Harry Davis

Del: Please give your name, what you consider to be your primary occupation or field of interest, and your age. Davis: Well, my name is W. Harry Davis. I'm involved now in finishing my autobiography. Which brings to point the many issues in my life that have given me the opportunity to be involved in many different issues. All the way from coaching athletics, to civil, human rights, housing, and banking, things of that sort. I'm concerned most of the time with trying to better the lives of the poor and disadvantage in our state and of course throughout the country. I'm eighty years of age and I'm a native Minneopolitan and Minnesotan going to school here in Minneapolis, spending most of my life being employed in Minneapolis. My four children went to school in Minnesota with the exception of one who went in Missouri. I'm retired and starting my second career. Del: What is your definition of the Civil Rights Movement? Davis: Well, I think the Civil Rights Movement is bringing the attention to the controlling factors of this country, of the rights of the constitution, of the United States, The Bill of Rights. It's often active in many different ways. civil rights on the local level, depending on the way local people are treated, on the state level, and on the national level. That in order to make sure that the rights of the people are guaranteed. civil rights was founded when all people were not receiving the benefits of the government. When there was segregation and Jim Crow, in the churches, in the army, the navy, the marine core, and the air force with all phases of government and private life were not integrated . The people who are citizens in this country were not given the opportunity to participate in all those rights and to be respected and to be given opportunities and were not able to get public education and so forth. They couldnÕt participate. Even when they did, often times the controlling factor did not allow them to move up, because of the color of their skin. So, the Civil Rights Movement had to call attention to the country that these opportunities were not being offered to all its citizens and that the government and the people of the United States had to do something about that. And of course the first thing to do about that was to admit it and to provide on the local level agencies and so forth who could help correct that and state level departments to provide legal and physical opportunities to correct those statements and on the nation level get congressional agreement with the president to say that this country must provide opportunities for all its citizens. I think participating in the country, you have to ask that question. Is that offered to all American citizens? And evidently it was not at that time and still is not. Therefore civil rights, civil rights advocate, and civil rights organization and civil right towards the government agencies had to do a better a job and have to be more respected in order to make sure that the job is done. Del: Would the public protesting and boycotts of the past be an effective way to make a change today? Davis: Well, I think it would be effective any time, because demonstrations are bringing the attention to the public through the media. You can have great media coverage. These thing are not taking place. They are not being enforced. During Martin Luther Kings demonstrations, and demonstrations that happened right here in Minneapolis and in St. Paul, our Capitol people are still demonstrating. Because those that make the decisions have to understand, unless there is a group of people that challenge the decisions that are making they really don't give it too much concern. Unless there is a large group of people to say to them, we do not agree to this, we wish to make changes, would you consider this? When there is a large number of people in the demonstration the people that are elected see that the people that elected them are saying to them you got to do a better job. And if that is not true, and if you don't do that, there is an election coming up in a couple of years, and we make our own changes. I don't think demonstrations will ever stop, because that's one way you can get to your elective officials and say to them you're not doing the job we elected you to do. And I think that as long as there is a government and there is discrimination and a need for human and civil rights, demonstrations will always be there and it will be a powerful way of saying to those that make the changes that we are not satisfied and we need to make a change. Del: How would you define the relationship between the Black Arts Movement and the Civil Rights Movement? Davis: I think there is a close relationship between the arts community, and arts movement, and Civil Rights Movement . Our artist have put together in painting for people to see many of the injustices that have been challenged by the Civil Rights Movement. They're kind of a team and I think they work very well together. And artist have come forward with great talent to display the way that they are being mistreated or being neglected or prosecuted or persecuted. And I think that there is a team the word as the picture. The picture can cover for thousands and thousands of words. So, I think there is a very close relationship with the art community. Actors and actresses play out the parts that people can see. They may not see it everyday, but they can go to the theater and see it. They can understand it better. And in dance there is a trauma, grace of dancers. Music, musicians playing the songs, the writers writing the song and putting the lyrics in and putting it to music can smooth the minds of those that listen so they can better understand. The arts movement and the Civil Rights they are a team. They are family. Del: And what do you think is the most important issue African Americans have to address today? Davis: Well, I think it's the same movement that has been carried on from generation to generation. The lack of freedom, the lack of respect, the lack of opportunity. We've had a great challenge in the past Civil Rights Movement to say to the government and the people in the country that are not African Americans, about the unfair treatment that has been received and the lack of opportunities for African Americans. You know and Swedish Americans and Irish Americans, Italian Americans, Mexican Americans. All of them have the rightful way of saying that weÕre Americans. You're identified by saying that you are an African American. That means your ancestors came from Africa and you may be of a different color. That a stigma thatÕs always there and I think as long as it's there as identification it should be used to show opportunities of Americans, because there are African American and they're Swedish Americans or what ever, the opportunities are there for some but not for others. So it is a way of saying so here is a group of Americans that have not been given the opportunity to live and to appreciate the rights of America. Del: What do you think of the Civil Rights Movement today? Davis: Well I think it's still in existence. I think it's more powerful than we think it is. I think because it's been put to use of the technical understanding and the promotional ways of the news media, how we get it across to a large number of people without being beaten or having hoses put on us or dogs sicked on you, we've past that. We are now using intelligence that we have picked up by, through the areas of learning institutions, people that can teach us and guide us. So, we're becoming more sophisticated with it and we don't have to allow people to put their lives on the line to get it done. But, it will always be there, because there are always people that will disagree. There will always be people that will hate, distrust, and dehumanize people of color. Del: I have a list of words that are from a series called African Blues. The words are from a book for schools about relating to immigrants that are victims of torture and traumatic situations in unstable countries. Please comment on how you feel each word may relate to the Civil Rights Movement or African-Americans today. Del: Control Davis: There is a very close relationship, because, if you look at Africa today Africa is in a turmoil of control. The African countries are in revolution, their governments are not stable. I think it relates quite a bit to African Americans today. Because, since slavery there has been a lack of involvement, a lack of deep involvement, with the government in the United States and the African Americans whose forefathers were slaves of slave owners that were very prominent in government and economics and so forth. That plight of slavery has created a great challenge, to not only the United States government, to African Americans and to other Africans. Other people of color that are migrating into the United States it seem that there is a point of control. I can understand too that the government, our country, is under a terrorist act and all those that are looked and suspected of being terrorist would be looked into or investigated. That doesn't include eleven million African American citizens that's been a part of the growth of this country from the beginning. And the peaceful demonstration shows that there is no act of terrorism in the African American community. African American's try to become a part of American society and benefit from the great freedoms that have been offered to us and suppose to be appreciated by African Americans, who have not been able to enjoy, at this point, all the freedoms of this country. Del: Dehumanize Davis: Well, dehumanization is very public. I think the way African Americans are treated when they are suspected of doing something that is against the law, the way we are treated and prosecuted often without due cause or legitimacy still exist. And I think the way that they're stopped on highways and the way they're treated after they've stopped. If you look at the number of people in prison, African Americans outnumbered of all other individual groups, with the exception of some of the immigrants, that are coming in now. There is still a lot of concerns that have to be looked at, corrected in order for African Americans to realize freedom and justice. Del: Stigma Davis: Well, sigma, it's again relating to placing a person in a stigma of judging them before any investigation, placing them in a group of people that are considered to be less than or lower than. Stigmatizing them before even giving them a chance to prove that they're not even in that category. It's a great concern. Just the word itself brings out a lot of questions. Del: Traumatize Davis: Well, the lack of respect has traumatize the African American community. If you look at the kids today joining gangs, dropping out of school, things like that. They're traumatized by the lack of opportunity. They're traumatized by the parents not being able to control them, to give them the leadership and the advice and the discipline I know that are parents gave us. And to look at the opportunities of advancement, according to the numbers the African American college graduates, business people and so forth, they have spread out to all places of leadership in the government. It's not according to the numbers that are qualified to do that and not given the opportunity to get up to the highest level that they can. Of course, you look at Colin Powell. I'm sure that if he was considered as president he probably could of been, but thatÕs only one. I think that the showing of the Generals during the Iraqi war that was on television, answering the questions, that giving the positions that the armed services are in, is an advancement. That is done often to show people, particularly African Americans, that opportunities are there. But most of the time when people of color, African-Americans in particular attempt to move in that direction there is only a few that get to go through. Del: Loss Davis: Well, I think were very close to losing almost the whole generation of young African American people. Again, drugs without drug control and most of the drugs are considered to be connected with African American young people. If you look at the whole sophistication of drugs in the United States, often times when it's geared for profit, and of course people that are against the government and I guess that's coming to the surface. Right now and there are those who don't believe that our government is right and would like to change it. And I think if you look drugs - it is a way a of controlling people and getting people where they are not in position to speak knowledgeable and to be a part of decisions. Drugs are a major part of the problems within the United States particularly in the African-American community. And the bringing into this country of those drugs, the development of those drugs in this country are not controlled by African Americans. So the blame cannot be put on them for bringing drugs in this country, but because of the lack of opportunity and the schooling by the parents of the children it often seems to be the easiest way to make money, but it is the most dangerous way. But, I think that is, of course that is a major problem. Del: Identity Davis: Identity, I think that African American's have made great progress since slavery by getting together and organizing themselves. Organizing with those that are careful and caring about the lives and the future of African American people. I think the colleges are full. There needs to be more. There are opportunities that they should be more a part of. In order to develop young African American people to become a part of all the major factors of control in American society, the government manufacturing, business, and industry, the stock market, African Americans are there, but there are so few in numbers. If you look at the broadcasting and radio and television they are starting to become involved in that. And being put in part of the public on a daily basis sure helps the growth from that. That information and so forth, that is so much in control in our country, information through computers and things of that sort. African Americans are getting involved and have been involved in the development of this country through knowledge and communication. And I think it will be a beneficial factor for the whole country and of course for African Americans that those doors are open. And those that are qualified and trained and can be beneficial to the organization and should be given the right as their qualifications are offered. Del: Survival Davis: Survival is something that has never been lost by the African Americans from the time of slavery. Survival during slavery was actually a miracle, because of the treatment and the way they were fed. If you look at the diets today and the diseases that destroyed and killed, it's because of what they had to survive on. Diabetes come from foods that are not beneficial to the body and that is what they had to survive on. It became quite an attraction to them, because they could make it taste better. Yet still it was not beneficial to their health. Survival is when you have to survive on something you make so that you can enjoy it. So that's what they did to the food and it is causing problems right now to our younger people. But survival, the way to react to treatment even if they were beaten, to sustain the crying and the shouting, is to accept it so it didn't create a victory for those who were punishing them. Most of them or some of them were ashamed that they had to do this. The discipline that they had during that time. The passing on of health care and treatment during the time of slavery, it's a mystery to those outside of the African American community. And so the diseases that were there were cured and the medicines that were made from the peanuts and the things of that sort, the cotton industry, and that bloomed in to be one of the great industries of America, provided many jobs, and clothing and so forth. All of those things were brought to the attention of the country and continued to be supplied, because of free labor during slavery. But the knowledge that George Washington Carver with peanuts, that showed that benefits could be used, were passing down of those medical people that were brought here from Africa as slaves. It had kept the slaves healthy so that they could be productive. You have to know our history is the type of history that is not in our history books, but the history that should be added to our history book. Del: Inspire Davis: Well, I think today we have the opportunity to see, because of the television, the computer, and so forth, the way we can see how we can encourage and uplift and reach people the mediums of the media, particularly television, and computer. And that you can give the encouragement of wanting to learn and the interest to our young people. The opportunities that our young people are getting in our schools with good research, often times the educational ability of television and cable and so forth are beneficial. On one hand, the computer and the internet has the opportunity for distraction and crime. And we see that on television. We see destruction., we see sex, they are not inspirational to our children, but kind of a determent. But on the other hand, we do have those opportunities for our children to watch and to use the internet and cable, and particularly the means through the computer of learning, the opportunity of learning of all the advance science, of all the advanced poetry and books learning and so forth is there at the touch of a button, instantly. And I think that is a great opportunity for young people to learn, but on the other hand there's still that lack of the first unit of education, the family. And the family has to be stronger and the family has to be together. The family has to be the leader and the educator of the children. As they teach them to walk, they got to teach them to learn as we did our grandma. Our grandparents taught us respect and understanding and the ability to want to learn. There are so many things that we were able to receive from our forefathers. That actually today the responsibility of family has been taken away by other interest - drugs in a major factor. We have to keep probing to different areas opportunities for our children to participate in. Del: Hope Davis: Well you always have to have hope. I think that we must understand there are three things of life itself. The body which is our temple, we have to treat it well and it will treat us well. The brain, which is the first and greatest computer, which everything we see or hear goes into our memory cells. ThatÕs the greatest educational unit we have hearing and seeing and of course our bodies and our minds as we live on earth we have the body, mind, and the spirit. When the spirit leaves the body then thereÕs only the spirit. That spirit has to be connected with a much greater source a much greater force. And I think as we develop our mind and body it tells us that we must keep clean in very good condition our spiritual part during our time on earth. And if we do that I think can appreciate, and pass on, and discipline and teach others of the great opportunities we have now and will have more in the future. Del: Closure Davis: Well, I think we are not close to closure. We are close all the time in terms of the spirit leaving the body and we're going on beyond our earthly responsibilities. We no longer exist on earth, but I think we have got to continue to provide leadership to our younger people. And if you look at many of the things that have happened in our government, in our universities, and learning institutions in our way of earning a living through the various companies, the various organizations. All the way from the computers to farming and clothing and so forth. There has to be that opportunity for everybody to have. That opportunity is offered to everyone, but often not allowed to practice. The constitution and Bill of Rights for every citizen has the right regardless to what the color of their skin is or what language they speak here in the United States. So I think we have to continue to make sure that our younger people pick up that knowledge and continue to pass it on to the next generation. And if we do that not too long in the future our country can live up to the commitment to all its citizens for the rights of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Right now, that kind of a misunderstood word by African Americans, because, they are still not given the true right of freedom and the enjoyment of it that was committed to the constitution. And that African Americans like other people of color and immigrants now as they come to this country and become a part of this country and can make it great, if the country gives them an opportunity to make it great.

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