Tha Artstorian Reports: Why Dr. T.R.M. Howard Should Be Remembered: The John The
Baptist Of The Civil Rights Movement.
By R2C2H2 Tha Artivist
By R2C2H2 Tha Artivist
“One look told you that he was a leader: kind, affluent, and
intelligent, that rare Negro in Mississippi who had somehow beaten the
system.” ~Myrlie Evers
“The man was dynamic...I just thought he was the greatest in the world.” ~Mamie Till Mobley (The mother of Emmett Till)
Dr. Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard (March 4, 1908 – May 1,
1976) could arguably be considered the John Baptist of the Civil Rights Movement
because through his unorthodox methods and brave dedication, he initiated and forecast
the things to come in the U.S. social revolution of the 1950s and 1960s…
He and
other forward thinking Black Mississippians started the Regional Council of
Negro Leadership (RCNL) when they were ironically denied membership in the
Mississippi (White) Citizens Council. Although Dr. Howard was an advocate for
Black businesses and Black self-help, he also was at heart an
integrationist. During the 1950s and
1960s the RCNL would have annual meetings in the vicinity of Friendship Clinic
that would at its peak draw upwards of 10,000 Blacks from around the
Mississippi Delta. The issues that were discussed included Black economics and
voting rights. The event also included great soul food and barbeque, marquee
entertainment which sometimes included the otherworldly talents of Gospel
singer Mahalia Jackson and accomplished keynote speakers of both national and
international renown such as U.S. Rep. Adam Clayton Powell and Thurgood Marshall.
It was at these events that famed
legendary Civil Rights Activist Fannie Lou Hamer of Ruleville, Ms, got her first
taste of civil rights organizing.
Dr.
Howard was also instrumental in getting the legendary Evers
Brothers involved in the civil rights movement. He gave Medgar Evers his
first
job out of college (Alcorn State) as an insurance sales agent for his
Magnolia
Mutual Life Insurance Co. where he also employed Medgar’s wife, Myrlie
Evers,
as a secretary. It was through this job
that Medgar was able to interact with the public on issues that related
to the
movement. Medgar was also the program director for Dr. Howard’s RCNL.
This
opportunity eventually led to him being named the NAACP Field Secretary
of Mississippi. The colorful Charles Evers who eventually
became the NAACP Ms Field Secretary after his brother’s murder and the
first
elected Black mayor in the South since Reconstruction has spoken
throughout the
years very favorably of Dr. Howard’s influence on him as an activist,
man and
entrepreneur.
Although the Emmett Till story is very well known today, it
was the crusading efforts of Dr. T.R.M. Howard that kept it from being lost to
historical obscurity. He got the National Black press into covering the story
and even hired his own private investigators to look into the matter and find
witnesses.
He also caught the ire of J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI when he very
publicly ridiculed them in their apparent aloofness and lackadaisical efforts
in trying to solve the horrific hate crime.
Dr. Howard also went on a national public speaking tour to raise
awareness about the Emmett Till tragedy. One day in the fall of 1955 he spoke
at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. The minister that
presided over the church was a young man from Atlanta, Ga, named Martin Luther
King, Jr. (at that time he was still working on his doctorate). Dr. Howard
spoke to an overflowing capacity crowd who were very eager to hear the story
about Emmett Till and the grim situation in Mississippi overall…Dr. Howard was
a very gifted and electrifying orator, the audience was mesmerized by his every
word…Some were even motivated to do something about the plight of Black folks
in the U.S.A. One of those in the crowd inspired was Mrs. Rosa Parks, the local
NAACP secretary. A few days later she refused to move from her bus seat which
led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott which of course arguably led to the birth of
the Modern Civil Rights Movement. All
of this came about through the singular and selfless efforts of Dr. T.R.M. Howard.
Dr. Howard was very effective at heading economic boycotts
in the Mississippi Delta too. A few years before the Montgomery Bus Boycott,
Dr. Howard and the RCNL led a very effective don’t buy gas where you can’t use
the restroom campaign. It was so effective that the White Citizens Council put
a very harsh credit freeze on members of the RCNL, many of whom were proud
independent business owners and farmers.
To counteract this economic blockade, the RCNL & NAACP formed a
relationship with the Memphis Tri-State Bank to make credit available for the
activists.
Dr. Howard was also very ahead of time concerning affordable
and quality universal healthcare. Being just as gifted with his hands as he was
with his mouth, Dr. Howard made necessary surgery very affordable for poor citizens
in the Mississippi Delta. A man who was
very intuitive with his times and beyond and one not afraid to confront
adversity, he also performed abortions for both poor Blacks and the wealthy
white elite alike at a time when it was very illegal to do so which in turn could
have led to the suspension of his medical license, a hefty fine and
considerable jail time. Abortion of course is an issue that was very
controversial then as it is now.
Due
to increasing death threats that affected his ability to
effectively run both his businesses and civil rights activities, Dr.
Howard
and his wife Helen (a beautiful Black California Socialite whose
brother, Ed Boyd, was the first Black Advertising Executive at Pepsi)
left the Delta and moved to Chicago.
There his Midas touch continued, opening a thriving
multi-million dollar Friendship Medical Center on the Southside, at the
time the largest privately owned
hospital for Blacks in Chicago. As a proud Republican, He unsuccessfully
ran
for office against formidable Democrat incumbent U.S. Rep. William
Dawson.
However, over time he became a powerful mentor, supporter and kingmaker to some
of the most successful Black Chicago politicians of the latter half of the 20th
Century. Among his political progeny one can count the ambitious Harold
Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago. It was Washington historic
campaign and eventual election as mayor that inspired a young community organizer
by the name of Barack Hussein Obama to start his own political career.
Dr.
Howard was also one of the first people to raise money for Malcolm X’s widow
and family.
Before there was a P. Diddy,
Dr. Howard’s New Year Eve party was the much attend event of the Black Society
calendar year. Dr. Howard also
co-founded and funded Rev. Jesse Jackson’s Push-Rainbow Coalition organization
in his Chicago mansion.
Dr. T.R.M. Howard was a savvy renaissance man who was also a
noted big game safari hunter. His famed safari room in his Chicago mansion showcased his mounted big game
trophies from hunting expeditions in exotic locales such as Africa, India &
Alaska.
Dr. T.R.M. Howard was truly a Black Maverick whose personal
fortune, selflessness, talents and calculated risks provided enormous
opportunities for Blacks then, now and generations to come. He deserves to be
commemorated for his pioneering efforts metaphorically created and paved a
highway for us to get to our promised land together.
To Learn More About The Amazing Life Of Dr. Howard & Order The Book, Black Maverick: T.R.M. Howard’s Fight For Civil Rights & Economic Empowerment Please Visit The Official Website:
Please Use The Following Link To View More Pics From The Dr.
T.R.M. Howard Memorial Highway Dedication Event (All Pics Are © Property O f
The W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Group):
View Extra Coverage & Footage Of Event On W.E. A.L.L.
B.E. TV:
Watch The Documentary “Black Maverick: Dr. T.R.M. Howard:
Forgotten Civil Rights Hero” On W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV:
http://blip.tv/file/3271863
W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Special~Remembering The Black Maverick: Dr. T.R.M. Howard...
The Greatest Civil Rights Leader You Never Heard Of...
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2009/10/01/Tha-Artivist-PresentsWE-ALL-BE-News-Radio
More Dr. T.R.M. Howard On W.E. A.L.L. B.E.:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/search?q=DR.+T.R.M.+HOWARD
http://blip.tv/file/3271863
W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Special~Remembering The Black Maverick: Dr. T.R.M. Howard...
The Greatest Civil Rights Leader You Never Heard Of...
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2009/10/01/Tha-Artivist-PresentsWE-ALL-BE-News-Radio
More Dr. T.R.M. Howard On W.E. A.L.L. B.E.:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/search?q=DR.+T.R.M.+HOWARD
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