YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE NEGROES THOUGHOUT THE NATION  

YOU DON’T KNOW THE HISTORY, THE RECENT HISTORY, YOU HAVE TO HAVE SEEN HOW SOME OF THESE WOMEN CAME UP FROM ARKANSAS, FROM TEXAS, WARY, FEARFUL, AND AUDACIOUS, AND THEY GOT JOBS IN THOSE KITCHENS, AND THEY WORKED IN THE BACK OF THESE HOT LITTLE RESTAURANTS, AND THEY STRUGGLED…AND THEY WERE OPPRESSED…..AND SQUEEZED… AND THEN AFTER THE WHITE MAN HAD WRUNG THE LAST DROP OF SWEAT HE COULD GET FROM THEIR FATTENING BODIES, FATTENING BECAUSE OF THE WRONG FOODS AND THE WRONG EXERCISE, AFTER THE WHITE MAN HAD WRUNG EVERTHING (SIC) HE COULD GET OUT OF THEM, THEY HAD TO FACE THE SHAME OF WALKING THROUGH THEIR OWN ALLEYS AT NIGHT WITH A PISTOL, OR A KNIFE, OR AN ICE PICK, FEARFUL AGAIN, BUT FEARFUL OF THEIR OWN. BECAUSE IN ORDER TO SAVE THIS LITTLE TWO OR THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS, THEY HAD HAD TO DENY THEMSELVES LOVE, THEY HAD HAD TO DENY THEMSELVES TENDERNESS, THEY HAD TO DEVLEOP A SHELL, A HARD BROWN OR BLACK SHELL, UNDER WHICH THERE WAS A WOMAN, QUIVERING, ALONE, FRIENDLESS, AND AFRAID. AND THEY SAVED THIS THREE OR FOUR OR FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS, AND THEY DENIED THEMSELVES EVERY SINGLE PLEASURE IN LIFE TO GET IT. THEN THEY TRUDGED UP ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRACK AND THEY LAID THAT MONEY, BREAST-SWEATY, ON THAT TILE COUNTER AND THEY BOUGHT A PIECE OF PROPERTY ACROSS THE TRACK. THE WHITE MAN LAUGHED, BECAUSE WHAT LITTLE HE HAD PAID HER HE THOUGHT HE WAS GETTING BACK FOR A LITTLE WASTE OF SAND ON THE WRONG SIDE OF TOWN. 

 

BUT HE HID HIS SMILE, HE ACTED RESPECTFUL, AND HE USED THE WORD MISS OR MRS., BUT HE TOOK THAT TITTY MONEY AND HE PUT IT IN HIS VAULT AND THERE WAS A SMUG SMILE UNDERNEATH THE FALSE COURTESY. 

 

THEN SHE MANEUVERED IN THE FEW HOURS SHE HAD EACH DAY AWAY FROM THE WHITE MAN’S KITCHEN, SHE MANEUVERED, SHE TWISTED, SHE TURNED, SHE USED AND SHE WAS USED, BUT SHE GOT A HOUSE BUILT ON THAT LAND. 

 

THE YEARS ROLLED BY AND TOJO CAME AND HITLER CAME, THE POPULATION GREW, AND ONE DAY THOSE WHITE PEOPLE LOOKED ACROSS THE TRACKS AND SAID, “HELL, THAT PROPERTY’S WORTH SOME MONEY!” BUT THERE WERE NO JOBS, EXCEPT CHANGING TIRES, WASHING CARDS, CUTTING GRASS, SHINING SHOES, PEELING CARROTS, SO SOME OF THOSE HOUSE, RUN DOWN, LACED (SIC) A COAT OF PAINT, SO THE WHITE MAN SAID, “LETS TELL THEM ABOUT SLUM CLEARANCE. THAT DAMN PROPERTY IS WORTH MONEY OVER THERE!” SO THEY CAME ACROSS THE TRACKS WITH THEIR LITTLE WHITE COMMITTEES (SIC), AND THEIR LITTLE WHITE GROUPS AND THEY TALKED ABOUT URBAN RENEWAL WHICH MEANT WE STEAL YOUR PROPERTY. BUT SOME OF THOSE WOMEN DIDN’T HAVE EDUCATION ENOUGH TO FALL FOR THE TRICK, SO THEY SAID, “WELL, WE PAID FOR IT, WE PAID THE TAXES ON IT, AND ITS OURS. IF YOU WANT US TO PAINT THE HOUSE, GIVE US A JOB OVER THERE WORKING AS A SALESWOMAN, GIVE US A JOB OVER THERE WORKING AS A SPERVISOR IN THE TELEPHONE COMPANY, GIVE US A JOB OVER THERE WORKING AS A WAITRESS INSTEAD OF A DISHWASHER.”  “WE CAN’T SEE HOW WE CAN DO THAT” “BUT YOU GOING TO HAVE TO CLEAN UP THIS PROPERTY CAUSE IT’S URBAN RENEWAL” 

 

THE LAST TWENTY YEARS OF HISTORY IN THE UNITED STATES CITIES HAS BEEN THAT THEY PUT THE BLACK MAN, THE BLACK WOMAN ACROSS THE TRACK AND ONE MORNING THEY WOKE UP AND REALISED THEY HAD PUT THEM IN A VALUABLE SECTION OF TOWN AND THEY HAVE BEEN TRYING TO STEAL IT BACK EVER SINCE. IN NEW YORK AND SAN FRANCISCO THEY HAVE STOLEN IT ALL BACK, IN PHOENIX, IN FLAGSTAFF, IN SEATTLE, IN CLEVELAND THEY ARE TRYING TO STEAL IT BACK. BECAUSE THEY WERE SUCH FOOLS, THIS SUPERIOR RACE THAT THEY COULD NOT SEE AHEAD TEN OR TWENTY YEARS IN THEIR OWN HISTORY AND SEE THAT THE PROPERTY THAT THEY SOLD THIS WOMAN FOR THREE HUNDRED LITTLE DOLLARS BROUGHT OUT OF A BRASSIERE, THEY WERE SUCH FOOLS THAT THEY COULD’T REALIZE THAT THE PROPERTY WOULD BE WORTH SOMETHING. 

 

THIS IS ONE OF THE LIVE HISTORIES OF THE NEGRO RACE. EVERY WHERE THROUGH OUT FREE AMERICA, THEY PUSHED THEM, FIFTY YEARS AGO, DOWN INTO A SECTION, THAT NOW THEY RECOGNIZE AS VALUABLE AND THEY WANT IT BACK. SO THESE LIBERALS AND THESE DEMOCRATS AND THESE NICE REPUBLICANS TALK ABOUT SLUM CLEARANCE AND URBAN RENEWAL BUT ALL IT MEANS IS… THAT WOMAN OUT OF ARKANSAS, WITH A BITTER EXPRESSION ON HER FACE, OUTWITTED US. SHE BOUGHT SOMETHING WE DIDN’T KOW WAS VALUABLE… AND NOW WE ARE GOING TO TRY TO STEAL IT BACK.