'rlday, March 20, I'm

SCARLET AND BLACK

’ SCI C's Vivian Phones Toll! Here,
Discusses Non- Violence Philosophy

“Non-violence to us is more
than not fighting back," C. T.
Vivian, President of Affiliates
of the Southern Christian Lead«
ership Conference, told about
500 Grinnell students by long
distance telephone Monday
night.

He continued, “It is the mat-
ter of raising issues to the
level of consciousness to so
great a degree that everyone
within ,society must see himr
self. We reached that high
point today in Selma, Alabama,
beCause for the first time We
really got the church involved
in the movement.”

Vivian explained the basic
non-violent philosophy of SCLC.
He repeated that ﬁ‘unearned suf-
fering brings creative change,
and it works every, every
time."

He explained the manner in
which SCLC sees its philosophy
manifest in results.

“A leader is a person with
followers. If you know how to
mass a movement, if you know
how to plan one, if you’ve got
the skills and understanding
and a sense of history, than
you can make gains step by
step to change the society in
which you live. Raise the is-
sues so positively to the level
of consciousness that all men
must look at what you’re say-
ing and realize that the word
has become flesh. But we know
this—that unearned suffering
is redemptive and it brings
change.”

Vivian said that the move
ment is making new allies for
the non-violent philosophy.
“Sometime on the non-violent
road, I hope we’re able to see
labor present itself as we’re
able to see the Church pre-
sent itself, and we'll know then
that we have the ally of forces
that we need to really see the
kind of change in American so—
ciety that we need," he said.

He continued, “We can be
able to deal with the great so-
cial problems of our time with
a force of the people. We can
say with the President, ‘We
shall overcome’,”

“Our work is designed to
create an atmosphere in which
democracy can exist. so that
we have no need for another
‘ocracy’ or another ‘ism.’ And
this is basic to our understand»
ing," Vivian said.

“You can have a decent so-
ciety, based upon love, truth,
justice, if you’ve got enough
guts to suffer for it. And that
is the kind of new society that
we’re really talking about,” he
added.

Further explaining the non-
violent philosophy of sch, he
said. "This kind of thinking
does not come easy, and people
who want to be angry and
throw things don’t quite under-
stand it. But I think we Can
see it here (in Selma). As the
unearned suffering of the Rev.
James Reeb has brought the
Church to the Southern civil
rights movement."

“Peace is the presence of
love and of understanding and
of good will. If we can gener-
ate, through crisis, an under-

 

standing of how we really live
With one another, then we can
begin to restructure and begin
to live like we ought to live,
and this is what U16 non-violent
movement is saying, that it
needs the allies to do this. To-
day the ally of the Church

that are given them, to be able
to reach for these things that
their minds are able to imag-
ine," Vivian asserted.

“Selma has lifted the issues
to the conscience of mis na-
tion,” he Concluded.

The telephone lecture was

c. T. VIVIAN. photographed as he talks to a Grinnell aud-
ience via long distance telephone.

came
plained.

“It is only a non-violent
movement, that comes to an
understanding of love, that says
that all men should have the
opportunity to fulfill themr
selves, to fulfill the capacities

forward,"

Vivian ex- '

arranged by Rev. Robert Dew-
ey, First C o n g r eg a tional
Church, Grinnell, who partici-
pated in the demonstrations in
Selma last week,

Six Grinnell students were

also in the home from which
Vivian spoke.

 

Page Seven

Selma Society Described

(Continued from Page 1)

ferring to that line of police as the
“perimeter," a military term
which, unfortunately, is all too
accurate.

Outside that "perimeter” is a
town full of people who are hav—
ing zoo-year customs changed in
two months. They have been sub-
jected to every kind of torment
possible and their patience has
been stretched razor thin. It’s not
a point of justification for any—
thing they've done or will do. It’s
simply a point one has to remem-
her in dealing with them and try-
ing to understand them.

It goes without saying that these
people hate Negroes. Even more
they hate the press which exposes
them to the world. But even more,
they hate the northern college stu-
dent. The four of us are an unforr
tunate combination — northern
college student pressmen.

Inside the “perimenter” it is a
different world. Everyone but
while townspeople are free to come
and go as they want so long as
they don't march and so long as
they don’t try to go through the

Students Fast.
Selma Benefits

A voluntary fast from the
evening meal served in the col-
lege dining rooms will be held
Wednesday night. The money
saved by not serving the meal
will be sent to the Southern
Christian Leadership Confer-
ence to help defray medical ex»
pauses and cost of food during
the recent demonstrations in
Selma, Alabama.

Each participant in the fast,
in addition to missing the meal,
will contribute 50c when he
registers for the fast.

A service will be held in Her-
rick Chapel during the dinner
hour Wednesday for fast par-
ticipants.

The fast is being organized
by an ad hoc student Commit-
tee composed of representas
tives from several campus or
ganizations.

SYLVAN AVENUE in saline was the scene of a continual vigil on the part of demonsira—
tors. The "invisible Berlin Wall" was the barrier beyond which nnnher demonstrators nor
law enforcement officials would budge. The demonstrators held his line for five days and
nights, They are pictured here. praying. in the background are some of ihe police cars
which blocked Sylvan avenue inst outside thedemonstrotion site.

diminished,

 

“Selma Wall," the police barrb
code that you see in newspapers.

Inside there is a chaos and all
order. Leaders, tireless m an,
bring order through an unseen
system of communication.

A party-like atmosphere pre-
vails must of the time and, a.
time passes, this atmosphere in.
creases, It is difficult to imaging
that this is the same group 0
demonstrators who were beaten a
week ago and had one of their own
killed.

The best example of this Cam
Sunday morning when a group 0
ministers tried to march to church,
They were, as you know, stopped,

As they stood at the “Wall,“
stomach to stomach, eyeball to
eyeball, with the troopers, one o»-
pected anything. Anything, that is,
but what happened. When every.
one realized that the ministerd
weren’t going anywhere, they
started laughing and joking, e»,-
changing cigarettes and matches.
I was standing next to Wilson
Baker, Public ‘Safety Direcioiil
when he confronted the marchers.
There was no hate, He told them
they couldn‘t go. They didn’t. He
said he was sorry, He was.

The four of us are working a
newsmen. Fuson and I have AB
press cards .which I managed i
get through means which woul
make a redneck indignant and
probably in eke Sheriff Clarii
furious. Phillips and Wilhelm
have no press identification but
with their cameras they go every-
where with everyone assuming
they are pressmen,

We'did‘ not come to Selma to
demonstrate and we have not
demonstrated. We came becausj
we wanted to see and we wante
to tell others. ,

In the few words I have here I
cannot begin to describe the Selt
ma demonstration. It is a situation
that will require millions of words
and hundreds of pictures. We have
lived with demonstrators, police
and townspeople, yet I’m not sure
any of us could begin to draw l
clear picture of it all.

You have to come to Selma to
know Selma.

Faculty Deplores
Alabama Situation

The college faculty adopting
a resolution Monday deplorin
the denial of human rights
Alabama Negroes, and estab-
lished a fund to aid the Selma
civil rights drive.

The resolution Cited the tra-
ditional concern of the faculty
of this college “with the (le-
tense of civil and intellectual
freedoms.”

It further stated: “Believing
that the freedom of all is as:
saulted when that of a few i5
. we go on pub;
lic record in our request to all
members of the Grinnell Col-
lege community to bear eliec.
tive witness against such bru-
tality, . .

The faculty is conducting a
fund drive With the obiectlve
of $1,000. Roger Eldridge, Col-
lege chaplain, announced Mon-
day night.

Offerings for SCLC were tale!
en by the students following the
telephonic lecture and in luncii
lines Tuesday. The total raised
so far by students is about $80»

 

