Mayor Speaks to Group

Transcript (Download)

And now, our Pledge of Allegiance to the Plaintiff.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands.

Ladies and gentlemen, let's give Mayor Washington a real Chicago neighborhood welcome.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands.

I would be proud to do that much more.

Thank you very much.

Applause Applause Applause Applause Applause Last August 9th, I met with leaders of Save Our City Coalition and discussed the programs and strategies which were adopted at the April 28th convention.

Our meeting that day was a real eye -opener for me.

One of the greatest challenges of my administration has been reaching out to and appreciating the special needs and concerns of our city's predominantly white ethnic middle -income neighborhoods.

When it came to our city's northwest and southwest sides, I found myself stuck in a dilemma.

It was difficult to communicate the key principles of the reform program we were bringing to Chicago, and more difficult to get a firm grip on the real problems confronting these communities to which I alluded.

This coalition once asked me to light a candle of understanding with their communities.

I want to light a candle of understanding in each and every community in our city until the city is blazing with enlightenment, promise and purpose.

Thank you very much.

Applause One thing that we accomplished in our April, our August 9th meeting was that we could come to you with our problems, with our neighborhood problems.

And as long as that door remains open where people feel that they can come to you and talk to you.

These are two powerful organizations that have joined together as a coalition and now it seems as though you have the support and backing of City Hall.

Does it give you even more strength now? Well, sure it does.

What better can you have than to have the mayor of the city standing between us and with us? Whereas a year ago we were kind of like this, but now I feel that we are together because we all do understand that it is one city and we all have to work together.

And the programs that we've presented are good for the whole city, not just the northwest and the southwest sides.

Mayor Washington on another subject.

I'm in here for the cause.

I'm going all the way.

I guess you could say that my philosophy in life comes from 2 Corinthians 7, which says we walk by faith and not by sight.

We put our trust in people who have proven to us that they deserve that support.

And once we do it, we're in for the duration.

So we've got a tough battle.

I don't shirk it.

I understood it when I walked in there.

If I didn't know it was tough, I wouldn't have been qualified to go in there.

But I'm going to fight this tiger.

I'm going to wrestle with these alligators in the swamp.

I'm going to enjoy every minute.

You know why? Because I know you with me and because you know I'm with you.

So if there's anybody who cares to listen, who assumes even remotely that our greater community is not together as a movement trying to make this city better and fairer, to become all inclusive, to make certain that these contracts we're talking about are fairly distributed throughout this city, making certain that minorities get their fair share, that's what the fight is all about.

And that's what we're all about.

We don't want anything we don't earn.

We're not taking anybody from anything.

We just want a fair share for all the people in this city.

Now, I happen to be talking to a black audience, but you understand I've got to be fair to everybody.

And I will be fair to everybody.

But I'm going to insist that for the first time, this city is fair to you.

Are you with me? I got a witness.

I better quit while I'm ahead.

Certainly goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

And I shall dwell on the fifth floor of City Hall.

We're so honored here today to have the Honorable Mayor of Washington with us.

We sent for him three months ago.

We knew he was going to be here.

We making history.

In the past, you have done so much to make this community a tight -knit, wonderful, productive community.

You've done so much that I'm going to give you family.

You've done so much that I'm going to give you all I've got, everything I've got.

I wouldn't give it to anybody else.

I saved it for you.

Because I want you to have it.

Every one of you.

You know what it is? I'm going to be your mayor for the next 20 years.

We're going to work hard for Harold and we're going to do it again.

Identifier

F.2005-08-0285

Date Of Production

1984

Abstract

This film is a shortened version of Bill Stamets’ finished work, Mayor Speaks to Group.

"Mayor Speaks to Group (12 min., 1984), presents Harold Washington soon after his election as the first Black mayor speaking in a dignified and formal way to a white audience and then, on another occasion, telling it like it is in a wonderfully rich and humorous address to a Black gathering. The contrast reveals Washington as a consummate political actor, able to change performance to meet different audience expectations.” – Chuck Kleinhans, “Documentary on the Margins: Bill Stamets’ Super 8mm Ethnography,” Cinematograph no. 4: “Non-fiction Cinema?” long version (v. 2.0c); 28 Sept 1990.

Description

The film depicts Mayor Harold Washington as he speaks at the Save Our Neighborhoods/Save Our City coalition’s convention held at the Americana Congress Hotel, 520 S. Michigan Ave on September 30, 1984, and as he stands on stage beside State Representative Emil Jones and delivers a speech to attendees of the Morgan Park Roots Festival in 1984.

Format

Super 8

Extent

100 feet

Color

Color

Sound

Mag Stripe

Reel/Tape Number

1/1

Has Been Digitized?

Yes

Language Of Materials

English

Element

Reversal Positives

Subject

Festivals
Hotels
Politicians
Politics and government

Preservation Sponsor

Related Collections

Subseries I: Completed Works

Related Places

North America ➜ United States ➜ Illinois ➜ Chicago ➜ Loop

North America ➜ United States ➜ Illinois ➜ Chicago ➜ Morgan Park

Main Credits

Stamets, Bill (is filmmaker)

Participants And Performers

Washington, Harold (is participant)

Jones, Emil (is participant)

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