THE CORE OF THE MATTER

Vol. 1, No. 3

Published jointly by the Inter Civic Council, Inc., Tallahassee NAACP, and the Tallahassee CORE - 803 Floral Street - Tallahassee, Florida

Phone 222-0818

SEVENTY-FIVE FAST ON FRIDAYS

for

LUNCH COUNTER INTEGRATION

Seventy five Tallahassee Negroes and five whites have pledged themselves to fast each Friday until lunch counter integration is accepted by local brances of Woolworth, McCrory's, Sears, Neisner's, and Walgreen.

They fast in sympathy with a white youth who has conducted a hunger strike since May 7 to protest segregated local lunch counters.

Negro ministers leading the "fast for equality" include Rev. C. Kenzie Steele, Sr., Dr. James Hudson, Rev. Alexander Sherman, Father David H. Brooks and Rev. Henry M. Steele. Participants signed a pledge (reprinted on p. 2) which emphasized non violence and their desire "to love the persecutor while struggling to end persecution." Pledges were circulated at Bethel Baptist Church services and in the Inter-Civic Council Meeting May 21.

Samuel Roberts is fasting three days per week: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Roberts is a strudent at Florida A and M University (Negro).

Participants in the fast will gather each Friday at 7 p.m. for prayer or medication of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, 1405 Melvin Street.

POLAND'S HUNGER STRIKE REACHES 19TH DAY

Thursday, May 25 will be the 19th day without food for hunger striker Jefferson Poland, 18 protesting segregation of lunch counters by local brances of chain stores.

The white Unitarian youth, an admirer of Gandhi, hoppes to continue his strike until store managers agree to integration.

Tallahassee Inter-Civic Council, CJRE the Tallahassee NAACP appeal to equalitarians everywhere to write to the national offices of F.W. Woolworth (Woolworth Bldg., New York, N.Y.), McCrory's (Box 1084, N.Y.), Sears-Roebuck (925 S. Homan, Chicago 7, Ill.)

Walgreen (4300 Peterson Ave., Chicago 7, Ill.) and Neisner Bro. (Box 70, Rochester 2. N.Y.) to protest their continued segregation of lunch countes in Tallahassee and other Southern communities.

STEELE STARTS CONTINUES FAST TO MAKE BOYCOTT EFFECTIVE

Recognizing segregation as being a great evil against the dignity and worth of both the segregator and the segregated many of us across the south are determined to rid our nation of this awful malady.

My people here in Tallahassee have by their vote and voice selected me along with others to lead in the sturggle for first class citizenship. For the last year or more we have been trying to get our people to not patronize stores that have segregated lunch counters. There must be some shortcoming on my part to account for this failure. It is beacuse of this failure that I join my Brother Jefferson Poland in a hunger strike. It is my purpose to fast and pray until my people will unite with love and faith behind the fight for freedom.

C. Kenzie Steele, Sr.

VIOLENCE PROVOKED BY HUNGER STRIKE SIGNS

Two male Florida State University (white) students were beaten may 16 near FSu by white youth from Leon High School.

Pat Desrcey and Michael Gallagher sustained cuts and a possible bruised rib respectively, after they refused to remove a sign reading "Support CORE Hunger Strike for Equality." The students had posted similar signs in front of their apartment, which had been torn down and replaced repeatedly.

FSu Dean of Students, R.R. Oglesby, went to the area and spoke with students involved. They were "fine, sincere young people with fine deals, and I really appreciated talking with them," the dean commented. He added that he "did not want want students to be the object of violence."

May 25, 1961

THE CORE OF THE MATTER

Page 2

INTER CIVIC COUNCIL FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

Unity in our movement, love that meets and overcomes hate, and faith in the untimate victory of moral right were stressed by Rev. C. Kenzie, Steele, Sr., May 21 in his fifth anniversary message to the Intercivic Council.

"We must each and all be concerned for the welfare of each other," Steele said. "He who would destroy the good name, the reputation... of those who fight for freedom... he would divide us, confuse us, make us angry one at the other- is no friend to us nor the democracy for which we stand."

The Inter-Civic Council, Inc. was formed in May, 1956 to lead the bus protest. Current officers are Rev. C. K. Steele, president; Rev. K.S. Dupont, vice-president; Dr. M. C. Williams, secretary, and Rev. D. B. Speed, treasurer.

COMING EVENTS AT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY

Lectures, concerts, plays and other public event at FSU for the coming week are announced each Monday in This Week at FSu. Townspeople and FAMU students and faculty can receive and bulletin by mail by sending their names and addresses to Public Relations Office, Florida State University.

A smiliar FAMU bulletin, the SUBjector is available only on the campus.

PLEDGE TO FAST ON FRIDAYS FOR EQUALITY

DETERMINED that the struggle for equality at lunch counters in Tallahassee shall end only in success; and...

STRIVING to rid ourselves of all bitterness and vindictiveness; and to love the persecutor while struggling to end persecution;

WE PLEDGE ourselves to a fast, accopanied by prayer of meditation each Friday until at least one of the segregated establishements has desegregated its eating facilities or set a firm deadline for desegregation; and

WE APPEAL to our friends, to the members of our congregations and to men and women of good will everywhere to joing with us in fasting for equality to pray for the victory of love over hate, and to refrain from subsidizing segregation.

Together with sixty eight (68) others the following ministers have pledged to fast on Fridays:

Rev. David H. Brookes

Dr. James Hudson

Rev. Alexander Sherman

Rev. C.K. Steele, Sr.

Rev. Henry M. Steele

Rev. O. Smith

PLEASE SIGN AND RETURN TO THE INTER-CIVIC COUNCIL, 803 Floral Steet, Tallahassee.

P.O. Box 1003

Tallahassee, Florida

May 26, 1961

A PLEA FROM THE HEART

of

Charles Kenzie Steele, Sr.

Last spring our boycott of stores that segregate people because of race was almost perfected. Then started the rumor that certain stores had decided to serve Negroes and adopt a policy of fairness to all. This rumor caught the leadership off guard. So back to segregating stores many returned. I accept some responsiblity for this. Consequently, has come my decision to enter this continuous fast over prayer for unity, courage and non co-operation with stores that segregated us. My plea is that we only buy the things that we must have and that we trade not where we can't work and where we are not treated as equals.

I have great faith in our community. It is my conviction that if the best in both Negro and white people of Tallahassee would or could express itself, Tallahassee would become a democracy in truth in realty. To this end I fast and pray.

Yes, I have faith in you and you and you. I have faith in the power of love over hatred and prejudice. I have faith in the power and might of right to prevail over wrong and evil. If what I believe is not true, then life has no menaing and is not worth living.

Are you with me?

Yours for the Beloved Society,

C. Kenzie Steele, Sr.

Pastor - Bethel Baptist Church

President - The Inter-Civic Council, Inc.

President - Local Branch - NAACP

Vice-President - Southern Christian Leadership Conference

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