Leadership In the Civil Rights Movement

The Thin Line Between Good and Bad Leadership

On August 9, 2015 there was a memorial in Worcester remembering the police killing of Michael Brown. The event took place in Crystal (College) Park on the pond’s water edge. About 40 people came to the event.

Julius Jones a member of a group called “Black Lives Matter” organized the memorial. Denise Yancey who is a leader of the Boston Black Lives Matter group was a speaker. Carl Williams a member of the National Lawyer Guild and the ACLU also spoke. 

There was a moment of silence for Michael Brown and a libation for other people killed or murdered by the police.  A libation was held in which water from small bottles were poured into the pond.

Curiously there was something of a kerfuffle when Julius Jones and Denise Yancey told some of the demonstrators that their signs were not allowed. The demonstrators’ signs read “No Racist Police Murders”, and “Smash Racist Terror with Multiracial Unity.” The demonstrators were told that the event was not a political event.

The people with the signs who identified themselves as members of the Progressive Labor Party said that the murder of Michael Brown was the politics of racism and such racist murders should be stopped. The demonstrators kept their signs, but distanced themselves from Mr. Jones and Ms. Yancey. The memorial went on without further controversy.

Memorials for Michael Brow were held throughout the country, including Cambridge and Roxbury. The most militant memorial was in Ferguson MO. Make no mistake about it; these memorials were a part of a new civil rights movement that is not going away. 

The memorial in Worcester lagged behind the events in other parts of the country and state. The people who said “No Police Murders” were told in so many words that they were unwanted. The location of the event was far away from the public Main Street such that no one could see it; some people who attended had a hard time finding it. The speeches were politically weak. Ms. Yancey talked about her personal life. Mr. Jones talked of agape love. Mr. Williams talked about a Frederick Douglass’ moment when he felt most free.

There was no talk of a new civil rights movement to end the racist police murders that adversely affect all low income people, Black, Hispanic, and White.  No one spoke the need to end the school to prison pipeline.

Although well intended,  the event in Worcester lack the militant leadership needed to effectuate positive changes.

I wish the group being organized by Mr. Jones success, but that will only come from better leadership. The new civil rights movement needs it.