Report by Raleigh, N.C. F.I.S.T. (Fight Imperialism, Stand Together!)
The December 1st Event in Durham, North Carolina was organized and facilitated by Theresa El-Amin. Theresa was in SNCC in Alabama back in the day, and she currently is the Vice President of the North Carolina NAACP, works with Jobs with Justice and is a member of Solidarity. She invited a list of extremely powerful speakers including:
Charlotte Purvis - a participator in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. She discussed the economic impact that the boycott had on the State. She discussed the cultural changes that have taken place in the working class and in the rest of society and how our tactics have to change, ie. Walking to work and boycotting the bus, boycotting businesses is something that does not have as wide of an appeal or as strong an impact today.
Rosemary Crowell - a member of the McCauley family which is related to Rosa Parks father. She met and knew Rosa personally and told us stories about her. She also described in detail Rosa's funeral and how it felt.
Steve Satterfield - a Durham Area Transit Authority(DATA) bus driver. He discussed his efforts to leave open the first seat on the bus and leave literature about the Civil Rights Movement and Rosa Parks in the next seat. He showed us the placards that are being hung in all DATA buses and also told us about the placards being put in the Triangle Transit Authority(TTA) buses to commemorate Rosa Parks life.
Cora Cole-McFadden - Mayor Pro-Tempore of Durham. She read the Durham City Council Resolution, which passed!!!, that designates December 1st as Rosa Parks Day.
Yolanda Carrington, member of Raleigh FIST. She rocked the house. She spoke on the role of the generations older than us in creating space and time for cross-generational dialogue, especially concerning passing down the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement. She spoke on the consciousness of black youth today and how little she feels that they fathom the pain and suffering under Jim Crow and how these experiences need to be passed down constantly and in a direct, fostering manner. People were uproarious when she finished.
Torence Muhammad - Millions More Movement Durham. He spoke on the role of Black Movements in contempory economic institutions and the success of Millions More.