"We Shall Overcome" Original SCLC Meeting Notes Re: Voting Rights Act, Including Key Quotes by A. Young & B. Rustin

A legal pad, measuring 8.5" x 11.75", no place [possibly Selma or Atlanta], dated March 30-April 19, 1965. 20pp of notes, of 21 total sheets, along with 4 and a half loose sheets. Notes are in a variety of handwriting, although the bulk appears to be by Rev. Dr. Jesse Douglas, based on the handwriting and the archive it came from. The notes are for various Southern Christian Leadership Conference meetings - dates include March 30, April 1-2, April 9, April 18, and April 19. Recorded are important quotes from prominent members such as Andrew Young and Bayard Rustin. They also identify that Dr. Martin Luther King Sr. was present at the April 1-2 meeting, but if he made any comments they were not recorded. Below are examples of quotes, comments, and notes from various meetings:

(Page 3): "We shall overcome. 5 ch. St. Matt. - Scripture"
Executive Board Meeting of the S.C.L.C./Proposals to Boycott Ala. Products
NEW DIRECTION DEVELOPMENT - Andy Young & B. Rustin

Andy - Until 1954 we were dealing with legal quests after that human dignity…At the close of the St Augustine a new fase [sic] began - that of establishing a power base in our culture on the part of the Negro: this can be done through block voting. Thus the stress is on registration & the right to vote. This alone can insure [sic] participation in government by the Negro. If negroes are to have a voice in government it must be through political participation…

B. Rustin - There are 2 movements going on in this country. In the South, the right to vote: The unique thing about the march is that for the first time since 1887 the total power was put behind the negro to peacefully protest and the right to vote."

(Page 4): "The 2nd we need to see is that the fundamental job that was done in Birmingham has not been written up… S.C.L.C. Must: Make every church a precinct headquarters for voting…S.C.L.C. must be extremely careful in bringing economic pressure!"

(Page 6): "Operation 'Bread Basket' Atlanta. An effort to acquire new jobs…Bread Basket is worked by ministers primarily…ministers - select businesses to be dealt with - then committees are selected to confer with these businesses concerning their employment practices, salary scales, etc. When the local officials will not give the desired information then appeals are made at the home office monthly meetings."

(Page 8): "Harry Wantell & Mr. Fantray } Civil Rights Bill/The Administration Bill
Minimize the details which gives a voting Bill which is to be a good bill must be automatic. The Bill is intended to cover only the Hard Core area Ala. Miss. SC etc. The Bill covers the 6 states and 34 counties…Marching for inforcement [sic]."

(Page 10): "The Boycott
1. Prepare an introductory statement…the reasons for an economic boycott
2. Specifics of the boycott
3. The 123s we are seeking in sponsoring the boycott
…We have cause organizations, Union - Churches/ Labor - Youth at our disposal!"

There are an additional four loose sheets, numbered with names on them. Two of the sheets list the names, phone numbers, and addresses of Picket volunteers for an upcoming (August 3) boycott. The notepad is in remarkable condition, with slight toning at the edges and only minor soiling throughout. A few areas of creasing at the corners, else very fine.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his mentor Ralph Abernathy co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957. When voter registration was blocked in Selma, Alabama, the SCLC campaigned for national voting rights legislation, similar to those that had been won in Birmingham and St. Augustine with the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Numerous mass marches were held, with King and Abernathy both getting arrested on February 1, 1965. The first of the Selma to Montgomery marches, on March 7, saw a group of approximately 600 protestors clash with state troopers; news coverage dubbed the event "Bloody Sunday". The movement culminated on March 25th, where 25,000 people marched to the steps of the Alabama capitol and heard King speak. Five months later, the public pressure led to Congress and President Johnson passing the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Reverend Dr. Jesse L. Douglas was a civil rights pioneer in the 1960s who marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As one of the leaders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, he helped to organize the 1965 Selma to Montgomery march and later served as the fourth president of the Montgomery Improvement Association.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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