Black Manifesto Demands $500.000,000 in Reparations
Diocesan Press Service. May 1, 1969 [77-4]
NEW YORK, N.Y. -- A manifesto demanding $500,000,000 from the white Christian Churches and Jewish Synagogues of the United States as reparations to American blacks was served today (May 1) upon the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church in New York City.
The Rev. Lucius Walker, director of the Inter-Religious Foundation for Community Organization. and James Forman, of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee led a delegation of 25 members of the Black Economic Development Conference in a meeting with the Rt. Rev. Stephen Bayne and the Rt. Rev. J. Brooke Mosley, national Episcopal Church leaders.
Mr. Walker said the demands upon the Churches and Synagogues read to Bishop Bayne and Bishop Mosley at an informal press conference have not yet been endorsed by the board members of I. F. C.O. He said a special board meeting to consider the Manifesto has been called for next week.
The Manifesto adopted at a Black Economic Development Conference sponsored by I. F. C. 0O. and held in Detroit a week ago included the following demands:
1. The establishment of a Southern land bank ($200,000,000).
2. The establishment of four major publishing and printing industries ($40,000,000).
3. The establishment of TV network of four stations in Detroit. Chicago, Cleveland and Washington, D.C. ($40, 000,000).
4. Research skills center ($30,000,000).
5. The establishment of a training center in communications ($10,000,000).
6. Assistance for the organization of welfare recipients ($10,000,000).
7. A National Labor Strike and Defense Fund ($20,000,000).
8. An International Black Appeal to assist in the establishment of cooperative businesses ($20,000,000).
9. The establishment of a Black University in the South ($130,000,000).
10. Allocation of I. F. C.O. planning funds to implement the demands of the Black Economic Development Conference.
The Manifesto sets May 4, 1969, as the date for beginning a program of disruption of "racist" Churches and Synagogues throughout the United States.
It also says:
"We call for the total disruption of selected Church-sponsored agencies operating anywhere in the U. S. and the world. Black workers, black women, black students and the black unemployed are encouraged to seize the offices, telephones and printing apparatus of all Church-sponsored agencies and to hold these in trusteeship until our demands are met."
Bishop Bayne in commenting upon the demands pointed out that many of the demands of the Manifesto are ones with which Church people could agree.
"We believe in many of the demands," he said, "and we have supported them. We believe in land banks. These are things we've all been talking about. We're for them. I'm not even sure I would argue about welfare demands. Our Church has supported this kind of thing. "
"I don't question the morality of reparations. Christians cannot question reparations. I'm not even questioning 500 million dollars. Black people probably are entitled to a lot more.
"But it is unreasonable to think that this is the way to go about raising that amount of money from the Church. We are utterly dependent on the voluntary contributions of people. And this kind of confrontation tactic will accomplish nothing at all."
He pointed out that 20 percent of the Episcopal Church's national budget has been earmarked for projects similar to the ones proposed in the Manifesto.
Bishop Mosley described the method of making the demands on the Church as "unrealistic" and "unreasonable," and that it could end by destroying a good friend of the blacks.
A further meeting with the Rt. Rev. John E. Hines, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, to discuss the Manifesto has been requested for May 13 by Mr. Walker and Mr. Forman and their delegation.