WWRL -- Sharpton rally --10/21/95

Morris Powell:

"October 17 of 1995 has been a year since we -- the vendors was removed from 125th Street. The 125th Street BID -- Business Improvement District received $220,000 after our removal. Since our removal, our association has suffered hardship of varied dimensions. Economical, social, mental, physical deprivation, and community and the race suffered at large from the loss that we could well [sic] afford. The 125th Street BID was one of many sell-out entities of the community of Harlem, including Community Board 10, political leadership with few exceptions, and special interest economic institutions working in the interest of people not of our community.

There is an officer that owns a store on 125th Street who is an officer of the 125th Street Business Improvement District. He has a big furniture department store that been in business in Harlem for years. He is the only European that has an officer position on the Business Improvement District. The concerned peoples of Harlem is asking -- the righteous concerned people of the community of Harlem is asking the community of Harlem to boycott this particular store known as Bargain World at 14 West 125th Street. Arthur Rosen is secretary of the Business Improvement District. They the ones that is responsible for driving black people out of business on 125th Street in black Harlem and this is how we going to get back. He could drive us out of business; we certainly can drive them out of business, and this is what we intend to do. We intend to drive 'em out of business. We got bring a victory home, and the next one -- the next victory that we are going to bring home, we are going to bring down Bargain World and we are going to drive them out of business. I think they've been in business for practically 50 years right there in Harlem. So they're a big fish. So we asking the community to boycott Bargain World at 14 West 125th Street.

The Buy Black Steering Committee of the 125th Street Vendors Association. We meets at 16 West 125th Street, the Buy Black Steering Committee of the National Action Network. And we are thinking in terms of organizing all the black businesses in the community of Harlem, so that we could come to their interests and look out for the interest of our peoples' business enterprises. This was one of the good things about the Million Man March -- is the economic possibilities that comes from there, specially the Buy Black campaign. The Buy Black campaign means be careful where you spend your money, try to spend your money with yourself, and to go in business so that you can have a business for black people to buy from. And that's the key to our survival. Without that we can't make it. And that's the key to want us receiving respect. The white man do not like Asians, he do not like the Jews, and the rest, but he respect them because of their economic power. And we get disrespect because our lack of it."

Norman "Granddad" Reide:

"Thank you Reverend C. Vernon Mason. Good morning my strong African brothers and sisters and strong you are, you made a believer out of white folks. October 16th. More than a million black men, fortified by strong African sisters, converged on the city of Washington, D.C. Yes, you did make a believer out of white folks. My brothers and sisters, you know, I am a little tired of hearing the Jewish people accusing Minister Louis Farrakhan, Reverend Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Gary Byrd of WLIB and Reverend Del Shields of being anti-Semitic. I am a little tired of that. You know, the Jewish people don't have a monopoly on speaking the truth. We speak the truth, too. We speak the truth, and I'm saying you must never allow anybody, be he Jewish, Irish, Italian, Greek, etc., inhibited you from speaking the truth about them. And I serving notice today on a Jewish community, that if you don't stop accusing Reverend Al Sharpton, Minister Louis Farrakhan, Jesse Jackson, Gary Byrd, Reverend Del Shields and Donna Wilson of being anti-Semitic, we will marshal six million black men and women and boycott every Jewish owned business throughout the United States. There are 91 Waldbaum stores. We will boycott them. There are 618 nationwide ... Toys 'R stores. We will boycott them. There are 145 New York City Key Food Shopping markets. We will boycott them. We will boycott Macy's. There are 50 Sam Goody record stores. We will boycott them. There are 59 Duane Reade Drug Stores in the city of New York . We will boycott them. There are 50 Wiz record stores in the city of New York. We will boycott them. We will boycott Sears and Roebuck Rent-a-Car. We will boycott Avis Rent-a-Car. There scores of Gap stores throughout the United States. We will boycott them. We will boycott Herman's Sporting Goods stores, Modell's Sporting Goods stores, Tallheimer's in Chicago, Illinois, and I do my research. Richfield in Richmond, Virginia, and I do my homework. We will boycott them. And we are saying today stop accusing Minister Louis Farrakhan, Reverend Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Gary Byrd, Donna Wilson and Reverend Shields of being anti-Semitic. We are not your enemy. Are you our enemy? The Skinheads are your enemies. The neo-Nazis are your enemy.

I am saying to the Jewish community and specifically to Abraham Foxman, that you come out and utter a word, accusatory remark against Reverend Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, Donna Wilson, Reverend Shields, or Gary Byrd, we will boycott you and nobody loves money any more than the Jewish people. Thank you.

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