Paul Good Recordings : Tape 2 : Transcript

Collection:: Civil Rights Library of St. Augustine
Title:: Paul Good Recordings : Tape 2 : Transcript
Date of Original:: 1900/2022
Subject:: Civil rights--United States--Florida
People:: King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968
Young, Andrew, 1932-
England, William
Dawson, Eugene
Location:: United States, Florida, 28.75054, -82.5001
Medium:: transcripts
Type:: Text
Format:: application/pdf
Description:: This is the transcript for the second in the series of journalist Paul Good's tape recordings in St. Augustine during the summer of 1964. This tape consists of six parts: 1. The singing of a freedom song (00:00:00). 2. A mass rally at a church that includes speeches from an unidentified speaker, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Andrew Young (00:01:36). 3. Recording of night march sounds (00:12:30). 4. Paul Good interviewing protesters (00:20:00). 5. Brief of singing of "We Shall Overcome" (00:20:27). 6. Paul Good interviewing protesters (00:21:05).
Paul Good Recordings : Transcript for Tape 2 Part 1: Singing of a freedom song (00:00:00) [The first part of this tape from 00:00:00 to 00:01:35 consists of a group singing a freedom song]. Part 2: Mass Rally at a Church (00:01:36) Unidentified Speaker: [Unintelligible]…that makes it possible that we can love in spite of hate. And makes it possible that we can keep moving even when we're knocked down. And make it possible that even those within the community that can't do one thing can do another. That they are able to back us up [unintelligible] kind of philosophy we don't have to depend upon a few experts in a classroom or in a courtroom, that we can do the job of freedom for ourselves. And it doesn't matter how young you are or how old you are, you can march on anyway. I have a little boy that is just beginning to walk around good and my wife said to me, I ask how he is and she says, “He'll be ready for the picket line in about four months.” It is the kind of truth that you will that is not for Negroes alone, the truth never gives itself to one [unintelligible] speaks to the souls of people. Love, nonviolent love gives us the direction that we seek and moves us on to the next level of the movement. For it is love of which we have begun to the answer the questions of segregationists and white Americans. Let us listen now, white Americans always said to us, "What do Negroes want?" And a few years ago we said, "We want what the law provides." And we were answering with the legalistic understanding. And so we, and then this doesn't excite us anymore does it? And so when they ask us now, “What do we want?” [Unintelligible] has the answer. He says, “What have you got?” Yes sir, what do you want, what do you got? Now I think this is where we are now: an equal rights movement. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference with the great understanding of nonviolent love looks at the hearts of those that attacked us and sees something far deeper. And when this man says to us, “what do you want,”he is asking us to give him the answer to his own question. And with love we can answer. When he says, “what do you want,” he’s saying, “help me, save me from the dilemma that I'm in as well as the dilemma that Negro America is in.” Martin Luther King: My fellow citizens of St. Augustine, I need not have to remind you tonight that that is a magnificent drama taking place on the stage of American history. And it is so interesting and somewhat ironic that the jails of the south which for so long have been considered symbols of segregation have now been transformed into instruments of social salvation. And it is a rich and rewarding [unintelligible] protest. But the thing that makes me happy is that you have yourselves together with such dignity and such discipline. It was beautiful to watch. You prove to be that kind of spiritual anvil [unintelligible] I mean physical hammer in this community. We go on with the faith that our own suffering is redemption and as a result of your suffering last night I'm sure that many people will come to see the need to work harder to solve this problem in our country and certainly this problem in St. Augustine. Now we face the moment of great decision. Now we face the moment when we must put on our walking shoes and get ready to make a definite witness. And I want to say to you that we have an opportunity and a challenge to fill up the jails of St. Augustine, Florida and I will not rest until we are able to make this kind of witness in this city, so that the power structure downtown will have to say, “We can’t stop this movement and the only way to deal with it is to give these people what we owe them and what their God given rights and their constitutional rights demand.” This is what we are insisting and this is what we'll get. [Cheering] Now I will call for Andrew Young. Andrew Young: The power of love can always happen in a nonviolent movement, but tonight must be an example of what must always happen in a nonviolent movement. That is whenever there is violence, the only recourse we have is to respond in greater number and with stronger determination than ever before. Now for a hundred years, they’ve attempted to frighten Negroes by the threat of violence. Now tonight we have some assurances from the sheriffand from a representative from the governor’s office that there will be protection. That there will be police protection but I for one want to witness to you and I think you can witness back to me that we have been protected all along, that many a night when the policemen were not anywhere around there was protection in our midst. That many a night when blows rained down on our heads and when kicks went into our stomachs, there was protection. I think that one of the most amazing things to me this morning when I woke up was that I hardly had an ache and pain on me anywhere. I remembered that I remember somebody kicking me in the stomach and I felt around looking for a sore place and there wasn’t any there. I did have a little knot on my head but it wasn’t too bad either, but what was more important was that there was a good feeling in my heart. There was a good feeling in my heart because of the way you acted and there was a good feeling in my heart because last night I for one witnessed the power of nonviolence in one of the hardest hearts that this city has to offer. As we crossed the street the first time, I saw a young fellow who hauled off and hit me. What happened when I got down on the ground, I don't know but he was one of those that was over me kicking. I got up and we walked down to the next corner and we attempted to cross and there he was again. There was a policeman standing right between him and a friend of his and he hauled off and hit me in my stomach and when I bent over he intended to kick me in my stomach. As we stopped, and when we didn’t fall even though both Reverend Hill and I were hit by a fellow standing by him with blackjacks, you continued to follow us and we walked together. Down the side of the park and there at the foot of the park there was the same guy waiting for us again. And we walked up to him and we didn't break a stride and we looked at him and continued to smile and I was waiting to get hit again and he just barely kind of pushed me aside a little bit. And we turned around and we told the people in the line to pass it back, “Don't anybody touch him.” And I know that something happened in the heart of this young fellow, that he was a fellow that was not any bigger than me, the kind of fellow that before I heard of before Martin Luther King, I would enjoy beating up his mouth and throwing [unintelligible]. And yet, that wouldn't have done any good, because I would have only made an eternal enemy. I would have only made a man so angry with me that he and I could never have anything to do and the chances are we would have had to fight until one of us was nearly destroyed. And yet tonight and in the days that follow I am sure, that just as Paul suffered a conversion after his experience in watching Steven martyred, I am sure that in the heart of this young man, some of the same spiritual turmoil is taking place right now. And not only for him but for the whole city of St. Augustine. And so if we turn back now, if we shrink in fear, if we give into the Devil in this time, then can we go back to a hundred years more of slavery. But if we stand together, and if we stand together strongly and spiritually and non-violent, we shall overcome in St. Augustine. We shall overcome in the state of Florida and we shall overcome in the United States of America and St. Augustine will be not only the nation’s oldest city, but one of its most democratic cities and I look forward to the day when I can meet this young man. As Fred Shuttlesworth said, what he's fighting for is he's looking forward to the day when he can sit down and shake hands with the Klansman that beat him with chains. And I think the day is not far off when some of these same people who are angry with us will smile at us and awkwardly come up to us and want to apologize. And so tonight as we march out we’re marching for freedom for ourselves, but we're marching for the freedom of this nation, and the freedom of all these misguided white people that, that have never seen Negroes as children of God. And so every man and woman and child tonight who considers himself a child of God under my boss, the time is now when we will stand up and bare witness and line up outside the church and march downtown. Part 3: Recording of Night March (00:12:30) [This is mostly the sounds of people walking around, some jeering from segregationists, and dogs barking.] Part 4: Paul Good Interviewing Protesters (00:20:00) Charlie: Yeah, I'm thirteen. I’m thirteen. Paul Good: Charlie, could you tell me what happened? Charlie:Well, when they was down there they threw bricks and all and they hit a white lady in the back and when I was fi’n to go start walking to get in line and they hit me on my ankle. Paul Good: Does it hurt much? Charlie: No, it don't hurt that much. Paul Good: This your first march Charlie? Charlie: No, I've been in several marches. Paul Good: Do you want to keep on marching Charlie? Charlie: Yes sir. Paul Good: Say that again. Charlie: Yes sir. Part 5: Brief Recording of “We Shall Overcome” (00:20:27) Part 6: Paul Good Interviewing Protesters (00:21:05) Paul Good: Can you talk? Can you talk and tell us what happened? Unknown Speaker: I was walking past the front of the flea market, when a white boy look around and next thing I knew he hit me.Paul Good: With his fist? Unknown speaker: Yeah, his fist. Paul Good: In the stomach? Unknown Speaker: No, he hit me right on the side of my jaw and he knocked me on the side of the [unintelligible]. Paul Good: Thank you. Paul Good: Can you tell us what happened? Unknown Speaker 2: The guy hit me on the ankle. Paul Good: With what? Unknown Speaker 2: With a stick. Paul Good: What, one of the police or one of the white men down there? Unknown Speaker 2: I think it was one of the policemen. Paul Good: Did the police come to arrest you? Unknown speaker 2: No, they didn't do nothing. Paul Good:Reverend England, what happened to you? Reverend England: I, they didn’t let me go, they said I couldn’t go tonight, but Gene Dawson got it. Paul Good: Where is he now? Reverend England: He's inside. Paul Good: You want to tell us what happened? Reverend Dawson: Well I, when I went to turn on King, next come a truck load of white boys on the truck. Some was driving, some was on the back of the truck, had a .22 pistol or .22 rifle, either one and shot me right in the windshield. Pow! Paul Good: Did it hit you? Tell us what happened. Did it hit you? Reverend Dawson: Yeah, the bullet really hit the windshield. Unknown Reporter: Where’s your wife? Reverend Dawson: That ain't my wife, it’s my sister. Paul Good: Did you report it to the police? Reverend Dawson: Yeah, I told 'em while ago. Paul Good: Did you describe the car to them?Reverend Dawson: It was on a pickup truck, looked like a Ford pickup. Paul Good: Thank you. Recording ends at 22:59.
Assault on Andrew Young during Night March -- Civil Rights March -- Civil Rights Rally -- Clash Between civil rights Workers and Segregationists -- Night March
Metadata URL:: http://civilrights.flagler.edu/cdm/ref/collection/p16000coll5/id/106
Additional Rights Information:: Flagler College is not the copyright owner for this item, nor can the College provide a copy of this item. Please contact the contributing organization to obtain a copy and permission to reproduce this item.
Extent:: 8 pages
Contributing Institution:: Proctor Library
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