docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

Today, on Father's Day, Fifth Avenue in New York City will echo with the sound of silently marching feet. No shouted slogans. No protest songs. No rallying cries. Just long lines of people by the thousands—marching for justice in a righteous battle to end New York's Stop and Frisk policies.

Silence is sometimes louder than words.

Blacks, whites, latinos, asians, Native Americans, union members, youths, straight folks and LBGTs—all united in a powerful coalition to demand justice and an end to the racial profiling taking place on city sidewalks and streets. This is a coalition forged out of pain but fired by love.

Today people will bear witness to their belief in equality in a profound expression of common humanity.

Brotherhood and sisterhood.

It is fitting that it takes place on Father's Day, since so many of those affected are young men, some who may never be given the chance to be fathers. So it was in 1917:

The Silent Parade (or Silent Protest) was a march of between 8,000 and 10,000 African-Americans on July 28, 1917 in New York City. The purpose of the parade was to protest lynching and anti-black violence. The parade was precipitated by the East St. Louis Riots in May and July 1917, when between 40 and 250 blacks were killed by white mobs.

The Silent Parade was organized by W. E. B. Du Bois and the NAACP. They hoped to influence president Woodrow Wilson to carry through on his election promises to African-American voters to implement anti-lynching legislation, and promote black causes. Wilson did not do so, and repudiated his promises, and federal discrimination increased during Wilson's presidency.

The first parade of its kind in New York, and the second instance of blacks publicly demonstrating for civil rights. (The first was picketing against The Birth of a Nation.)

Silent protest parade in New York City, 1917
Silent protest parade in New York City, 1917, Library of Congress, Courtesy of the NAACP


An editorial in The New York Age on Aug. 3, 1917, titled An Army With Banners, by James Weldon Johnson—author, civil rights activist, critic, journalist, and poet, who wrote the words to the beloved Negro National anthem "Lift Every Voice and Sing"—described that first march in detail:

Last Saturday the silent protest parade came off, and it was a greater success than even the committee had dared to hope it would be. Some of the New York papers estimated the number of marchers in line as high as fifteen thousand. It was indeed a mighty host, an army with banners.

No written word can convey to those who did not see it the solemn impressiveness of the whole affair. The effect could be plainly seen on the faces of the thousands of spectators that crowded along the line of march. There were no jeers, no jests, not even were there indulgent smiles; the faces of the on-lookers betrayed emotions from sympathetic interest to absolute pain. Many persons of the opposite race were seen to brush a tear from their eyes. It seemed that many of these people were having brought home to them for the first time the terrible truths about race prejudice and oppression.

The power of the parade consisted in its being not a mere argument in words, but a demonstration to the sight. Here were thousands of orderly, well-behaved, clean, sober, earnest people marching in a quiet dignified manner, declaring to New York and to the country that their brothers and sisters, people just like them, had been massacred by scores in East St. Louis for no other offense than seeking to earn an honest living; that their brothers and sisters, people just like them, were “Jim-Crowed” and segregated and disfranchised and oppressed and lynched and burned alive in this the greatest republic in the world, the great leader in the fight for democracy and humanity.

Now, 95 years later, we march again, but this time it will no longer be only black folks silently holding up the mirror for us all to see injustice.

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

how interesting - how we avoid our own history then turn around and scapegoat people............come on all you race baiters tea partiers and others who seem hell bent on inflecting whatever public discourse we have with fear and hate - come address this story.

sinatraman Loc: Vero Beach Florida, Earth,alpha quaudrant

I will adress this story. First off the tea partiers being strict CONSTITIONALISTS would agree with you. Second, despite a $10,000 reward offered for proof that the tea party is racist, no one has yet to prove they are. Opps there is another inconvienient truths you liberals always ignore. stop and frisk is for officers SAFETY. You know to check and see if the person they are talking to is ARMED and could pose a danger to the OFFICERS LIFES. If you aren't carrying ilegal weapons or narcotics you have nothing to worry about. If you are, so sorry your busted ya moron. Why is it you NEVER see al sharpton, jesse jackson, the aclu, and all the other cop haters at a police officers funeral?

Your second post is ipso facto proof that it is and always has been the Liberals who are filled with hate, bile,fear and ignorance. I hope you never are in a situation where you or your family needs the police. If you ever are, feel free to call, the enlightened, kumbaya siging, tree hugging ACLU instead.

ace-mt Loc: Montana

This is fascinating Docrob. Your two posts speak volumes. Your first describes the power and dignity of peaceful protest. A view I happen to share. Your second post saddened me.
The tea party rallys were peaceful gatherings of people that believe that the government has grown too large. People brought their families, obeyed the law, and cleaned up after themselves. Then they were villified by movie stars and TV personalities, calling them tea baggers, racists,and bigots.
I too believe that government has gotten way too big. It abuses its power, and confiscates way too much of what people earn. In my view that makes me part of the tea party. In your view that makes me a racist hate monger. Happy fathers day.

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

no no no - in my view you are just like me - more or less - we just want to be happy and have different needs to be happy. I don't think you are a racist and certainly not a hate monger. We just different.

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

First of all I did not write this post - I took it from the internet because I thought then and still do that it reminds us of our history of racism. A history which far too many continue to deny. To think that less than 100 years ago our fellow Americans who happened to be of a different skin color were being lynched - that's being hung from a tree with no judge and no jury.....and today in NYC there was another silent fathers march to protest racial profiling and stopping people on the street for little more reason than "walking brown" or "driving black."

And here you two guys go off and something having to do with the Tea Party and you know this article does not even mention the Tea Party. So you tell me - why is that?

But you attack me for inconveniently posting something about the sleazier side of our shared American history - why? Is there something about this history that you can't stomach?

Look guys I am married to an Asian woman - I see racism often - I think neither of you do. My father was a gay man - his life was hell merely because he was gay and believe me in the 1950's in the Bible Belt no one chooses to be gay. So yeah I am compassionate to gays and to minorites and because of my background I see things most white people do not. But that's ok you guys go ahead and attack me. Go ahead and deny racism in our country because its inconvenient for you to deal with....then turn around and call me ignorant.

Lastly, Sinatraman - since your so gun savvy - if the police are worried about people walking the streets armed then why - why - why do states continue to pass concealed carry laws?

I mean does that make sense? So come on guys attack me some more.

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

BTW in the follow up to the story I posted was a secondary story about a black man being stopped by the police for no reason other than he was black - the cops found a gun on him and it was registered in his name, those same cops forced the guy to the ground, handcuffed him, kicked him a few times just in case you know he was still dangerous...
Turned out the guy they stopped had been a NYC cop for 20 yrs and was retired with full pension for bravery in action.......

Your second post is ipso facto proof that it is and always has been the Liberals who are filled with hate, bile,fear and ignorance. I hope you never are in a situation where you or your family needs the police. If you ever are, feel free to call, the enlightened, kumbaya siging, tree hugging ACLU instead.[/quote]

To this one my musically challenged friend I have worked extensively with the police - I have undergone CIT training with the Denver Police which is specialized skill training for police officers dealing with mentally ill people. So if I ever needed help I'd call the police no problem....but you my friend you need more help than anything a police officer can handle - for someone supposedly understands what its like to be discriminated against for something you have no control over - you seem awfully angry and unaware.

Danilo Loc: Las Vegas

I'm baffled...
There's a connection between Father's Day and black people getting lynched? Is there a similar connection between Father's Day and white people getting lynched? Or Hispanic people getting lynched? Or Oriental people getting lynched?
Maybe I'm easily baffled...

Archy Loc: Lake Hamilton, Florida

If bullshit was asphalt you would have enough to pave the entire length of I-95.……………

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

apparently so

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

Thank you! that's just the point I was going for and you helped me make it.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I agree with the other poster, it makes no sense to post the first post which the jist is "all men are created equal" and then follow it up by calling a certain group names.

Something be wrong here.

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

Then explain in detail because im a bit baffled by the connection also.

Archy Loc: Lake Hamilton, Florida

Always glad to help a fellow…………:thumbup:

docrob Loc: Durango, Colorado

Well I suppose one could make that great leap and say something like:
" those Black people killed back in 1917 - some probably most were fathers just trying to do their best for their families."

That's both a truism and a stretch. Must there be a connection rap?
Or can that particular story of the history of racism in America just maybe stand on its own? And that the march happened to occur on Father's day.......maybe that was the only day they could get a permit.....or maybe they chose to march on Father's day in commemoration of that other Father's day march nearly 100 yrs ago.
Maybe some people sense that there is a connection between lynching blacks and frisking blacks on the public streets of a US city.....I don't know for sure.......just a guess. What's yours?