WEBVTT

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♪

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(boat horn blowing)

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Ever since I was
a little girl,

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I could remember
that the tourists

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would come to Charleston
in the spring of the year.

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They would come
to see Fort Sumter,

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where the first shot in
the Civil War was fired.

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And they would come
to see our stately,

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beautiful mansions.

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And they would come to see
all the lovely gardens.

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But those who came
in the spring of 1969

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saw Charleston
as it really was,

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if you\'re poor and black.

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♪

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\"We, as black people
in South Carolina,

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have awakened to the fact

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that we are no longer
afraid of the white man

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and that we want
to be recognized,

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not because of our race,

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but because we are
human beings.\"

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♪

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On that Mother\'s Day march
I was, uh, real excited

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because I took one look
in the back

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and I saw 14,000 people
in the street,

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and I just knew that
this will be a beginning

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of a new day
in Charleston.

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Itwasa new day
in Charleston.

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The hospital workers
had gotten sick and tired

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of being sick and tired.

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The Mother\'s Day march
was a thing

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that brought folks
from all over the country

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to our support.

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All the different
labor unions came,

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different organizations.

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Oh, just everybody.

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It all started
when 400 hospital workers

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decided to organize
a union,

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and when
the Medical College

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fired 12 people,

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we just had to go
on strike.

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Of course, a week later,

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County Hospital
joined us in the strike.

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Of the 400 strikers,

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all but 12 were women.

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All of us were black.

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We needed something
that would, you know,

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help support us,
that when we go

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to these people
and talk to them

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and we didn\'t get
no satisfaction from them,

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we could go
to our union then

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and have them
to come in with us

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and help get things
straightened out.

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And so the next morning
at five o\'clock,

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we met at the hospital,
and all of us, you know,

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walked and talked and sang

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and everything else
that\'s allowed.

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So the more
we walked and talked,

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looked like the tougher
they got.

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The tougher
they got with us,

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and they still,
you know,

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wouldn\'t decide
to give in.

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(shouting)

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We was women
and we didn\'t have

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no weapons or nothing.

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I felt like they
wouldn\'t hardly hit us

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with those big clubs
and things

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because we didn\'t have
no weapons.

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And we then went out
to fight them,

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not fists--not--
with no fist fight,

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we went out to fight them,
you know,

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with the law on our side,
you know,

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to try to win
through the law,

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not by no fist fight.

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(siren wailing)

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The normal
routine function

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of a medical college
hospital

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was altered today

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as picket lines
were formed

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surrounding
the institution.

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Some employees
who wanted to come to work

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were intimidated
and threatened.

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Patients are being
taken care of

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by fully qualified
personnel.

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There has been no trouble
in the care of patients.

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Some of our employees

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are doubling up
in their duties.

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And some of our functions
are being postponed

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unless they are
of an emergency nature.

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In the hospital
they have white workers

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doing the same work
as black, you know.

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They might have
a white nurse\'s aide

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and a black nurse\'s aide,

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yet the white aide earns
more money than the black.

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I want union recognition.

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I want to see
that my people

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are able to enjoy
something better

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than what they
have been enjoying.

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What would you like to see
for them in the hospitals?

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In the hospital
I would like to see

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fair treatment.

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When you\'re working
around people

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who discriminate
against you...

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you just really feel like,
you know,

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fighting all the time
because, you know,

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\"Hey girl,\" and they have
these nicknames,

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they call you like,
\"dooflotchy,\"

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\"monkey grunt,\"
and all this carrying on.

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And I think all of us
are due respect

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regardless to age,
race, or creed.

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I do not believe this is

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a civil rights issue
whatsoever.

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Why not?

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I just don\'t believe
it\'s a civil rights issue.

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They are working
for, uh...

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wages at jobs

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which have no relation
to, uh...

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race, uh...

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creed, sex,
or anything else.

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-Soul power.
-Soul power!

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-Soul power.
-Soul power!

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Hold it up.

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You will be apprehended
and detained

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for presentation
to the court.

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(unintelligible)

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Bring the first bus down.

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We will kindly march
in your buses.

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Ask your men
not to touch us.

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Let us walk and...

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These workers
are well aware

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of the policy
of this department

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that minimum force
will be used.

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No unnecessary force
is used in these contexts.

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-Soul power.
-Soul power!

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-I may be black.
-I may be black!

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-But I am...
-But I am...

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-...somebody.
-...somebody!

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-I may be poor.
-I may be poor!

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-But I am...
-But I am...

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-...somebody.
-...somebody!

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-I may be (unintelligible).
-I may be (unintelligible).

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-But I am...
-But I am...

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-...somebody.
-...somebody!

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-Soul power.
-Soul power!

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-Soul power.
-Soul power!

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(singing and clapping)

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Things was rough.

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And we needed
Reverend Abernathy

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and the SCLC staff

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to mobilize the black
community of Charleston

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behind our struggle.

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That night,
we had a big rally

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at the Fourth
Baptist Church

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and the people
of Charleston

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really came out
to our support.

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This is about the fifth
speech that I have made

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in Charleston.

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And every time
I have been here,

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I have been taken to see

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the historical sites
of this city.

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I don\'t want to see
any more historical sites.

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I want to tell you
tonight,

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and I want to tell
all of Charleston,

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that we are going
to all be saved

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together as brothers,

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or we\'re going
to perish as fools.

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(cheering and applause)

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(singing)

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Reverend Abernathy
was arrested

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for the first time
in Charleston.

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Leon Davis, the head

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of the local 1199
in New York,

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also was jailed.

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As a matter of fact,
over 100 people

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went to jail that day.

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If you do not disperse
and march from this area,

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it will be necessary
to take you into custody

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for violation of Judge
Singletary\'s injunction.

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You are requested
at this time

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to continue to march
and leave the area

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of the Medical College.

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(singing)

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We do not want any infants
on that bus though.

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Those people
with babes in arms

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we do not want
on that bus.

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The major push
will be, today,

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to organize preparation
for a good attendance

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of the Calvary
Baptist Church

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and also to make plans
to get the turnout

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and the thing in operation
in Washington tomorrow.

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The members
of 1199 in New York

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really put out for us.

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Is there a report?

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They sent their leaders down

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to work with us.

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And their members
contributed $100,000

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out of their own pockets.

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We were really together
at union headquarters.

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We had our strike kitchen,
where we cooked.

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Of course, mostly all
we had to eat was

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beans and rice,

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but that was all right,
we didn\'t mind.

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And we put out leaflets

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and we really had
a time there.

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And there were times when
I was hardly ever home

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during the day.

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And, um...
well, the children

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was left a lot of times
to themselves, um...

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made a lot of sacrifices.

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Uh...my husband,
well, he worked.

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And, um...
he would have to come home

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and see that the children
were bathed.

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And he would,
a lot of times, cook,

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go to the grocery stores.

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As a matter of fact,

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I didn\'t see
the grocery stores

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quite a few times
during that period.

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And, um...

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well, a lot of times
he got sorta upset,

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and we would have
to have a talk.

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You know, and I tried
to make him understand

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that this was
like my thing.

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It was something
I had to do, you know.

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So like we worked it out

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and he beared with me
until the end of it.

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A few months ago
I was proud to accept

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the position
of Honorary Chairman

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of the National
Organizing Committee

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of Hospital and
Nursing Home Employees,

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the organization that
has sparked this crusade

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for freedom and dignity
here in your city.

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I did so because I know
that hospital workers

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have been working
full-time jobs

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at part-time pay.

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After all, a dollar
and 30 cents an hour

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is not a wage,
it is an insult.

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(applause)

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I also have another
interest for being here,

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and that is, many of
the hospital workers

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throughout our nation
are women, black women,

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many of whom are
the main supporters

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of their families.

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I feel

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that the black woman

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in our nation,

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the black working woman is

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perhaps the most
discriminated against

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of all
of the working women,

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the black woman.

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And...

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(applause)

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If my husband
were alive today,

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he would be right here
with you tonight.

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(applause)

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As a matter of fact,
my husband often said

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that 1199 in New York
was his favorite union.

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But after watching
what you\'ve done here,

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in Charleston,

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I must say that
my favorite union

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is Local 1199B.

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(applause)

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There were times

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when we were so depressed
in Charleston.

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And then here comes
a lady,

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a great lady,
like Coretta King.

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She came to Charleston

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and marched
in the streets with us.

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It made us feel real good.

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It really uplifted us.

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It gave us the strength
and the courage

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that we needed,

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to face the folks
of Charleston

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and do what was necessary
to win the strike.

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♪

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♪ We shall be free ♪

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♪ We shall be free today ♪

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♪ Oh, deep in my heart ♪

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(commotion)

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♪

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♪ We\'ll walk
hand in hand today ♪

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♪ Oh, deep in my heart ♪

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♪ I do believe ♪

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♪ We shall overcome
today ♪♪

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Did today\'s march
have any effect

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on the state\'s position?

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Well, no march
and no action

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that anybody can take
can have any effect

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on the state\'s position
when it comes

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to union recognition
and collective bargaining.

00:14:56.800 --> 00:14:59.133
There\'s nothing that
can be done about that

00:14:59.133 --> 00:15:01.100
unless
the general assembly,

00:15:01.100 --> 00:15:02.633
in its wisdom,
should desire

00:15:02.633 --> 00:15:06.500
to change the policy and
set forth the machinery

00:15:06.500 --> 00:15:07.766
and the, uh...authority

00:15:07.766 --> 00:15:10.133
and the procedure by which
you would operate.

00:15:10.133 --> 00:15:12.167
So marches
and demonstrations

00:15:12.167 --> 00:15:15.666
and strong statements
and things of this nature

00:15:15.666 --> 00:15:18.267
cannot affect the policy
of the state.

00:15:18.267 --> 00:15:22.700
I want to tell
the governor,

00:15:22.700 --> 00:15:24.267
Governor McNair,

00:15:24.267 --> 00:15:29.133
that he ought to declare
at once

00:15:29.133 --> 00:15:33.133
South Carolina
not an emergency area

00:15:33.133 --> 00:15:38.867
where the state troopers
will come in with bayonets

00:15:38.867 --> 00:15:43.633
and where there
will be a curfew

00:15:43.633 --> 00:15:46.100
to get us
off of the streets

00:15:46.100 --> 00:15:47.766
by nine o\'clock at night,

00:15:47.766 --> 00:15:52.933
but this ought to be
declared a disaster area,

00:15:52.933 --> 00:15:55.900
because the whole state...

00:15:55.900 --> 00:15:59.000
(applause)

00:15:59.000 --> 00:16:03.933
The whole state
ought to be on welfare.

00:16:03.933 --> 00:16:07.833
It\'s the poorest state
I\'ve ever seen.

00:16:07.833 --> 00:16:10.900
(applause)

00:16:12.867 --> 00:16:15.967
Now, I\'ve been to jail

00:16:15.967 --> 00:16:19.167
and I stayed there

00:16:19.167 --> 00:16:21.000
for eight days.

00:16:21.000 --> 00:16:26.167
I ate macaroni and cheese
without cheese.

00:16:26.167 --> 00:16:29.900
(shouting and applause)

00:16:35.267 --> 00:16:39.633
I...I had grits,

00:16:39.633 --> 00:16:43.766
I had grits for breakfast,

00:16:43.766 --> 00:16:45.766
and for dinner I had

00:16:45.766 --> 00:16:49.267
leftover grits
from breakfast.

00:16:49.267 --> 00:16:52.833
(applause)

00:16:54.234 --> 00:16:58.933
Jesus said
that a little child

00:16:58.933 --> 00:17:01.633
shall lead them...

00:17:01.633 --> 00:17:03.967
The black ministers
worked closely

00:17:03.967 --> 00:17:06.100
with Reverend Abernathy.

00:17:06.100 --> 00:17:09.234
They gave us their
churches for the rallies

00:17:09.234 --> 00:17:11.900
and they helped us
raise funds.

00:17:11.900 --> 00:17:15.600
And I\'m saying
to you this evening,

00:17:15.600 --> 00:17:18.700
go back home
and tell your mother

00:17:18.700 --> 00:17:21.100
and tell your father

00:17:21.100 --> 00:17:24.100
that Ralph Abernathy said

00:17:24.100 --> 00:17:27.867
that you...

00:17:27.867 --> 00:17:31.600
that you are a traitor

00:17:31.600 --> 00:17:33.600
if you go to school,

00:17:33.600 --> 00:17:36.267
that you can learn more

00:17:36.267 --> 00:17:39.700
in standing up
and marching

00:17:39.700 --> 00:17:41.700
with Local 1199

00:17:41.700 --> 00:17:43.900
than you can
in any schoolhouse

00:17:43.900 --> 00:17:47.566
here in Charleston,
South Carolina.

00:17:47.566 --> 00:17:50.533
(applause)

00:17:53.566 --> 00:17:56.167
It was the first
demonstration that we led

00:17:56.167 --> 00:18:00.234
with, uh, the help
of Reverend Orange,

00:18:00.234 --> 00:18:02.167
the SCLC organizer,

00:18:02.167 --> 00:18:05.167
down on The Battery,
as it\'s so called.

00:18:05.167 --> 00:18:09.100
It\'s a historical section
of Charleston.

00:18:09.100 --> 00:18:11.500
The only people around it
is white

00:18:11.500 --> 00:18:13.566
in these big,
historical homes.

00:18:13.566 --> 00:18:16.867
So we wanted them to know
just what was going on

00:18:16.867 --> 00:18:19.833
and how the black people
felt toward the strike.

00:18:19.833 --> 00:18:23.800
So we called a total
strike of the school.

00:18:23.800 --> 00:18:25.766
We called it D-Day.

00:18:25.766 --> 00:18:26.700
(clapping)

00:18:26.700 --> 00:18:31.200
And, uh, we held a massive
demonstration there.

00:18:31.200 --> 00:18:32.967
I really wanted them
to see

00:18:32.967 --> 00:18:36.067
that we were not going to
just stay in the ghettos

00:18:36.067 --> 00:18:37.700
and have demonstrations,

00:18:37.700 --> 00:18:39.933
that we could go
in their own community

00:18:39.933 --> 00:18:41.666
and raise as much hell
as we want to,

00:18:41.666 --> 00:18:43.900
then they\'d know why we
were raising all the hell

00:18:43.900 --> 00:18:46.500
by the hospitals
and in the ghettos.

00:18:46.500 --> 00:18:51.067
♪ We shall not be moved ♪

00:18:51.067 --> 00:18:54.167
We are here to help all
poor people in Charleston

00:18:54.167 --> 00:18:57.234
since we will be
the leaders of tomorrow

00:18:57.234 --> 00:18:58.666
and we\'ll be living
in Charleston.

00:18:58.666 --> 00:19:01.167
We feel as if we should
come and better things now

00:19:01.167 --> 00:19:03.000
so that we won\'t be
in the same predicament

00:19:03.000 --> 00:19:04.666
that these people
are in now.

00:19:04.666 --> 00:19:05.566
And we are determined

00:19:05.566 --> 00:19:07.267
that we are gonna
win this fight.

00:19:07.267 --> 00:19:08.700
Definitely,
we may not have

00:19:08.700 --> 00:19:10.867
all the participants
that we want,

00:19:10.867 --> 00:19:12.933
but we will get them
eventually,

00:19:12.933 --> 00:19:14.766
and I think that
everyone should help

00:19:14.766 --> 00:19:17.500
because this is not only
for the older people,

00:19:17.500 --> 00:19:20.067
but we must realize
that we are gonna come

00:19:20.067 --> 00:19:22.700
and we need these jobs,
and there\'s no need

00:19:22.700 --> 00:19:24.566
for us going to school
twelve years

00:19:24.566 --> 00:19:28.733
and making a dollar
and 30 cents an hour.

00:19:39.167 --> 00:19:41.500
You are directed
to disperse

00:19:41.500 --> 00:19:42.967
and return to your homes

00:19:42.967 --> 00:19:44.867
or you will be arrested
for violation

00:19:44.867 --> 00:19:48.733
of this lawful order
to disperse.

00:19:56.833 --> 00:19:58.900
Gas masks.

00:20:00.800 --> 00:20:04.234
Of all the folks who
helped us in Charleston,

00:20:04.234 --> 00:20:07.900
I feel it was the students
who did the most

00:20:07.900 --> 00:20:11.067
to really help us
win the strike.

00:20:11.067 --> 00:20:12.133
They went out there

00:20:12.133 --> 00:20:15.067
and they did
just what was necessary.

00:20:15.067 --> 00:20:18.666
More than a thousand
of us went to jail

00:20:18.666 --> 00:20:20.200
during the strike.

00:20:20.200 --> 00:20:22.000
As a matter of fact,

00:20:22.000 --> 00:20:24.733
it was like
a badge of honor

00:20:24.733 --> 00:20:25.833
to go to jail.

00:20:25.833 --> 00:20:27.800
I was in jail twice.

00:20:27.800 --> 00:20:30.234
My kids were in jail too.

00:20:30.234 --> 00:20:33.633
(singing)

00:20:36.933 --> 00:20:38.766
-Soul power.
-Soul power!

00:20:38.766 --> 00:20:40.600
-Soul power.
-Soul power!

00:20:40.600 --> 00:20:42.900
-Soul power.
-Soul power!

00:20:42.900 --> 00:20:43.800
-I am...
-I am...

00:20:43.800 --> 00:20:45.666
-...somebody
-...somebody!

00:20:45.666 --> 00:20:46.766
-I am...
-I am...

00:20:46.766 --> 00:20:48.533
-...somebody
-...somebody!

00:20:48.533 --> 00:20:49.600
I might be black...

00:20:49.600 --> 00:20:50.267
I am here to convey

00:20:50.267 --> 00:20:52.500
to the striking
hospital workers,

00:20:52.500 --> 00:20:55.100
and I hope to every
responsible leader

00:20:55.100 --> 00:20:58.033
and private citizen
in this community,

00:20:58.033 --> 00:21:00.700
the fact that every union
in the family

00:21:00.700 --> 00:21:03.533
of AFL-CIO
throughout the nation

00:21:03.533 --> 00:21:07.666
is with the hospital
workers in this struggle.

00:21:07.666 --> 00:21:08.633
We are with them

00:21:08.633 --> 00:21:11.700
and we are prepared
to stay with them

00:21:11.700 --> 00:21:12.800
until their goals,

00:21:12.800 --> 00:21:15.600
which are
extremely reasonable,

00:21:15.600 --> 00:21:16.833
are attained.

00:21:16.833 --> 00:21:19.700
(singing)

00:21:34.633 --> 00:21:37.200
There will not be night
marches in Charleston.

00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:38.833
They are prohibited.

00:21:38.833 --> 00:21:39.900
And this is a night march

00:21:39.900 --> 00:21:41.067
in the streets
of Charleston

00:21:41.067 --> 00:21:43.666
regardless of
what you call it.

00:21:44.067 --> 00:21:48.733
We are not engaged
in a march.

00:21:48.733 --> 00:21:51.633
We are engaged

00:21:51.633 --> 00:21:54.867
in a prayer vigil

00:21:54.867 --> 00:21:56.566
where you pray.

00:21:56.566 --> 00:21:59.000
We are peaceful

00:21:59.000 --> 00:22:04.000
and we are headed
to our spot

00:22:04.000 --> 00:22:06.800
where we will have
our vigil

00:22:06.800 --> 00:22:10.833
where we will be
in prayer all night

00:22:10.833 --> 00:22:12.533
for the hospital workers

00:22:12.533 --> 00:22:15.800
and for those
who continue to deny us

00:22:15.800 --> 00:22:19.234
justice and equality
and a livable wage.

00:22:19.234 --> 00:22:21.867
If the crowd is not
dispersed immediately

00:22:21.867 --> 00:22:23.733
and go peacefully
to your home,

00:22:23.733 --> 00:22:25.167
it will be
necessary for me

00:22:25.167 --> 00:22:26.533
to start making arrests.

00:22:26.533 --> 00:22:30.033
Everybody kneel down.

00:22:31.967 --> 00:22:34.133
Everybody just kneel.

00:22:34.133 --> 00:22:36.867
(commotion)

00:22:38.766 --> 00:22:40.900
Let us pray.

00:22:40.900 --> 00:22:45.133
Eternal God,
I Am, The Father,

00:22:45.133 --> 00:22:45.900
we thank Thee

00:22:45.900 --> 00:22:48.900
and that Thou
hast spared our lives.

00:22:48.900 --> 00:22:51.500
(commotion)

00:23:03.600 --> 00:23:06.766
-Soul power.
-Soul power!

00:23:06.766 --> 00:23:08.133
(police siren wailing)

00:23:08.133 --> 00:23:11.600
-Soul power.
-Soul power!

00:23:18.234 --> 00:23:22.167
Can you hear me
back there, brother?

00:23:22.167 --> 00:23:24.600
You all right back there?

00:23:25.133 --> 00:23:27.500
All we want to say is...

00:23:27.500 --> 00:23:29.200
that we can\'t win
this fight

00:23:29.200 --> 00:23:32.000
unless we all
stick together.

00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:35.533
Reverend Abernathy
can go to jail twice

00:23:35.533 --> 00:23:36.800
for this town,

00:23:36.800 --> 00:23:39.533
he\'s down there
in jail now

00:23:39.533 --> 00:23:42.600
under $50,000 bond.

00:23:42.600 --> 00:23:44.800
Now, he doesn\'t like jail.

00:23:44.800 --> 00:23:47.000
He\'s in jail
because he knows

00:23:47.000 --> 00:23:50.167
that he\'s got to do
everything he can

00:23:50.167 --> 00:23:52.200
to support poor people.

00:23:52.200 --> 00:23:55.000
Now you have to support
poor people, too,

00:23:55.000 --> 00:23:56.900
\'cause you are
poor people.

00:23:56.900 --> 00:23:58.167
That\'s right!

00:23:58.167 --> 00:24:01.267
(cheering and applause)

00:24:04.566 --> 00:24:08.100
Now, the best thing
we can do for ourselves

00:24:08.100 --> 00:24:10.100
is stay off King Street.

00:24:10.100 --> 00:24:13.533
Now, we\'re not fighting
for the hospital workers.

00:24:13.533 --> 00:24:17.200
We\'re fighting
for all poor people.

00:24:17.200 --> 00:24:19.600
And when
the hospital workers make

00:24:19.600 --> 00:24:20.267
a little more money,

00:24:20.267 --> 00:24:23.967
pretty soon everybody
makes a little more money.

00:24:23.967 --> 00:24:25.267
That\'s right!

00:24:25.267 --> 00:24:28.100
Now, the only way
we can...

00:24:28.100 --> 00:24:31.566
The only way we can keep
this thing going

00:24:31.566 --> 00:24:35.766
is if we can stay
out of downtown

00:24:35.766 --> 00:24:38.533
and keep our money
in our pocket.

00:24:38.533 --> 00:24:41.600
(cheering)

00:24:41.600 --> 00:24:43.133
-That\'s for sure.
-All right?

00:24:43.133 --> 00:24:46.033
-Right!
-Now, stay off there,

00:24:46.033 --> 00:24:47.766
keep your money
in your pocket,

00:24:47.766 --> 00:24:50.666
hold onto it
till the eagle grins.

00:24:50.666 --> 00:24:52.833
-That\'s for sure.
-Right!

00:24:53.000 --> 00:24:55.566
Mr. Young, will you
please ask your...

00:24:55.566 --> 00:24:57.533
your followers
to disperse?

00:24:57.533 --> 00:25:00.733
I\'m talking to the
officers of this state.

00:25:00.733 --> 00:25:02.967
We just want
to let you know

00:25:02.967 --> 00:25:05.867
that we are marching
for you!

00:25:05.867 --> 00:25:09.167
You don\'t get
enough salary either!

00:25:09.167 --> 00:25:12.500
(applause)

00:25:12.500 --> 00:25:14.133
All right,
we\'re going back that way,

00:25:14.133 --> 00:25:18.133
down to the next corner,
follow Brother Foles.

00:25:22.800 --> 00:25:24.867
We realized one thing

00:25:24.867 --> 00:25:27.633
that the white folks
understand,

00:25:27.633 --> 00:25:28.633
and it\'s the dollar.

00:25:28.633 --> 00:25:32.200
All we bought
was food and medicine.

00:25:32.200 --> 00:25:33.867
And do you know,

00:25:33.867 --> 00:25:36.666
it cost
the business community

00:25:36.666 --> 00:25:41.067
over $15 million.

00:25:41.067 --> 00:25:43.234
After one hundred days,

00:25:43.234 --> 00:25:48.267
the Medical College agreed
to settle the strike.

00:25:48.633 --> 00:25:51.600
All of us went back to
work at Medical College,

00:25:51.600 --> 00:25:54.800
including the 12
that the administration

00:25:54.800 --> 00:25:58.867
claimed would never work
in Medical College again.

00:25:58.867 --> 00:26:04.533
We won wage increases
of 30 to 70 cents an hour.

00:26:04.533 --> 00:26:07.600
We won a real
grievance procedure,

00:26:07.600 --> 00:26:10.100
one that we could
understand.

00:26:11.100 --> 00:26:15.167
(singing)

00:26:15.167 --> 00:26:17.700
It took another 13 days

00:26:17.700 --> 00:26:20.967
before the County Hospital
strike was settled,

00:26:20.967 --> 00:26:24.566
so the workers just had
to keep keeping on

00:26:24.566 --> 00:26:26.766
until it was settled.

00:26:26.766 --> 00:26:31.533
♪

00:26:31.533 --> 00:26:33.133
The County Hospital
will rehire

00:26:33.133 --> 00:26:35.500
all striking workers
to job openings

00:26:35.500 --> 00:26:36.766
for which
they are classified

00:26:36.766 --> 00:26:39.700
without recrimination
or reprisal.

00:26:39.700 --> 00:26:42.800
Forty-two job openings
are now available.

00:26:42.800 --> 00:26:45.600
The County Council
will make every effort

00:26:45.600 --> 00:26:47.267
to return
the remaining workers

00:26:47.267 --> 00:26:49.200
to employment
at the County Hospital

00:26:49.200 --> 00:26:52.933
within
a three-month period.

00:26:54.100 --> 00:26:56.867
On behalf
of the striking workers

00:26:56.867 --> 00:26:58.533
and chairman
of their group,

00:26:58.533 --> 00:27:00.967
the workers
of the County Hospital

00:27:00.967 --> 00:27:03.234
who have been
out on strike

00:27:03.234 --> 00:27:07.600
have agreed to end
their strike of 113 days

00:27:07.600 --> 00:27:08.733
and return to work

00:27:08.733 --> 00:27:11.133
in keeping with
the agreement reached

00:27:11.133 --> 00:27:12.800
with the County Council.

00:27:12.800 --> 00:27:16.133
We have met with members
of the council

00:27:16.133 --> 00:27:17.700
for the past three days,

00:27:17.700 --> 00:27:20.033
and we are confident
that all workers

00:27:20.033 --> 00:27:22.067
will be reinstated
in much less

00:27:22.067 --> 00:27:25.633
than the 90 days mentioned
in the agreement.

00:27:25.633 --> 00:27:28.900
The 65 striking workers
are dedicated

00:27:28.900 --> 00:27:31.600
to the Charleston
County Hospital,

00:27:31.600 --> 00:27:33.234
but also to one another.

00:27:33.234 --> 00:27:35.933
We are returning
in a new relationship

00:27:35.933 --> 00:27:38.067
with mutual respect
and dignity

00:27:38.067 --> 00:27:41.033
between the workers,
the County Council,

00:27:41.033 --> 00:27:43.000
the hospital
administration,

00:27:43.000 --> 00:27:45.766
and the entire community.

00:27:45.766 --> 00:27:47.267
Ms. Simmons,
what do you think

00:27:47.267 --> 00:27:49.566
this strike
has accomplished?

00:27:49.566 --> 00:27:51.733
Well, we gained
recognition

00:27:51.733 --> 00:27:55.200
as human beings,
for one.

00:27:55.200 --> 00:27:57.733
We gained that recognition

00:27:57.733 --> 00:28:00.167
as human beings.

00:28:02.766 --> 00:28:04.867
The strike was one
of the hardest

00:28:04.867 --> 00:28:09.033
and most important periods
of my life.

00:28:09.033 --> 00:28:12.067
We had to fight
the whole power structure

00:28:12.067 --> 00:28:16.133
of Charleston
and of South Carolina.

00:28:16.133 --> 00:28:18.833
We were up against
Governor McNair,

00:28:18.833 --> 00:28:21.967
Mendel Rivers,
and Strom Thurmond,

00:28:21.967 --> 00:28:26.267
just because we wanted
to have a union.

00:28:26.267 --> 00:28:29.500
But we proved to everybody

00:28:29.500 --> 00:28:32.566
that we could stand
and fight together,

00:28:32.566 --> 00:28:35.900
that we were ready
to sacrifice,

00:28:35.900 --> 00:28:39.600
and that we would go
to jail.

00:28:40.600 --> 00:28:44.733
And if I didn\'t learn
but one thing,

00:28:44.733 --> 00:28:47.766
it was that if you are
ready and willing

00:28:47.766 --> 00:28:49.566
to fight for yourself,

00:28:49.566 --> 00:28:52.100
other folks will be
ready and willing

00:28:52.100 --> 00:28:54.500
to fight for you.

00:28:54.500 --> 00:28:57.200
We learned that
you gotta be together.

00:28:57.200 --> 00:29:01.267
That\'s what a union
is all about.

00:29:01.267 --> 00:29:03.133
We\'re both
a winning combination

00:29:03.133 --> 00:29:09.000
of 1199 union power
and SCLC soul power.

00:29:09.000 --> 00:29:15.000
1199B is here to stay
in Charleston.

00:29:15.267 --> 00:29:18.733
-Soul power.
-Soul power!

00:29:20.766 --> 00:29:24.267
-Soul power.
-Soul power!

00:29:25.766 --> 00:29:29.067
-Soul power.
-Soul power!

00:29:29.067 --> 00:29:30.800
May we rise together.

00:29:30.800 --> 00:29:32.733
-Soul power.
-Soul power!

00:29:32.733 --> 00:29:35.666
-Soul power.
-Soul power!

00:29:35.833 --> 00:29:39.033
-Soul power.
-Soul power!