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Civil rights and social justice activist shares his experiences
The SCSU African Students Association and Multicultural Student Services sponsored Dr. James Forman, a leader in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement and social justice activist, who spoke Thursday on "The Black Human Rights Struggle in the Past and Present" in the Atwood Ballroom.
Dr. Forman has been involved with African Studies since 1957. In 1960 he was elected to be on student government at Roosevelt University and later went on to Boston University to study African Studies, where he learned about Ghandi and the Indian government. From there he taught at the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, as a government professor. He later became concerned with organizing rehabilitation and felt that the best way to desegregate was to begin to concentrate on the right to vote.
Forman served first as executive secretary and then as international affairs director of the Student Non-violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) during the 1960s. He was actively involved in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Law of 1965.
Forman became involved with the Civil Project in 1964 and told how he spoke at Soldier�s Field by putting his life on the line for his people.
"I told the crowd that any of us could've been killed because of how advanced the programs were," Forman said. "If I were killed, it would've wanted them to spread 1/3 of my ashes over the Justice Department, 1/3 over the White House and 1/3 over Washington Park."
Three people of the project were murdered shortly after Forman's speech.
President Lyndon Johnson later heard the concerns of the Project and offered to come to Mississippi to see what the situation was and how he could help.
"I said, 'If Lyndon Johnson wants to help the Project, he should pass the 1964 Civil Rights Act,'" Forman said.
Johnson agreed and later passed the bill that ended segregation.
Forman has worked on many local, state and national political campaigns including the Mondale-Ferraro presidential campaign in 1984, the Dukakis campaign in 1988, and the Clinton-Gore campaigns in 1992 and 1996, and continues to be involved in such activities. In 1993 he worked toward passage of the National Voter Registration Act. He is also the first African American to run for office in the District of Columbia.
Forman serves as president of the Unemployment and Poverty Action Committee (UPAC), which is designed to combat the causes and effects of poverty and unemployment and has the long range goals of full employment, respect for the right of self-determination of all nations, the strengthening of the United Nations as a principal forum to resolve conflict and develop world peace, and deterring militarism and repression through arms control and disarmament.
In the short term, UPAC seeks equal rights for everyone, enactment and enforcement of U.S. civil rights laws, quality public school education for all students, equal access to adequate medical care and low cost housing, the protection of language rights for all nationalities and minorities in the U.S., and nationwide voter registration and education.
Author of the re-released book, "The Making of Black Revolutionaries," an autobiography originally published in 1972, Dr. Forman has a Ph.D. in Political History from The Union Institute in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Forman also expressed his concerns about the current black discrimination issue at SCSU.
"Try to have discussions about who is launching the attacks and what their problems are, because Africa is the richest continent in the world," Forman said. "Action must be made and people have to help to try to reduce the fights. If action comes from students and people's concerns, it is possible to have unity."
Near the end of the presentation, Deratu Abera, president of the ASA, presented a plaque to Forman for his accomplishments with the Civil Rights Movement, which was followed by a Q&A session.
"I found Dr. Forman�'s speech very intriguing and moving," said Jessica Middlestone, sophomore.
"It's cool that he has accomplished so much and was able to share his experiences with us," said freshman Ryan Johnson.
Kateri Wozny can be reached at: [email protected]
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