Lying Down With the Lions: A Public Life from the Streets of Oakland to the Halls of Power PDF
Preview Lying Down With the Lions: A Public Life from the Streets of Oakland to the Halls of Power
LyingDownwiththeLions Ronald V. Dellums Lying Down with the Lions APublicLife fromtheStreetsofOakland totheHallsofPower andH.LeeHalterman BeaconPress Boston BeaconPress 25BeaconStreet Boston,Massachusetts02108–2892 www.beacon.org BeaconPressbooksarepublishedundertheauspicesof theUnitarianUniversalistAssociationofCongregations. (cid:1)2000byRonaldV.Dellums Allrightsreserved PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica 07 06 05 04 03 02 01 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaperthatmeetstheuncoatedpaperANSI/NISOspecifications forpermanenceasrevisedin1992. Allphotographs,unlessotherwisenoted,arecourtesyoftheAfrican-AmericanMuseumand LibraryatOakland. TextdesignbyLucindaL.Hitchcock CompositionbyWilsted&TaylorPublishingServices LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData Dellums,RonaldV.,1935– Lyingdownwiththelions:apubliclifefromthestreetsofOaklandtothehallsofpower/ RonaldV.DellumsandH.LeeHalterman. p. cm. Includesindex. isbn0-8070-4318-4(cl.) isbn0-8070-4319-2(pbk.) 1.Dellums,RonaldV.,1935– . 2.Legislators—UnitedStatesBiography. 3.United States.Congress.HouseBiography. 4.UnitedStates—Politicsandgovernment—1945– 1989. 5.UnitedStates—Politicsandgovernment—1989– 6.UnitedStates—Social conditions—1980– 7.Civilrightsmovements—UnitedStates—History—20thcentury. 8.Berkeley(Calif.)—Politicsandgovernment. I.Halterman,H.Lee. II.Title. e840.8.d45a3 2000 328.73(cid:1)092—dc21 [b] 99-32097 Wededicatethismemoir tothosewhohavestruggledthroughoutthemodernera tobringpeaceandjusticetoournationandtheworld; theiranonymouseffortshavemadepossiblethevictoriesforchange thatcharacterizedthe1960s and weofferourgratitude tothosewhoweregentlewarriorswhileservingonthestaff ofCongressmanDellumsbutwhohavenowdepartedthisEarth: DonaCutting,CarmenFlores,RichardH.‘‘Max’’Miller,BeverlyNickens, MaryThomas,andJoyceWilliams and withlove toourchildren,Pam,Brandy,Erik,Piper,Joshua,Alexander,andKimiko Contents Introduction 1 Chapter1 YouCanMakeItOut 9 Chapter2 SitDown,Man—We’reGoingtoWinThis 27 Chapter3 RevolutionInsidetheSystem 50 Chapter4 ChallengingtheNation 93 Chapter5 TheStruggleagainstApartheid 121 Chapter6 WagingPeace 149 Chapter7 KeepingtheFaith,FightingforChange 195 AfterwordbyH.LeeHalterman 202 Acknowledgments 208 Index 211 Introduction Movementsexplainmypubliclife.Withouttheprogressivecausesofthe 1960sand1970stobeaccountableto,Ineverwouldhaveembarkedupon the odysseythat became three decadesof service in electiveoffice. As a child,Ihadneversoughtleadershippositionsinschool.Asanadult,Ihad chosenacareerpaththatsatisfiedmyneedtocontributetothebetterment ofcommunitythroughsocialworkandcommunityorganizing.Recruited togotoBrandeisUniversityforaPh.D.,Iwasthrilledattheprospectof contributingmyideasandexperiencestothemainstreamofprogressive thoughtandtotheexpandingtraditionofAfricanAmericanintellectual expression. Attheendofthetwentiethcentury,manifestlyaperiodofindividual- ism, it may seem odd to hear that somebody would drop his plans and changehislifebecausethecommunitycalleduponhimforservice.In1967 it seemed the most logical thing in the world—irresistible, compelling, andurgent.Withoutamovementtomakethedemand,apoliticalcareer wouldhavebeentoopersonalaquestandoneforwhichIfeltneitherdes- tinednorprepared. Formethedecisivemomentcameduringaperiodofextraordinarily intensepoliticalactivisminAmericanlife.Societyseemedmobilizedon everyimportant issuethatconfrontsus. Theactivistsand supportersof long-standing causes, such as the women’s and civil rights movements, seemed to dig deeper for strength and determination. Confronted with thefailuretoachievethroughestablishedpoliticalandjudicialchannels thefundamentallibertiesandracialequalitypromisedintheConstitution andtheBillofRights,peoplewerebecomingangry,andoftentheirrage 1 lying down with the lions boiledoverintorebellion.ThenightlynewsseemedtoechotheDeclara- tionofIndependence’scataclysmicproclamation:‘‘[W]heneveranyForm ofGovernmentbecomesdestructiveoftheseends’’—ofsecuringthe‘‘un- alienable’’rightsandlibertyofthepeople—‘‘itistheRightofthePeople toalterortoabolishit.’’ Butinadditiontoanger,therewashope.Certainlyformanythelate 1960sandearly1970sseemedlikethedawnofanewera,oneduringwhich thewrongsofsomanycenturiescouldfinallyberighted.Inthatsense,the leadersofitsmovementssawthemselvesastheheirstotherevolutionaries whofoundedthenation,theabolitionistsandsuffragetteswhofoughtto realize the promise of liberty for all citizens, and the labor leaders who foughtforequityanddignity. Despiteourunderstandingofthelongdurationofthesestruggles,we wantedpeace,andwewanteditnow;wewantedfreedom,andwewanted itnow;wewantedjustice,andwewanteditnow.Inshort,wewereagener- ationofpeopleinahurry,impatientwithlingeringoppressionandwith thepoliticalinstitutionsthatseemedunwillingtomakethechangesnec- essarytoendthatoppression.Hundredsofthousandsofpeoplewouldmo- bilizetofightinjustice,toendwars,topromoteequality,andtoendpov- erty.Itwashardtobeabystander,and,intheeyesofsome,bystanderswere agentsagainstchange—a‘‘partoftheproblem.’’LikethatoftheCivilWar acenturyearlier,thissocialschismwoulddividefamiliesasthefabricof oursocietybegantounravel. The political and social conflict that gripped the nation, indeed the world, reached a fever pitch in my community of Berkeley, California. WithinthecauldronoftheBayArea,allofthemovementsforsocialprog- resshadsignificantconstituencies.Theirmilitancywaspalpable,andthe demand to ‘‘be part of the solution’’ certainly forced one to defend any decisionnottobecomeinvolved.In1967IranforaseatontheBerkeley CityCouncil—andwon.OnceIwasapublicofficial,Ifeltitmydutyto listencarefullytotheprotesters.Iheardthelegitimacyofmanyoftheir demandsandworkedtofurtherthesecauses.Iagreedtocampaigntogo toWashingtonastheU.S.congressionalrepresentativefrommydistrict onlybecauseIwaswillingtobeavoiceforthesemovements. While many with whom I shared governance on the Berkeley City CouncilandthenlaterinCongresswoulddecrytheprotests,demonstra- tions,andotherexpressionsofoutrageasadiscordantnoise—incoherent andstrident—Iheardachorus.Iheardharmonyintheclaimsforequality 2
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