ɫ��ɫ

Civil Rights Speeches at ɫ��ɫ College

By Michael Erickson '21

Between the 1960s into the 2000s, a number of notable civil rights activists visited ɫ��ɫ College to speak about subjects of race, gender, and poverty. They spoke to the ɫ��ɫ community about the civil rights injustices happening in the United States. 

Using recordings from the ɫ��ɫ College Archives, which have recently been digitized, this exhibit seeks to share with the ɫ��ɫ College community the ideas, opinions, and issues that past students were concerned with during their time at ɫ��ɫ College.

*Please note that many of these recordings contain language that some will find objectionable. These lectures are not intended for children.

 

Dick Gregory was an author, comedian, and a civil rights activist, who spoke at ɫ��ɫ College on October 29, 1968 in Johnson Hall. He came to ɫ��ɫ College as a convocation speaker and since he was running for President of the United States at the time, he spoke about civil rights issues.

Dick Gregory, spoke about the Vietnam War, capitalism, and race relations. He had a strong opposition to the Vietnam War, and as a presidential nominee, he promised that would recall the soldiers deployed to Vietnam if elected. He spoke about how he viewed capitalism as a major barrier in the United States because the government is more concerned with creating revenue than protecting human rights. He then gave the example of how looting was an illegal way for African American people to protest civil rights violations, yet the American government would shoot the looters, while other criminals would not be shot because protecting “capitalism is more important, and human rights are secondary.” 

 

Dr. Luba Holowaty was a professor of Political Science at Cedar Crest College. She spoke at ɫ��ɫ College on April 17, 1975 about the lack of female representation in politics in comparison to men. 

Luba Holowaty discusses her topic “Women in Politics”, and illustrates how only 65 women had served in the U.S. House of Representatives at that point, and only 10 women were senators. She points out how at that time, no women had a place in the senate, even though women make up approximately fifty percent of the population. She also highlights how only two women had served on the President’s Cabinet up until then and only four women had held the position of governor in various states. 

Dr. Holowaty argues that politics have traditionally been seen as a “man’s world” and that throughout history, men have not been willing to have women in political positions, thus discouraging many women from trying. She also points out that women’s rights organizations have advocated for changes for years, but have not achieved the results because the government and other institutions are largely dominated by men. She therefore argues that women must adopt an active attitude, advocate for a more equal sex ratio in the political system, and run for political offices.  

 

Marilyn French was an author known for her book The Women’s Room. She spoke about the oppression of women at ɫ��ɫ College on September 26, 1979, which she contributed to patriarchal structure, expected gender roles, and the underrepresentation of women in the United States Government. 

In her speech, she gives a historiographical account of the oppression of women beginning with an account from the Book of Genesis of how God took a rib from Adam in order to create Eve. She then outlines from early history how patriarchy has been the main form of structure in society, causing women to not be seen as equals to men. From a patriarchal society, she discusses the roles that men and women are expected to have. She gives the example that men are expected to hold a job and be the provider for their family, while a woman is expected to do the childrearing, cooking, cleaning all without compensation. She said “Women are like slaves since they perform these domestic roles without pay.” From her analysis, she argues that the Gender Movement in the 1960s aligned with her message on how women wanted to be treated equally to men.    

 

Julian Bond was the former chairperson for the NAACP, former two-term member of the Georgia State House of Representatives, and was serving as a Senator for the state of Georgia when he spoke at ɫ��ɫ College on October 5, 1982.

Senator Julian Bond gave a speech to the student body on the topic of racism and hate crimes in the United States committed by the Ku Klux Klan (KKK).  In his speech, Julian Bond examines the history of the KKK, the destruction that it has had on the African American community, and exposes how the modern day KKK is trying to fool the public into believing that they are a tolerant and non-violent group despite their extensive and well documented history of committing hate crimes such as mass lynchings, floggings, and burning churches that have killed children. He refers to members of the organization as “domestic terrorists” who are behind a mass genocide being committed on the African American community and he argues that “the concept of racism is still alive in the United States, and the KKK are the proof of this racist ideology.”

 

Gloria Steinem was a journalist and a political activist for women. She visited ɫ��ɫ College on September 9, 1987 to speak out about various types of sexism and discrimination towards women.

In her speech, Gloria Steinem says she is against hierarchy, which sees as the basis of patriarchy in society. She talks about the history of feminism, which she divides into “two waves.” The first wave she defines as the women’s suffrage movement which sought to achieve a majority opinion that women are equal in society (they deserve equal pay to men, reproductive rights, equal parental rights, maternity leave, etc.), while the second wave of feminism, which she defines as 1960s-1980s seeks to actually make institutions realize those rights. She argues that institutional change is something that society needs to work on and concludes by inviting people to share their activism and ideas on ways to organize and work towards realizing actual equality.

 

Mary Frances Berry was the Chairwoman of the US Commission for Civil Rights from 1993-2004. She spoke at ɫ��ɫ College on April 1, 1987 about the lack of protection from the U.S. government in terms of disability rights, racial protection, and the effects of poverty on young children.  

Mary Frances Berry argues that economic productivity, access to education, and civil rights enforcement are the factors in order to promote equality. She talks about the racial biases and violent hate crimes being committed in the United States, even at higher education institutions. And she points out that there is a lack of enforcement of civil rights, such as Title X, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, due to insufficient funds and training. Mary Francis Berry also talks about poverty and how children are affected the most by poverty and argues that the government needs to intervene and do more to fix the problem. 

*Image from University of Pennsylvania website. (2021).

 

Fredrick P. Rooney, class of 1975, is a U.S. Army veteran, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and a successful lawyer who established a private, community based, bilingual law firm in Bethlehem in 1986. Mr Rooney was recognized by the Pennsylvania Bar Association for his pro bono work, and was also awarded the ɫ��ɫ College Haupert Humanitarian Award for his dedication to issues of justice in 2002. On February 28, 2000, he returned to ɫ��ɫ College and spoke about civil rights in terms of poverty, unequal access to legal counsel for people who do not speak English, and how we need to take more of an active role to combat this social injustice. 

In his speech, Fred Rooney relates how his time at ɫ��ɫ was largely focused on partying, but after spending a year studying abroad in Latin American countries where he witnessed extreme widespread poverty, especially among children, his mindset was forever changed. After returning home, he attended law school and devoted his life to helping the impoverished, specifically in the Spanish speaking community where people were being discriminated against and are unable to do anything because they afford a lawyer. Mr. Rooney even speaks of his own personal experiences with the effects of poverty, such as not being able to afford childcare, as a result of working as a public defender and doing pro bono work for under-served communities. Yet, he also encourages students to explore beyond Bethlehem, and learn about the effects of poverty.

 

The Rev. James M. Lawson II, renowned civil rights leader and non-violent change advocate spoke at ɫ��ɫ College on April 23, 2015. He presented a speech titled, "Where do we go from here." At the conclusion of the lecture, the College granted Rev. Lawson an honorary degree—Doctor of Humanities.