Radio Free Dixie I dont believe any man who lives under tyranny under a government can be accused

of treasonbut when the government betrays its trust to its people then the government is the guilty party to treason and I consider the United States government to have failed black people and to protecting the rights of black people and the enforcement of the constitution Robert F Williams During the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 1968 many tactics were employed to bring to light the treatment of African- Americans. The most widely known is the non-violent approach made famous by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Contrasting Dr. Kings non-violent approach was Monroe, North Carolina native, Robert F. Williams. His philosophical reasoning behind his actions will be explained. Also analyzed, will be his tactics in creating change and how this led to relationships with the leaders of Cuba and China. Robert Franklin Williams politics developed throughout the course of his life. He was born in February of 1925 during a time of increased black and white racial tensions in the southern United States. Throughout Williams lifetime he was told stories of racial injustice by his family as well as firsthand accounts of violence focused upon African-Americans and those who found solidarity with the struggle for equality for all Americans. Such stories and firsthand accounts inspired his beliefs of armed self-defense and vehement opposition to racism within society. Williams learned about the struggles of slavery from his grandparents who were enslaved until emancipation. After their freedom, they witnessed great injustices in the supposed democratic voting process. They lived through the resistance of white oppressors threatening to kill African-Americans if they came to vote and refused to leave the polling areas. Williams described his grandmother, Ellen, as his greatest friend, who read everything, especially

history. In addition, young Robert would hear stories of his grandfather, Sikes, becoming the first black school teacher in Union county, which is home to the city of Monroe. Sikes also published a small newspaper The Peoples Voice, which focused on republican and populist values. When Williams inherited his grandfathers rifle from his grandmother he inherited a proud resistance to tyranny. Williams father was a boiler maker but despite his fathers freedom and skill he couldnt have the higher paying job of his white counterpart. The white over-seer stayed drunk and required the help of Williams father. As Williams grew into adulthood he was told that he should be like his hard working father who never caused any trouble. At the age of 11 Williams witnessed a traumatic and yet defining moment which would haunt and inspire him to action. He witnessed Jesse Helms Sr. a white police officer severely beat an African-American woman. After assaulting the woman, Helms then dragged the woman to jail by her ankle, her dress over her head and her skin scraping the pavement. As she screamed, many white onlookers laughed, cheered, and were indifferent to the violence in front of them. After witnessing such violent indifference, Robert Williams began taking action at a young age, leading a workers strike at 16. After the workers strike, Williams moved to Michigan where he was employed as an autoworker. After racist groups killed many AfricanAmericans, Williams participated in the three day long Detroit riot in 1943. The tensions between races escalated after World War Two. Many black southerners were told they could move north to find affordable jobs and housing however, the racism and bigotry was the same in the north.

In 1944 Williams was drafted into the Army which was segregated as well. Williams returned to Monroe after a year and a half, to actions which would become the seed of his values of armed self-defense. One of the first incidents which inspired the veteran to armed self-defense was the execution of fellow soldier Bennie Montgomery. Montgomery worked as a sharecropper who was robbed of his wages by his employer. Montgomery requested what he was owed and was slapped by the white land owner, so he then took out his pocket knife and cut the throat of the unsuspecting man. The Ku Klux Klan wanted to lynch Montgomery, but police took him to a prison in Raleigh, where he was later executed. After Montgomerys death the KKK wanted the body of the young man. Williams and other veterans met to create a battle plan. When the KKK showed up at the funeral home 40 armed associates of Williams aimed at the oncoming cars. Not a shot was fired from either side but the flame of armed self-defense had been lit. In 1947 Robert Williams married Mabel Robinson, his lifelong partner and supporter in equal rights, tactics, and politics. Mabel did not know of Robert Williams political activities when she married him; however, she grew to see the validity of Williams fight against racism and injustice. After his dishonorable discharge from his second term in the military in 1955, Williams began working with the NAACP. In addition to his growing involvement with the NAACP he was creating ties with black nationalists which included Malcolm X. Despite such well-known allies, Williams was not well known until the Kissing Case. On October 28, 1958 a group of African- American and white children were playing together. A young white girl kissed a young

African-American boy, violating a social taboo. The mother of the little girl was outraged and informed police. The police blamed the two little boys, who were just 8 and 10 years old. They beat and arrested the boys , locking them in the basement for 6 days without contact with their parents. On Halloween the police went to their cell, wearing white sheets and professing to be the KKK who were outside and ready to lynch the boys. At sentencing, the judge sent them to reform school until they were 21 years old. They were released after only 4 months because of outreach by Williams and his associates. This brought Williams to be recognized as a leader. Another incident regarding Williams organizational talents was the case of Mary Ruth Reed. Reed was 8 months pregnant when a white man attempted to rape her. He beat her and tore her clothing. A white female neighbor ran out and saw what happened. When the women of the African-American community requested advice from Robert Williams, he believed the law would handle it. At trial he was thought to be not guilty despite witness testimony. The case regarding Reed inspired Williams to action. Williams created a press conference in 1959 and told viewers the federal government is not coming to the aide of people who are oppressedif its necessary for us to kill we must be willing to kill. In addition to press conferences, Williams also organized events such as lunch counter desegregation campaigns and swimming pool desegregation. The picketers marched over and over with signs at the public pool which was marked whites only. However the pool was not only funded by white tax dollars. Despite this, the picketers were shot at by angry racists. Williams once hearing of the violence came in his car to rescue the picketers. As the car moved through town, a mob surrounded the car. The police saw an armed mob approaching the car and

yet did nothing. Williams instructed a young picketer to hand him his gun and the mob backed up. Police attempted to relieve Williams of his gun with no success. One racist white man cried exclaiming what is the country coming to when all the Negroes got guns and the police cant even arrest them? Williams feeling the need to arm the greater African- American populous, organized gun clubs he was met with resistance from those who aligned with the non-violent approach. Williams replied, If they proved their way to be superior I would become a pacifist. Despite tactical differences Williams still supported the Freedom Riders sponsored by Martin Luther King Jr. Williams thought them separate primarily because he would not adhere to the tactic of nonviolence. However, he supported and helped the freedom riders with housing and food. In addition, supporters of Williams came to their rescue after a rally was met with resistance from angry whites. The freedom riders were not welcomed by the racist majority and the proposed demonstration was so dangerous the activists had to be evacuated. Police offered no protection and seemed to be on the side of the angry racist mob. During the commotion a white couple took a wrong turn into Williams neighborhood. This would prove a precarious situation not only for the couple, but for Williams as well. Many of the African- Americans present wanted to kill the couple but Williams saved them from angry crowd. When asked if they were being kidnapped Williams replied if you want to go you can goI didnt bring you here and Im not going to take you away. The couple left without harm but Williams was accused of kidnapping nonetheless. After the white couple left the neighborhood, Williams received terrorizing phone calls from state troopers who threatened to come and hang him. Williams, Mabel and their two sons escaped out of Monroe through wooded back roads.

Williams left the United States and was given political asylum in Cuba, under the order of Fidel Castro. Williams was permitted to broadcast his own radio show Radio Free Dixie which sent out over the airwaves news, commentary, and music. Radio Free Dixie could be heard in Los Angeles, Seattle, New York all throughout the southern United States playing messages such as: Negroes must be willing to fight, they must be willing to die, and to kill if necessary, there is no law no 14th amendment they would have to create the deterrent for themselves by meeting violence with violence. After initial wide-range broadcasting success, FBI and CIA involvement lowered the broadcasting range of the radio station. The Cuban government also began to censor and restrict Williams. The Castro regime was concerned about strained race relations developing between working class blacks and lighter skinned Cubans, changing the structure of the egalitarian society. Williams headstrong ideals proved troublesome to the Cuban government. He was not a Communist and never followed direction from any political party members. Radio Free Dixie was not only broadcast in the Unites States, with the radio program being re-broadcast to soldiers in Vietnam. The broadcasts inspired soldiers to rethink their willingness fight and die for a democracy that doesnt protect them. Williams called nonviolence masochism and continued to call the lack of police protection in black ghettoes a sham. Williams also spoke out against the murders of innocent peoples of Vietnam. After relations with Cuba became strained, Mabel and Robert Williams found asylum in China. Williams attempted to return to the United States but he was denied numerous times. The government of Mao Tse Tung treated the family exceptionally well. However, in 1969 Nixon wanted to expand diplomatic relations with China and thought Williams might have insights into

Chinese-American relations. In 1969 the state department granted the ability for Robert, Mabel, and their two children to return home to the United States after eight years of exile. Upon returning to the United States Robert Williams found himself to be an icon of black power. Instead of taking a leadership role Williams began working in the local community outside of Grand Rapids in Baldwin, Michigan. Williams also joined the local chapter of the NAACP and spoke at various colleges and prisons. Williams died in 1996 from complications from Hodgkins disease surrounded by his family. At Robert Williams funeral Rosa Parks attended and spoke: as we continue to think in terms of the sacrifices he made, and what he did, should go down in history and never be forgotten. Robert Williams never yearned for a life of limelight and leadership, striving to create change how he felt he could. Although many did not agree with his tactics, his many followers understood his reasoning behind them. Through police brutalities, mob violence, segregation, and exile he stayed true to his beliefs of armed self-defense and dedication to his own definition of justice and freedom, becoming a leader of a movement as he saw fit and under his own terms.