Bill Stamets Collection > SERIES I: Films by Bill Stamets > Subseries II: Footage

W. Speaks

Transcript (Download)

You Also Do The economy is the problem and the economy must be turned around and so we cannot feed upon each other We have to cooperate with each other.

We want our women to walk these streets in safety We want our city senior citizens to be respected Whether they're veterans or non -veterans male or female and above all we want our young people Protected as best we can they are the future They demand to be protected.

We didn't bring them here to abuse them We have to protect them and do all we can so what is happening today in this small way Is a coming together of a community to renew its faith in itself in the institutions in its leadership in its mayor Who needs your help if I'm going to survive for 20 years I've sworn to be mayor of this great city Can we give a press a resounding cheer? They don't deserve it, but you might teach them a lesson I'm happy to be here What a beautiful city Oh What a beautiful city Oh What a beautiful city to the city My lord built him a city built it What a beautiful city to the city What a beautiful city to the city What a beautiful city to the city What a beautiful city to the city What a beautiful city to the city What a beautiful city to the city What a beautiful city to the city Chicago is the home of the new And also they can hold us on the loudest audiences in the world But tonight we have some special Grammy awards We have been joined by Robin McBride Both the president and master of family recording arts and sciences Luther Johnson Coco Taylor Stevie Landmark Shilpa Coop Karen Allen He created the album Live at 1982 Montreal He has entertained audiences with his incredible music and concert hall I want to thank you for your time, children I want to say I want you to be nice I'll see you next year Hey This place will beat the windows on it What's up, my lady? Last year I was here I was here a year ago And I made a I made a four minute speech I said this year I'm gonna make a Two minute speech I'm gonna make that speech if it takes two hours So you better with me I want to welcome you I want to welcome you to the second The liberation of freedom from ancient tires Is also now a recognition of the present struggle For continued Jewish freedom from terrorism Many of the Jewish holidays Have grown out of the ancient struggle for freedom That is why Jewish tradition has grown ever more stronger As that struggle continues Now it is also known as the holiday of lights The new candles lit each of the eight nights of the holiday In ancient times That light was a sign of God's support of the Jewish people In their struggle against the tyrants Today that light Also signals hope and commitment Of the Jewish nation As they continue their fight for freedom and independence As mayor of Chicago I join their fight As America I join their fight As a member of the human race I join their fight Let this holiday Shine ever brighter around the world Spread the ideas of the holiday All around the world As long as you're here May we rest in peace Happy Holidays Applause We were delayed up at a Howard Street Fair And like any normal human being Sometimes you have to go to the bathroom But he's seconds away It's a...

Applause Applause On the other hand Being a brutal politician If you want to dump it, dump it! Applause We have important...

We have...

uh oh, we had business Where's the microphone? I came here today To do several things One was to read just the whereas clause Rather than the operating causes Of a resolution or proclamation Which I have passed It says this Now therefore I, Harold Washington, mayor of the city of Chicago Do hereby proclaim June 27th to 30th, 1985 To be gay and lesbian pride league In Chicago Applause Applause And further I proclaim I proclaim That June 30th, 1985 To be gay and lesbian pride parade day In Chicago Applause And urge all citizens to be cognizant of the events Scheduled for this observation There are those Who might say Well that's a big deal There are those who are more perceptive And those who are more democratic And those who are more understanding And those who have spent their lives As I have spent my life Working in the vineyards of civil liberties And civil rights For everybody regardless of race, color, creed, sex, or proclivities or what have you Applause We saw We saw together Around a common problem Central And core to our very existence What is that problem? We can talk about Economic development We can talk about leisure time Activity We can talk and should watch eloquently about the needs Of our public school system We must talk about balanced budgets We must talk about open government We must talk about incorporating all Individuals of whatever Size, race, color, creed, or otherwise Into the orbit of government But fundamentally Fundamentally what is it that must Be most important to any city Or any political subdivision You must have the glue In needing Forces and power To bring people together Around a central core And so you've got to radiate A certain ethos A certain attitude A certain mindset A certain goal pushed by A deep sense of urgency I have chosen The old ordinary mundane Everyday word Of fairness as the glue To bring this city together Applause I don't know about you I know that you Knowing the meaning of Liberty and freedom and fairness Will do the best you can to assist I am calling upon Everyone not just you but you in Particular to join this Cavalcade which is trying to reform Why are you defending The rights of someone else when Black people themselves haven't gotten Their rights? I said food You're talking to the wrong man Anybody In the world has enough sense To fight for himself But when you fight for others You uplift, you ennoble yourself You bring new spiritualism You are somebody, period Applause And so I join I join with my good friend Captain Marvin Richard Duffy In asking this audience To join me In trying to make clear to those Negative aspects of the city council And what they're doing in trying to Thwart the passage Of community development block grant funds For housing and senior citizens And delegate agencies and so forth And so on, is to stand in the way of the Progress and I'm saying to each and every One of you, make yourself a Committee of one or two Or four or whatever And contact your own And say cease and desist From interfering with this mayor's Right to run this city Fair, openly and honestly For everybody, I'm asking you to do that I know I need a witness today Thank you Applause Thank you Applause Right Right Applause That's a hell of a good refrain Laughter We're on the road This city is in the process of becoming It's almost there Everything's been put in place We've opened up government We've hired indiscriminately We have freedom of information You can find out what's been going on We're putting more dollars into the neighborhoods And the net result is that sales have gone up Investment has gone up Construction is going up We've anchored to the loop We're going to take care of every pier You're going to get a south west transit system You're going to get all those goodies Which you're entitled to This city is coming together And so this proclamation I read to you This proclamation I read to you Is not designed to incorporate you Into the big city You're already incorporated into it This proclamation is a call to arms To the gay and lesbian community To join this layer To clean up this city Thank you very much Applause Thank you very much The station art Motorcycles and cars And M .A .C.

on the wall Blue water and they Only choose those Blue water lanes on the wall All right, Roy First Cavalry Scout Trooper Hatton Applause Thank you very much I'm going to serve Ladies and gentlemen What they call rest and recuperation We're going to have a great time I'm going to get a little bit funky here To get this ordinance passed And I'm sure with the leadership of Harold Washington and other aldermen that are very concerned with gay rights issues that we will get this ordinance passed.

And it's my pleasure to introduce the Mayor of the City of Chicago, Harold Washington.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you.

It's a good day here.

If you keep applauding I'll have to invite you to the council.

Maybe you can do something down there.

Alderman Hanson, Alderman Oberman, distinguished ladies and gentlemen, Mr.

Kessler, I made no exception.

Harold! Harold! Harold! Harold! Harold! The star -spangled banner yet wave O 'er the land of the free and the home of the brave The star -spangled banner yet wave Thank you, John.

The letter that I'm going to read, works together is our theme for rebuilding this city and starting in the communities.

The goals of generating new jobs, new homes, new businesses have already been outlined.

Very shortly we will be releasing the results of our first 15 months.

They are impressive.

The number of new jobs created.

Alderman Kelly is the shy, retiring man.

I just need a little bit of a break.

Can you tell us what future dialysis of Chicago? Our linkage program is one of those programs.

Our Nehemiah housing program, which is a housing program that's in the plan for west sides and south sides of the city of Chicago.

We have some tremendous...

Mr.

Mindale's son will be there.

Do not feel that...

...

$30 ,000 to 118 cultural groups in city arts and whereas city art scene will still instill in all Chicago the sense of pride about their city's enviable record of cultural confidence.

Now we get to the end.

I therefore, Harold Washington, mayor of the city of Chicago, do hereby proclaim May 21 through 26, 1984 to be city arts scene week in Chicago and urge all citizens, those here and those not here, to be cognizant of the outstanding cultural activities arranged for this period.

Today is the 21st day of May 1984 and I proudly present this proclamation to Mr.

Fred Fein, our director of cultural affairs.

I hope you enjoy the home dance because Mr.

Fein will get your appetite for their coming.

Right? Right.

We are all delighted in having Mayor Washington declare this proclamation.

This is the proper way in which to kick off this marvelous week.

He has been giving his wholehearted support to the activities of the office of fine arts and to the mayor's office of special events.

On with the show, the home dancers.

Alright.

Here we have a number of persons here.

I think you get met most of the time.

I've been mayor for a little better than two years but never have I felt more like a mayor than I do here in your presence.

I've just been the recipient, I appreciate it, of the historical graciousness and hospitality of the Italian people.

In a county hospital having an audience with the Pope? Wow! I mean, my cup went over.

Your goodness and mercy certainly must be following me for me to have been so blessed and also to have been blessed with friends such as yourselves.

Your graciousness has just disarmed me.

In fact, I shouldn't be making this speech, I just want to say thank you.

We will do our best to continue to tighten the bond between the communities of this great city.

I love this city.

It is a diversified, ethnic city with so much to give and so much to offer.

I don't see a disunity in the diversity.

I see reasons for us coming together in closer ties.

I think Chicago can be, can be really the pearl of the Antilles.

It can be the Rome of the 1980s if we really work hard at it.

It can be a city which people will talk about 2 ,000 years later as they do about the gracious city of Rome.

I'm going back to the home of your fathers and your mothers.

I will approach it with reverence and dignity and love and I know I'll leave it even more so.

Thank you very much.

The legitimate ambition to make certain that government works for them and legitimate ambitions to make their neighborhoods function in a peaceful harmonious place.

I'm going to take a moment to raise the spirits of the community.

The growth of the community.

The individual and the growing and the burdening of the city.

Thank you very much.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Mary together, are you going to be getting together this weekend to settle the problem at O 'Hare? I'm not going to change the tempo here at all.

I can think of no better time to end this than on the dulls and tones of Miss Jean Mayer.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

To save our city coalition candidate convention, to lend my support to this event and the ambitious but necessary neighborhood revitalization program of coalitions advancing so vigorously.

This opportunity on the eve of two old trusted friends both of whom are here today, Al Robinson and Cliff Kelly, all in Kelly, encouraged me to meet directly with the leadership of the Northwest Neighborhood Federation and the Southwest Parish and Neighborhood Federation.

Tomorrow I will be their toastmaster.

That's progress.

And I assume they will let me write my own speech.

Yes, there is an agenda for this city's outlying single family home communities and many of them with their own proud ethnic tradition.

There is also an agenda for every community and tradition.

We look forward to the day when each neighborhood in the city will flourish.

And you know we've had a very, I would say, different kind of experience in the last two weeks.

We've been dealing with national campaigns and going through staff trying to get something done is almost impossible.

So as long as people feel that your door is open and that we can work with you, people feel very, very good.

Thank you very much.

To echo what Joe has said, the feeling that we can go into the mayor's office and talk to him directly instead of...

Everyone join us and Oliver Clifford Kelly come forward would you please.

Identifier
F.2005-08-0190
Date Of Production
circa 1985
Abstract
A series of footage depicting Mayor Harold Washington speaking at numerous events - both political and cultural - throughout the city of Chicago. 
Description
The first sequence depicts Harold Washington giving a speech at the Victory monument located at 35th Street and King Drive, speaking about the importance of representing all of Chicago and its citizens regardless of race, class, etc. He also talks of the necessity of cooperation between citizens, the government, and police to help combat crime and other societal ills. Furthermore, he states that the residents of Chicago are not the problem, but rather, the economy, which must be turned around. The speech is followed by a live rendition of the song Oh, What a Beautiful City.

The second speech Washington gives is at the Chicago Blues Festival wherein he thanks the organizers and entities such as WBEZ for working hard to promote the program – this might be footage from the first edition of the festival in 1984. Also, this is back when the festival took place at the Petrillo Music Shell in Grant Park near Lake Michigan, rather than Millennium Park. The camera pans to reveal the revelers eagerly anticipating the festivities. 
 
This segment is followed by a speech given on the occasion of Hanukah at an unspecified temple or community center in Chicago. The fourth speech takes place at an assembly in a park with Washington's supporters from the LGBT community. Members of the crowd hold signs such as "Dump Vrdolyak," which is in reference to Edward Vrdolyak, who was head of the Cook County Democratic Party at that time. Washington proclaims that he will designate June 27th, 1985, Lesbian and Gay Pride Day, and the Lesbian and Gay Pride Parade will take place on June 30th, 1985. 

There is a brief performance by blues musician Roy Hightower, and another short speech at an LGBT rally somewhere at a park near Lake Michigan (this is also fairly brief). This scene is followed by footage of Washington shaking hands with local citizens. 

The next sequence takes place at a Northwest Neighborhood Federation rally. After a young performer sings the national anthem, Washington gives a speech on housing (however, the sign at the podium now reads "Southwest Parish and Neighborhood Federation," indicating that a separate sequence depicting another housing rally may have been spliced into this one) on the importance of implementing housing programs beneficial to different segments of the population. 

Another speech by Washington is given on the occasion of CityArts Scene and the implementation of that new grant, before the footage reverts back to the previous speech regarding housing.
Run Time
0:26:36
Format
Super 8
Extent
400 feet
Color
Color
Sound
Mag Stripe
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Has Been Digitized?
Yes
Language Of Materials
English
Element
Reversal Positives
Subject
Politics and government
History
Cultural relations
Economic and social conditions
Festivals
Gay pride celebrations
Related Collections
Subseries II: Footage


Related Places
North America ➜ United States ➜ Illinois ➜ Chicago

Main Credits
Stamets, Bill (is filmmaker)

Participants And Performers
Washington, Harold (is participant)

 
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