to be more involved in radical politics. Two weeks after King’s death there
2835-965: The Columbia chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) . CORE is a civil rights organization that was pivotal in the United States, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s. CORE was started in 1942 and was open to "anyone who believes that 'all people are created equal' and is willing to work towards the ultimate goal of true equality throughout the world." CORE quickly became one of the university's biggest political-action groups. He signed up to tutor and help organize tenants in East Harlem. He earned his BA and MA in American History at Columbia in June 1966 and June 1967, respectively. Naison went on to earn his Ph.D. in American History from Columbia in January 1976. By 1967, Naison
2916-622: The National Action. By the end of August, the differences between the Weathermen and Revolutionary Youth Movement II (RYM II) had emerged, leading to the resignation of RYM II leader and member of SDS Mike Klonsky from the Weatherman-controlled national office leadership. He accused the Weathermen of going back on the convention's mandate. Weathermen members Mark Rudd and Terry Robbins responded, saying that priority must be given to building an anti-imperialist youth movement. In
2997-587: The Power Is—Our Power Is In The Street". It was adopted by the council, prompted by the effects of the 1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity in August and reflecting Jacobs's advocacy of direct action as political strategy. In 1969, tensions ran high among the factions of SDS. The Weathermen were still part of the organization but differences were coming to the surface. "Look at it: America 1969" put forth SDS's bottom line regarding
3078-582: The United States. Some of CORE's main leadership had strong disagreements with the Deacons for Defense and Justice over the Deacons' public threat to racist Southerners that they would use armed self-defense to protect CORE workers from racist organizations, such as the Ku Klux Klan , in Louisiana during the 1960s. Others strongly supported the organization. By the mid-1960s, Farmer tried to incorporate elements of
3159-557: The University of Kentucky. Their inaugural sit-in on July 11, 1959, at the Varsity Village Restaurant near the University of Kentucky campus, attended by both black and white members, set a precedent for peaceful protest. Despite their nonviolent approach, resistance from store managers often resulted in violence. This led to training sessions that were in place to prepare demonstrators for physical and verbal abuse, which many of
3240-718: The Virginia state court upheld her conviction and arrest, Morgan's case was brought before the Supreme Court with Morgan v. Virginia on June 3, 1946. Initially, Morgan's legal team only included Spottswood Robinson III , but they were later joined by NAACP lawyers Thurgood Marshall and William H. Hastie . They used the Interstate Commerce Clause in the Constitution, which declared that states could not impose rules that interfered with passengers crossing state lines, as
3321-421: The campaign. That summer 30 black homes and 37 black churches were firebombed. Over 80 volunteers were beaten by white mobs or racist police officers. Three CORE activists, James Chaney , Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner , were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan on June 21, 1964 ( see Murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner ). These deaths created nationwide publicity for the campaign. CORE, at its heart,
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3402-442: The city of Chicago's white leaders into making solid commitments to open housing. Shortly before the march, Chicago city officials, including Mayor Richard J. Daley , negotiated a Fair Housing agreement with Martin Luther King Jr. , James Bevel , Al Raby and others in exchange for an end of demonstrations. Robert Lucas and other members of CORE felt that the march was strategically necessary and proceeded with it anyway. The march
3483-458: The city toward the Drake Hotel and the exceptionally affluent Gold Coast neighborhood, smashing windows in automobiles and buildings as they went. The rioters attacked "ordinary cars, a barber shop ... and the windows of lower-middle-class homes" as well as police cars and luxury businesses. The mass of the crowd ran about four blocks before encountering police barricades. The rioters charged
3564-514: The conditions of schools to various authorities, including the Board of Education (led by Superintendent Benjamin Willis), Mayor Richard J. Daley , the Illinois House of Representatives , and the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, advocating for improvements in educational equality. In addition, CORE attended the Board's school budget hearings, speaking against segregation and asking for
3645-533: The country. The crowd milled about for several hours, cold and uncertain. Tom Hayden gave a short speech, telling the protesters not to believe press reports that the Chicago 7 disagreed with their action. Abbie Hoffman and John Froines , other members of the Chicago 7, also came but decided not to speak and quickly left. Late in the evening, Jacobs stood on the pedestal of the bombed Haymarket policemen's statue and declared: "We'll probably lose people today ... We don't really have to win here ... just
3726-506: The country. Despite CORE remaining an active part of the fight for change, some people have noted the lack of organization and functional leadership has led to a decline of participation in social justice. CORE was founded in Chicago , Illinois, in March 1942. The organization's founding members included James Leonard Farmer Jr. , Anna Pauline "Pauli" Murray , George Mills Houser , Elsie Bernice Fisher , Homer A. Jack , and James R Robinson. Of
3807-510: The court system. On April 10, 1947, CORE sent a group of eight white men, including James Peck , their publicity officer, and eight black men, on what was to be a two-week Journey of Reconciliation through Virginia , North Carolina , Tennessee , and Kentucky , to test state’s compliance with the Supreme Court’s decisions regarding segregation within interstate travel. The group was composed of men only, to get around certain laws of
3888-562: The early and mid-1960s, chapters were organized on a model similar to that of a democratic trade union , with monthly membership meetings, elected and usually unpaid officers, and numerous committees of volunteers. In the South, CORE's nonviolent direct action campaigns opposed " Jim Crow " segregation and job discrimination, and fought for voting rights. Outside the South, CORE focused on discrimination in employment and housing, and also in de facto school segregation. " Jim Crow " laws are laws that enforce racial segregation and discrimination in
3969-453: The emerging Weatherman faction of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). The group planned the October 8–11 event as a "National Action" built around John Jacobs' slogan "bring the war home", which grew out of a resolution drafted by Jacobs and introduced at the October 1968 SDS National Council meeting in Boulder, Colorado . The resolution read, "The Elections Don't Mean Shit—Vote Where
4050-571: The emerging black nationalist sentiments within CORE—sentiments that, among other things, would quickly lead to an embrace of Black Power . Farmer failed to reconcile these tensions, and he resigned in 1966, but he backed his replacement, Floyd McKissick . By 1961 CORE had 53 chapters throughout the United States. By 1963, most of the major urban centers of the Northeast, Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, and West Coast had one or more CORE chapters, including
4131-471: The fact that we are willing to fight the police is a political victory." Jacobs' speech compared the coming protest to the fight against fascism in World War II . By this time there were around 350 protesters. Finally, at 10:25 p.m., Jeff Jones gave the pre-arranged signal over a bullhorn, and the Weatherman action began. John Jacobs, Jeff Jones, David Gilbert and others led a charge south through
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#17330852034614212-442: The fall of 1969. On a Saturday in October 1969 all that changed. Naison was in a park with a group of friends, and while there they met a group of teenagers. They started talking and soon learned that a café across the way would not serve them because they looked like hippies. Furious, Naison and the others marched into the café and demanded that they be served. The police were called and a fight ensued resulting in eleven arrests. After
4293-485: The historical context of the march. During his speech he said that "the forces opposing university expansion have the upper hand. Let's not leave this building until we get some serious concessions." During the protest, Naison realized that while he did not necessarily agree with SDS's contempt for white protesters, he also felt that their tactics in the gym protest were far more effective, a realization that led him to join SDS after
4374-577: The house at the time, had been one of his favorite contacts in the New York Collective, and she survived the blast. In his grief over the loss of Gold, Naison wrote a poem, published in Radical America , as a tribute to his fallen friend. "I remember Ted Gold best... "He is dead... Of a bomb meant for better targets..." Asked about his arrest during the Columbia incident, Naison replied, "Getting arrested to protest Columbia's attempt to build
4455-488: The members encountered at these early sit-ins. They used new strategies, such as the “integrated sandwich plan”, where African Americans would sit next to a white member and the white member would order them a sandwich. These acts were only available to them as they were a group that encouraged interracial cooperation. Overall, CORE's presence and outlook on protests catalyzed momentum for civil rights advancement in Kentucky. At
4536-468: The months before the Days of Rage, despite the tensions within SDS, many members of Weather/SDS worked non-stop in promoting the demonstration. Lyndon Comstock was sent, along with three other members, to Lansing, Michigan to organize and promote the event. Leaflets were printed and distributed to high school and community college students during the day, while at night members would spray paint anti-war graffiti on local school campuses. On October 6, 1969,
4617-461: The neighborhood school policy resulted in a pattern of racial segregation in the CPS. Predominantly black schools were situated in predominantly black neighborhoods on the south and west sides of the city, while predominantly white schools were located in predominantly white areas in the north, northwest and southwest sides of Chicago. Many segregated schools were very overcrowded. To ease this overcrowding,
4698-616: The neighborhood school policy. By 1966, the Chicago Freedom Movement , led by Martin Luther King Jr. , the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and Chicago's Coordinating Council of Community Organizations (CCCO), had assumed control over civil rights demonstrations and negotiations. While CORE was a member organization of the CCCO, it increasingly lost influence over desegregation efforts. And when
4779-458: The organization helped organize the famous March on Washington. On August 28, 1963, more than 250,000 people marched peacefully to the Lincoln Memorial to demand equal justice for all citizens under the law. At the end of the march Martin Luther King Jr. made his famous " I Have a Dream " speech. The following year, CORE along with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and
4860-721: The organization to strongly support black nationalism . However, subsequent political developments within the organization led it to support conservative political positions. The FBI 's " COINTELPRO " program targeted civil rights groups, including the CORE, for infiltration, discreditation and disruption. In August 1967, the FBI instructed its program "COINTELPRO" to "neutralize" what the FBI called "black nationalist hate groups" and other dissident groups. A CORE delegation toured seven African countries in 1971. Innis met with several heads of state, including Kenya ’s Jomo Kenyatta , Tanzania ’s Julius Nyerere , Liberia ’s William Tolbert and Uganda 's Idi Amin , all of whom were gifted
4941-468: The period in which CORE was founded, Gandhi's leadership of the independence movement in India against British colonial rule was reaching its apogee. CORE sought to apply the nonviolent anti-colonial tactics pioneered by Gandhi and his followers to successfully challenge racial segregation and racism in the United States through civil disobedience . In accordance with CORE's constitution and bylaws, in
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#17330852034615022-401: The police were ready, and quickly sealed off the rioters. Within 15 minutes, more than half the crowd had been arrested—one of the first, again, being Jacobs. Richard Elrod , a city attorney, was paralyzed after Weatherman member Brian Flanagan stomped his construction boot repeatedly on Elrod's neck. Elrod accused Flanagan of attacking him, while Flanagan maintained that Elrod simply hit
5103-590: The police, breaking into small groups, and more than 1,000 police counter attacked. The Washington DC contingent reached the hotel's front drive. Before any attempt to gain entrance to the hotel could be made, an unmarked car pulled up to the curb and began firing revolvers into the group of about fifteen unarmed rioters. Although many rioters had motorcycle or football helmets on, the police were better trained and armed; nightsticks were aimed at necks, legs and groins. Large amounts of tear gas were used, and at least twice police ran squad cars full speed into crowds. After only
5184-464: The prevailing tactic to argue her case. However, Virginia state courts did not find this argument convincing. Contrarily, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Irene and asserted that the Virginia Legislature could not impose segregation among interstate bus travelers. This landmark ruling would go on to inspire CORE members to seek out non-violent ways to push back against segregation outside of
5265-563: The public. Compounding this issue, both the national and local government felt no responsibility to protect these members or supply federal intervention. These underlying issues in Louisiana stirred up support among local CORE members for the idea of allowing armed self-defense within their ranks. The idea of armed-self defense would be supported by CORE co-founder James Farmer after an incident in Plaquemine, Louisiana. On September 1, 1963 local police of Plaqumine threatened to lynch Farmer after
5346-530: The regional offices and nationally. He participated in many protests and attended the SDS national convention in Chicago in 1969. When the group calling itself Weatherman was instituted at the SDS national convention in Chicago, Naison was there. Naison even joined another member of the group to sign a lease on a house in South Brooklyn. Naison participated in discussions for the Days of Rage to be held in Chicago in
5427-485: The same movement. One of the most notable collaborations with the NAACP was the successful challenge against Louisville’s residential segregation ordinance in the case Buchanan v. Warley on November 5, 1917. This victory marked a big turning point in the history of CORE, especially in the state of Kentucky. It attracted over 1,000 new members in Kentucky and was one of the first major civil rights victories. Although this
5508-498: The same time in New York City, the Harlem chapter of CORE was very active in supporting African Americans in New York. The Harlem chapter joined forces with Columbia University 's Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee , Mau Mau , and other Harlem residents in order to protest different causes that stemmed from institutionalized racism. One of these causes was the opposition of Columbia University's perceived complacency in surrounding
5589-428: The slogan "Jim Crow Must Go" to raise awareness about the unequal schooling that African American children faced at this time as well as the overall unequal treatment of African Americans. While this slogan was typically associated with the south because they had Jim Crow Laws , using it in the north allowed Brooklyn's CORE leaders to gain public acknowledgement that the north also had racial discrimination issues, just as
5670-405: The south did. CORE made significant strides in the civil rights movement in Kentucky, establishing its first chapter in Lexington in 1959. This chapter went on to be the strongest and longest-lasting chapter in Kentucky history. With other branches established in Louisville, Frankfort, Richmond, and Covington, CORE often collaborated with the NAACP and also other organizations that were a part of
5751-445: The state were registered to vote, the lowest percentage in the country. This involved the formation of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). Over 80,000 people joined the party and 68 delegates attended the Democratic Party Convention in Atlantic City and challenged the attendance of the all-white Mississippi representation. CORE, SNCC, and COFO collaborated to establish 30 Freedom Schools in towns across Mississippi. As
5832-558: The statue commemorating the policemen killed in the 1886 Haymarket affair in Chicago was blown up by a group including William Ayers . The blast broke nearly 100 windows and scattered pieces of the statue onto the Kennedy Expressway below; no one was ever arrested for the bombing. Weatherman found itself isolated from SDS, but maintained hopes that thousands would attend the mass demonstration in Chicago. Despite efforts to recruit youth and promote involvement, participation in
5913-673: The strike. After he joined, Naison was asked by Rudd to use his knowledge of African-American and labor movement history to argue that the nationalist impulse was a progressive force in African-American life in SDS's leadership's fight against the Progressive Labor Movement . The PLM (generally referred to as PL) included members of SDS who were arguing that black nationalism was reactionary and that no revolution could be built with separate black and white wings. By that fall, Naison had taken on an even greater role in SDS, both in
5994-400: The time that restricted the mixing of males and females. These participants then underwent rigorous training aimed at equipping them with the necessary skills to react non-violently, even in the face of violent behaviors. They would act out intense role-playing exercises to simulate real-life scenarios they may encounter, in an attempt to improve their resolve in the face of violence. Throughout
6075-406: The two-week period, they completed twenty-six demonstrations on buses or trains. Out of these twenty-six demonstrations, six resulted in arrests. The members of this group received a great deal of publicity, and this marked the beginning of a long series of similar campaigns. In the early 1960's, James Farmer resumed his position as executive secretary of CORE, with the objective of replicating
6156-536: Was a big moment in Kentucky history, the NAACP had initiated direct action protests in Louisville even before CORE entered the state. This offered a base for the members of the CORE chapters in Kentucky to work off of and helped make strides in the movements of CORE. CORE provided more interracial cooperation than other organizations, especially in the Lexington chapter, which consisted of mostly teachers and clergymen from
6237-492: Was another protest against the gym and again Naison participated. This time it was organized by the Columbia chapter of SDS and SAS (Student African-American Society). Mark Rudd , SDS's leader, urged the group (of almost 500) to seize buildings to make sure their voices were heard. They soon overtook Hamilton Hall , giving them leverage that no other demonstration had ever held. During the building occupation, Naison spoke briefly about
6318-420: Was happy as a child, Naison felt ostracized from his peers because his parents put such an importance on intelligence. Naison rebelled and turned to sports as an outlet and to help him fit in better with the neighbor kids. Naison entered Columbia University in the fall of 1962. By the end of his freshman year, he began to feel like he had to oppose racial segregation more actively. By the fall of 1963, he joined
6399-533: Was participating in anti-war activities sponsored by Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) . Although Naison was against the Vietnam War , he had objections to SDS's political style. He felt that they were too wrapped up in Marxist thinking and not concerned enough with the human aspect of the war. In the spring of 1967, SDS held a demonstration against the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) on
6480-455: Was segregated, and many teachers in predominantly black schools lacked full-time teaching experience compared to teachers in white schools. In addition, the history curriculum did not mention African Americans. According to CORE, "school segregation [was] a damaging bacteria, a psychological handicap, which [festered] a disease generating widespread unemployment and crime in Chicago". Between 1960 and 1963, CORE diligently wrote letters addressing
6561-472: Was the subject of an interview with him on National Public Radio . He has written over a hundred articles and published three books on urban history, African-American History , and the history of sports . Naison has also appeared on The O'Reilly Factor , Chappelle's Show , and the Discovery Channel 's The Greatest American . He has also been an outspoken critic of Teach for America . Naison
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