Freedom Road: Women for Obama

"The Selma of the North": Civil Rights Insurgency in Milwaukee

Between 1958 and 1970, a distinctive movement for racial justice emerged from unique circumstances in Milwaukee. A series of local leaders inspired growing numbers of people to participate in campaigns against employment and housing discrimination, segregated public schools, the membership of public officials in discriminatory organizations, welfare cuts, and police brutality.

The Milwaukee movement culminated in the dramatic—and sometimes violent—1967 open housing campaign. A white Catholic priest, James Groppi, led the NAACP Youth Council and Commandos in a militant struggle that lasted for 200 consecutive nights and provoked the ire of thousands of white residents. After working-class mobs attacked demonstrators, some called Milwaukee “the Selma of the North.” Others believed the housing campaign represented the last stand for a nonviolent, interracial, church-based movement.

Patrick Jones tells a powerful and dramatic story that is important for its insights into civil rights history: the debate over nonviolence and armed self-defense, the meaning of Black Power, the relationship between local and national movements, and the dynamic between southern and northern activism. Jones offers a valuable contribution to movement history in the urban North that also adds a vital piece to the national story.

Buy it here!

Spread the word...

Blurbs:

Think you know the full story of the civil rights era? Patrick Jones's masterful study of the movement in Milwaukee will make you think again. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, The Selma of the North provides a devastating rebuttal of many of the conventional narratives of the civil rights movement. Here a vibrant nonviolent movement in the de-industrializing Midwest grows into a Black Power movement led by urban youth and a white Catholic priest who use confrontational direct action to lay bare the fissures of racial inequality in the 'liberal' North.
--Jeanne Theoharis, Brooklyn College, editor of Freedom North and Groundwork

A well-researched, well-written, and important history. Based on a rich array of sources, this book enhances our understanding of civil rights activism in the postwar urban North and establishes a useful foundation for the comparison of similar developments elsewhere in the country.
--Joe William Trotter, Jr., Carnegie Mellon University, author of Black Milwaukee

This book fills a serious gap in the literature of the civil rights revolution, joining studies on other cities in laying the groundwork on race and civil rights in the postwar urban North. Jones tells a good story, capturing events that might otherwise be lost to history.
--Arnold R. Hirsch, University of New Orleans, author of Making the Second Ghetto

The Selma of the North is an insightful and invigorating addition to the growing literature on black freedom struggles outside of the South. Jones's important and informative account writes Milwaukee back into the narrative of the civil rights-Black Power era and in the process expands our understanding of postwar America.
--Peniel E. Joseph, Brandeis University, author of Waiting Till the Midnight Hour

The Selma of the North is a riveting new story of the civil rights movement in America, a tale on par with Selma, Birmingham, and Montgomery in its power and importance. Jones's magisterial research and magnetic prose illuminate the untold story of the battle for the urban north in the 1960s, a battle that shows how race has always been the Achilles heel of white progressives. This story transcends easy dichotomies of black and white, North and South, radical and reformist. How did a group called 'the Commandos' define nonviolence? How did a white Catholic priest become a 'Black Power' leader? If this is not a saga for the age of Obama, I don't know what is.
--Timothy B. Tyson, Duke University, author of Radio Free Dixie and Blood Done Sign My Name

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

The Violence Against Women Act: Thanks, Joe...

When it comes to women's rights in this election, only one ticket measures up: Obama/Biden.

Here is a recent statement by Women for Obama:

Senator Biden will hold a conference call with 500 advocates and victims who are activists against violence against women to announce the 2 millionth call to the Domestic Violence Hotline that he helped create this afternoon.

Approximately 1,400 women a year – four every day – die in the United States as a result of domestic violence. And 132,000 women report that they have been victims of a rape or attempted rape, and it is estimated that an even greater number have been raped, but do not report it.

Biden wrote and passed the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) which is the strongest legislation to date that criminalizes domestic violence and other forms of violence against women, provides victims with the support they deserve, and holds batterers accountable. Signed into law in 1994, the bill funds and helps communities, nonprofit organizations, and police combat domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

VAWA establishes a sexual assault services program and provides education grants to prevent domestic violence. Since VAWA was enacted, over 2,500 separate shelters, centers, and outreach offices have been established and the National Domestic Violence Hotline has received over 2 million calls. Shining a spotlight on this violence has resulted both in better supports for victims, and lowering the incident rate of domestic violence by 60%.

Barack Obama and Joe Biden will make ending violence against women and children a White House priority.

Chelsea Wilson was abused and because of the Violence Against Women Act, she was able to make sure that her abuser went to jail for 25 years. She now feels safe and can take care of her son without worrying about being attacked again. She shares her story in the video below...

Hotline advocates are available for victims and anyone calling on their behalf to provide crisis intervention, safety planning, information and referrals to agencies in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you or someone you know is frightened about something in your relationship, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224. For more information visit www.ndvh.org.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

ACTION ALERT! Postcards for Obama

Since Governor Palin's acceptance speech at the RNC convention in a locked-down St. Paul a week or so ago, there has been a lot of frustration and outrage on the liberal, progressive, left at her insult toward community organizing. Similarly, there has been a lot of hand-wringing and nervous worrying over the last week about the tightening of the presidential race, the daily tracking poll horse-race, and the increasing sliminess of the McCain/Palin campaign.

Well, there is an antidote for all of this: COMMUNITY ORGANIZING, or ACTION! This thing is far from over and we shouldn't get all defeatist at this critical moment. It was never going to be easy. So, over the next 6-7 weeks, we need to be concrete and energetic in our attempt to win this election and bring some kind of sanity back to our government. The stakes are even higher than they were in 2000 or 2004!

In that spirit, here is one really, really good, concrete idea that anyone, anywhere can do to help the cause:

Postcards for Obama in Ohio
(This is awesome and could be easily duplicated in other swing states...)

Invite some folks over to your house for a postcard writing party and help the Obama/Biden ticket in Ohio.

Here is how it works: Get your friends and family to send 10 postcards each to the address below and the folks there will mail them to voters in Ohio. To make it fun, you might consider inviting a few friends over to have a postcard writing session while you eat pizza or drink a beer. And I know of one person who is going to a block party this weekend, so she went out and bought a bunch of postcards to bring along for people to fill out there. There are all kinds of creative ways to gather postcards!

Please remember how important Ohio is and that it is one of the states where GOP voter fraud was blatant in 2004. Just a couple of lines on 10 postcards showing off your home state might make all the difference in the world! Your investment on postage if you send 10 cards will only be $2.70 plus 10 postcards, which are usually 25-50 cents at your local drugstore. And it is easy; it's possible to write a short note 10 times in an hour or so. Of course, feel free to write and send more than 10, too, but 10 is a good base.

Here is a more detailed step-by-step:

STEP ONE: Purchase 10 or more postcards representing your city, state or region. Get ones that have a significant monument or iconic image from your state. Purchase 27 cent stamps for each card.

STEP TWO: Write a brief, to the point message no more than 2-4 sentences long. Here is some sample language: "Dear Fellow Voter, I am voting for Barack Obama because he will get us out of the war in Iraq sensibly and will push out the special interests that have dominated our politics for too long. For a better economy, more affordable health care, better schools, a healthy environment, and a more sane foreign policy, there is really only one choice in this election. The Obama/Biden ticket presents the only chance to change directions from the tragedy of the last 7+ years of Bush/Republican dominance. Please vote for Barack on November 4 and spread the word! Sincerely, (Sign Your First Name, City and State)"

STEP THREE: Stamp each card, leave the return address and mailing address areas on each card blank (the cards will be addressed by volunteers), and mail all of your postcards together in an envelope(s) or box to:

WFO Post Card Campaign
193 E. Rich Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215

Women for Obama (WFO) suggests that you please mail your postcards by September 20, 2008, but I suspect you could still send them through early October. They need to have volunteers address them and send them, so they need some time on their end, too.

There is evidence that these types of personal, grassroots outreach efforts are effective. So, get involved. Make a difference. Be a part of history... write to Ohio this week!

Yes We Can!!! Happy Writing!

(forward this link to ten of your friends)

Freedom Road

My Book: