Vol. 72/No. 24      June 16, 2008

Bishop’s speech, which was interrupted many times by standing ovations, capped a highly successful visit to the United States. His trip was a big step forward for the Grenadian revolution and deepened the understanding of it on the part of many American workers. It was another example that, despite the small size of the island country, Grenada is a big revolution.

Grenada is a predominantly Black, English-speaking, Caribbean island. In 1979 the Grenadian people overthrew the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Eric Gairy and established a workers and farmers government.  
 
June 23, 1958
Police in Dawson, Georgia, are carrying on a reign of terror against Negroes. So far they perpetrated two legal lynchings—one with blackjacks, the other with guns. Other Negroes have been wounded, beaten, and jailed. In the Negro sections of town people are fearful and observe the unofficial 11 P.M. curfew imposed upon them by the police.

The police have neither been punished nor reprimanded for the two murders, as is to be expected under the American Way of Life (Southern Style). Nor is there much likelihood that they will be.

The facts about the wave of anti-Negro violence in this town of 4,500 people were made public by the Washington Post and Times Herald.

The danger for Dawson Negroes was so great that procedures similar to those of resistance movements under totalitarian regimes had to be used.  
 
June 17, 1933
Battling heroically against strike breakers aided by deputy sheriffs, pickets of the Progressive Miners of America gave a splendid account of themselves at the Peerless Mine of the notorious Peabody Coal Co. in Springfield last Wednesday.

The battle started as 2,000 miners-pickets asked the scabs at No. 59 mine not to go to work. Immediately, firing by machine guns and rifles broke out from the mine tipple. Taking advantage of cover the pickets advanced and succeeded in disarming many of the gunmen.

Fighting continued in various parts of the city as groups of pickets supported by the heroic Womens’ Auxiliary fought against efforts to disperse them.

Seven members of the PMA were shot, one seriously but 42 strikebreakers and thugs were sent to the hospital.  
 
 
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