Hilliard Caldwell - Role of adults in leading in the movement, conclusion (clip)

John Kenyon “Yonni” Chapman (YC): How about the relationship between the teenagers who were high school students and maybe some younger, even right?-

Hilliard Caldwell (HC): Uh-huh.

YC: -and the ones of you who were out of school and were older?

HC: I think I can honestly say, Yonni, had it not been for those of us… I was mild mannered. I was soft. I think had it not been for our leadership and our slow approach to things, I suspect Chapel Hill would have had some scenes that were very common in Birmingham with the fire hoses and the policemen retaliating against the movement because there were those young people who wanted to go out and smash heads and knock windows out and do all that. I think that it was our slow approach, the Black leaders from the community: our let’s wear them down with boycotts, let’s wear them down with picket signs stopping people from, not stopping but calling attention that this store here is segregated. And when they come up and would see us picketing, they’d get back in their car and leave, whites and Blacks. But without my… I was never militant, and there were times when I could see the militant side of Harold and some of his followers but I think with our soft approach to it, with my let’s sit down and talk approach, let’s go meet with them, let’s picket, let’s announce that there is a boycott of all these places publicly, we can tear ‘em down that way. And they bought that, reluctantly.

YC: “They” meaning Harold and the younger people? They bought it reluctantly?

HC: Reluctantly, because I suspect that if we hadn’t persisted and insisted, I suspect they would have… And they knew they couldn’t do it alone. That the powers that be weren’t going to pay attention to youngsters who weren’t… they weren’t contributing anything to the community other than that they were students in the schools, but we were adults. Those of us who owned property, who had homes, who were active in our churches and everything. The people downtown listened to us. And I suspect that our approach with… ‘cause I remember many a day telling folks if you are gonna be violent, if you think you can’t take being spit upon, leave the movement now before we ever get started. We don’t need you here. If you’ve got any weapons, empty them out. We don’t need them here today. We don’t want police arresting you and finding a six-inch switchblade on you or a pistol or whatever the case might be. I remember that was a philosophy of mine and there was a guy right now I know and he marched with us one time and somebody called him a n***** and he had his knife and I went to him and said, “Clarence, maybe it’s best that you not…you’re not going to be able to take this, maybe it’s best you not come back.” And he agreed. We laughed about that today. He said, “If had gone back downtown and the next thing called me a n*****, he said I would have ruined you.”

YC: Was there a – oh we probably need to stop for now. We can come back to this another time.

HC: Let’s set up some time, in fact it’s about to stop for us. This one here’s just got a little bit more going. Anyway why don’t we just take a look and see when you can get back as quick as you can.