Black Activists Rally Against the “Power Structure” in Los Angeles (1966)

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that we'll realize it, and we're coming through. And we've opened the door for people to participate for themselves. And you see I think the greatest tribute to in a neighborhood center in this country is when a group of people will say to them, "No, I don't think this is the way we should do it." Mrs. Jones' dismissal led to new protests; civil rights groups called a rally and wanted to hold it at Wrigley Field, her headquarters. The city refused to let them use the big stadium and in fact the crowd that turned up hardly filled a parking lot. The militants always claim more followers than they have and predict larger crowds than they're able to turn out. - Everyone please come to the front. - Those who did appear ran the gamut to the new spokesmen for the poor: social workers, politicians, civil rights leaders, poverty workers. - The audience if you will please. - Those of you who were wondering why Mrs. Jones didn't say anything, you know times are very difficult now and it seems that if you say things that people misinterpret, you have all kinds of problems so we've heard it kind of remain silent

a while. - The first person who did speak was Mrs. Jones' associate and friend Mrs. Mary Henry. - I'd like to share one of two things with you this afternoon that I have gotten out of a book called The War on Poverty, which is a community action program booklet from the Office of Economic Opportunity which starts out by saying that "the central problem today is to protect," now hear me now, "The central problem today is to protect and restore man's satisfaction in belonging to a community where he can find security and significance." And this is why we're here today, this is what it's all about, that we're making efforts to establish a community where our people -- and when I say our people out that means all of us -- can find security and significance.

Through community action. Now community action isn't a new thing, it didn't just start last week when the eruption happened, but it started a long long time ago. I was just listening this morning to some programs on television where community action has been going on such a long long time that those of us who are just beginning to get involved in it need to know that what we're doing now is not particularly new but it is unique because it's happening to NAPP. NAPP is trying to forge ahead now in the field of getting people involved and doing things for people and people doing things with people and this is what community action is all about and this is what it's got to be. - Congressman Hawkins, supporting Mrs. Jones, had flown from Washington after her dismissal. - This is one of the few programs that is a grassroots program that comes close to arousing the people out of their letharfy and their indifference.

It is a program that is designed to take the people at the neighborhood level to listen to their problems and to do something about those problems. These programs are opposed by the local public officials for various reasons. [applause] If individuals begin to think for themselves and to do something for themselves they will begin to become involved in rent strikes, in political organization, in consumer education, in trying to do something to get jobs for themselves. Now this is what the Congress intended. We do not intend that the poverty money is going to be spent as another relief program to provide just temporary relief for individuals. And I want to tell you now that unless this mess in Los Angeles is cleaned up, we will strike our title to the bill completely. And we're going to give it, we're going to give it to federal agencies because we're tired of the local public officials knifing this program.

- The National Civil Rights Leadership was represented by CORE director Floyd McKissick.

Black Activists Rally Against the “Power Structure” in Los Angeles (1966)

The struggle for control of anti-poverty programs took on a racial dimension in the Black communities of the North and West. The second part of The Cities and The Poor from NET’s America’s Crises series focused on the bitter conflict that emerged in Los Angeles over the direction of the Neighborhood Adult Participation Project (NAPP), a federally-funded Community Action Agency that sought to provide employment and training to impoverished Los Angeles residents. NAPP’s Black leader, Opal Jones, was fired by the Executive Director of the larger Los Angeles welfare agency, Joe Maldonado, leading to a staff revolt. Protestors charged that Jones’ firing was part of a broader effort of the “power structure” to take influence away from poor, Black communities. This clip documents a protest that took place in 1966, in the shadow of the 1965 Watts Riots, and features activists wearing Malcolm X garb. Thus, War on Poverty programs provided one venue in which Black activists shifted their emphasis from the goal of integration and legal equality towards “Black Power.”

Cities and the Poor. Part 2 | Thirteen WNET | 1966 This clip and associated transcript appear from 34:57 - 39:06 in the full record.

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