Viewing page 13 of 15

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

Transcription: [00:27:10]

{SPEAKER name="James Forman"}
Now there's going to be a mass meeting at Tabernacle Baptist Church on Monday at eight o'clock, and tomorrow night there will be this clinic at Northern Heights Presbyterian Church.
[00:27:21]

{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}It's a voting clinic where we're gonna go over the form, but even if you don't come to the clinic, which you should. Get your neighbors down there Monday morning.
[00:27:31]

{SPEAKER name="Speaker 1"}
Now we can. Some of us gonna have to take off a half a day and some of us going to have to take off a day. But we got to get down there.
[00:27:39]

{SPEAKER name="James Forman"}
See we got to get down there cos the white man has said if I let you register the first and third Monday then the negro gon' be so drunk after the weekend he ain't gon' wanna come down. That's what he saying.
[00:27:53]

{SPEAKER name="James Forman"}
And he said we make it from 9 to 5 he gonna be so busy working during that time he ain't going to get down there so we got to make it- we got to prove to him he's a liar.
[00:28:05]

{SPEAKER name="James Forman"}
Brother Gildersleeve wants to say something to you. I hate, I would hate to say that-that, well I won't say that. Let us just be there Monday morning.
[00:28:16]

{SPEAKER name="James Forman"}
Cos it's very, very important. Bring some baloney sandwiches with you. You know cos we want to be there all day. If necessary. My Brother Gildersleeve.
[00:28:28]

{SPEAKER name="Brother Gildersleeve"}
This is a very important announcement I just left Birmingham I was at a Democratic Conference there and they asked me to make a report on Selma and I thought we were moving on.
[00:28:45]

{SPEAKER name="Brother Gildersleeve"}
We had a large number planning to go down Monday morning. To register to vote and I hope you won't let me down, I've committed myself and I told them that this county was on the move.
[00:28:53]

{SPEAKER name="Brother Gildersleeve"}
Are we?
[00:28:53]

{SPEAKER name="Audience"}
Yeah.
[00:28:56]

{SPEAKER name="Brother Gildersleeve"}
Yeah, and now let me-let me, if we on the mover now let me see your hands everybody who planning to go down on Monday?
[00:29:04]

{SPEAKER name="Brother Gildersleeve"}
That's good, and this- That's good. Now another point, announcement. Now listen to this very carefully. Listen now.
[00:29:11]

{SPEAKER name="Brother Gildersleeve"}
The state is bringing something for us the first of the year and I was told to tell you about this. And this gon' make you take a test for, equivalent to high school and we don't, we gonna have to vote on it. We not qualified to vote against this thing it's gonna pass, and that's gon' set us back [inaudible] but it will take us back several years, if not knocked down it will pass if we don't become registered voters before that time before it pass. Everybody have to be on their high school ready level in order to pass, this test before they vote.
[00:29:49]

It's very [[??]] gon be sure to emphasise this and you see most of the white people already qualified to vote anyway. So if we don't get out and get qualified then that will set us back many more years.
[00:30:05]

{SPEAKER name="Brother Gildersleeve"}
[[??]] years already been set back. Now this is very serious.
[00:30:10]
After Mr. [[??]] coming all the way from Chicago, down here to [[??]] and [[??]] like Mr. Foreman and others.
[00:30:17]
We ought to show some [[??]] in ourselves and not let somebody else show more interest in us than we have in our own selves and [[??]] our own children.
[00:30:25]
Now if you don't go down there and raise the vote, what you actually saying,
[00:30:30]
I don't want to have any better jobs. I want the white man to have 'em.
[00:30:35]

{SPEAKER name="Unknown Speaker"}
Yes.
[00:30:35]

{SPEAKER name="Brother Gildersleeve"}
And I don't want my children to have a better education.
[00:30:40]
When you vote, you see, you can vote for the man gon' get these things for us.
[00:30:44]
And I want you to please keep that in mind.
[00:30:48]
I'm pleading with you. And I have been [[??]] for two weeks.
[00:30:52]
Now, if you let me down, I gon' feel like being your [[??]] for two more weeks.