EDITOR: The following is excerpted from “No Ordinary Time” by Doris Kearns Goodwin and serves to show that, no matter how enlightened and well meaning, elected leaders need pressure through political activism to bring about important reforms:
“That June of 1941, a storm was gathering in the black community. Though some progress had been made in opening doors to blacks in the armed forces, discrimination in the mushrooming defense industry continued unabated….
“The fundamental unfairness of the situation led A. Philip Randolph t a radical change in thinking….The time had come, Randolph argued, setting the strategic stage for the civil-right movement of later decades, to mobilize the power and pressure that resided, not in the few, not in the intelligentsia, but in the masses…Randolph formed a national March on Washington Committee with branches in eighteen cities. Within days, [his] Sleeping Car Brotherhood [union] was out on the streets, approaching people in churches and schools, shops, and bars, publicizing the march, and raising money to finance the movement…
“[At a White House meeting, RANDOLPH]: ”Mr. President, we want you to issue an Executive Order making it mandatory that Negroes be permitted to work in these plants.’
“[FDR]: ‘Well, Phil, you know I can’t do that..In any event I couldn’t do anything unless you call off this march of yours…’
“[RANDOLPH]… ”I’m sorry Mr. President, the march cannot be called off.’
“[FDR]: ‘How many people do you plan to bring?’
“[RANDOLPH] ’One hundred thousand, Mr. President’ …
‘“The president signed Executive Order 8802 on June 25. The order called upon both employers and labor unions ‘to provide for the full and equitable participation of all workers in defense industries, without discrimination because of race, creed, color or national origin.’”
