NEW RADICALISM
51
In spite of these unanswered questions, I've been guardedly hope–
ful about the Freedom Ticket. A lot of it rests on an impression of
Richardson himself. Since first meeting
him,
I've sensed a lot of
courage there, as well as an uneasy radicalism. He's one of those
tough people who resisted the pressures inflicted on Negro men in
the North. He's been in the rat race, and outside of it, and feels
effective in both situations. He's easy for people to talk to. He knows
that the ghetto respects racial pride and strength; he's willing to push
back the Turner people
if
they get rough. There
is
no "practical
political reason" I can see for him to endorse us publicly; on the
contrary, our radicalism would impose a real strain on
his
coalition.
In addition,
his
is
a relatively open organization, one which might
become democratic because of popular pressure. Then, too, unless
we join him in some way, he may be outside of a political campaign,
which most community people are interested in, in our area. The
Freedom Ticket will campaign in the areas we've organized, and our
possible differences with Richardson would seem pretty incomprehen–
sible to most people. Finally, we probably can run a council candidate
of our own,
in a way of our own choosing,
on
his
ticket
this
time and
in
the spring election.
1
The question
is
not whether we need political power, but how
to create people's power, radical power. How can it be achieved
through electoral politics without sapping the roots of the movement
here?
It
may
be
possible to run a candidate whose own character,
as a poor Negro, cannot be fit into the system's routines. The campaign
might take shape around the ideas of (1) representation of the black
poor and (2) a program determined and advanced by the people
affected.
If
the candidate continued to be primarily a community
organizer, acting out his equality with the people, it might have a
liberating effect on the thousands of people who don't believe they
are qualified to participate in government. Another crucial problem,
if
he should win, would .be that of transforming the office into a
community resource: the elected person should be able to carry on
with family routines while others represent the community at various
functions; regular open meetings should determine how the com–
munity's vote is to be cast at council meetings; the officer's salary
should go to opening several organizing centers, etc.
1 NCUP finally ran two members for State Assembly on the Freedom Ticket
in
the November 2 election. The ticket received 10,700 votes.
