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6. Tax the Rich to Feed the Poor

Black Power and the Election of 1966
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Bloody Lowndes
This chapter is in the book Bloody Lowndes
1796Tax the Rich to Feed the PoorBlack Power and the Election of 1966It was nearly impossible to hear over the clamor they created as they finalized plans for the election scheduled for the next day. But a Sunday morning quiet seized them the moment that the Black Panther candidates began assembling near the pulpit. Alice Moore, the forty-two-year-old nominee for tax assessor, stood proudly among the group as each addressed the crowded sanctuary of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. The Lowndes County native was a dedicated servant of the people. She was active in several clubs at Mt. Elam Baptist Church and a member of nu-merous community organizations, including Union Burial Society No. 9. She had also joined the movement as soon as it began. As an lcfo nom-inee, she was accustomed to addressing mass meetings, but she tended to shy away from theatrical speechifying. This evening was no different. When her turn came to speak, she chose her words carefully. In a calm yet commanding voice, she said, “My platform is tax the rich to feed the poor.” Then, without uttering another word, she sat down. Nothing else needed to be said.1Moore’s platform reflected her core political beliefs. It also reflected the guiding principles of the lcfo. Local activists and sncc organizers formed the independent party to oust whites from the county courthouse and replace them with African Americans committed to extending free-dom rights to everyone. For more than a year, they organized with an eye toward taking over the local government, and as the 1966 general elec-tion approached they stood on the cusp of realizing this goal. The very real possibility that African Americans would gain political power in 1966 made that year’s vote the climatic event of the Lowndes movement. The election of 1966 was also an important moment for sncc as an or-ganization. During the summer of 1966, sncc adopted a new organizing program, which it dubbed Black Power. The program involved sending
© 2020 New York University Press, New York, USA

1796Tax the Rich to Feed the PoorBlack Power and the Election of 1966It was nearly impossible to hear over the clamor they created as they finalized plans for the election scheduled for the next day. But a Sunday morning quiet seized them the moment that the Black Panther candidates began assembling near the pulpit. Alice Moore, the forty-two-year-old nominee for tax assessor, stood proudly among the group as each addressed the crowded sanctuary of Mt. Moriah Baptist Church. The Lowndes County native was a dedicated servant of the people. She was active in several clubs at Mt. Elam Baptist Church and a member of nu-merous community organizations, including Union Burial Society No. 9. She had also joined the movement as soon as it began. As an lcfo nom-inee, she was accustomed to addressing mass meetings, but she tended to shy away from theatrical speechifying. This evening was no different. When her turn came to speak, she chose her words carefully. In a calm yet commanding voice, she said, “My platform is tax the rich to feed the poor.” Then, without uttering another word, she sat down. Nothing else needed to be said.1Moore’s platform reflected her core political beliefs. It also reflected the guiding principles of the lcfo. Local activists and sncc organizers formed the independent party to oust whites from the county courthouse and replace them with African Americans committed to extending free-dom rights to everyone. For more than a year, they organized with an eye toward taking over the local government, and as the 1966 general elec-tion approached they stood on the cusp of realizing this goal. The very real possibility that African Americans would gain political power in 1966 made that year’s vote the climatic event of the Lowndes movement. The election of 1966 was also an important moment for sncc as an or-ganization. During the summer of 1966, sncc adopted a new organizing program, which it dubbed Black Power. The program involved sending
© 2020 New York University Press, New York, USA

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents ix
  3. Maps and Illustrations xi
  4. Abbreviations xiii
  5. Acknowledgments xv
  6. Introduction 1
  7. 1. Conditions Unfavorable to the Rise of the Negro 7
  8. 2. I Didn’t Come Here to Knock 39
  9. 3. We Ain’t Going to Shed a Tear for Jon 81
  10. 4. I’m Going to Try to Take Some of the Freedom Here Back Home 117
  11. 5. We Gonna Show Alabama Just How Bad We Are 143
  12. 6. Tax the Rich to Feed the Poor 179
  13. 7. Now Is the Time for Work to Begin 207
  14. Epilogue: That Black Dirt Gets in Your Soul 247
  15. Notes 253
  16. Bibliography 303
  17. Index 317
  18. About the Author 348
Readers are also interested in:
https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814743652.003.0012

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter i
  2. Contents ix
  3. Maps and Illustrations xi
  4. Abbreviations xiii
  5. Acknowledgments xv
  6. Introduction 1
  7. 1. Conditions Unfavorable to the Rise of the Negro 7
  8. 2. I Didn’t Come Here to Knock 39
  9. 3. We Ain’t Going to Shed a Tear for Jon 81
  10. 4. I’m Going to Try to Take Some of the Freedom Here Back Home 117
  11. 5. We Gonna Show Alabama Just How Bad We Are 143
  12. 6. Tax the Rich to Feed the Poor 179
  13. 7. Now Is the Time for Work to Begin 207
  14. Epilogue: That Black Dirt Gets in Your Soul 247
  15. Notes 253
  16. Bibliography 303
  17. Index 317
  18. About the Author 348
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