Vol. 71/No. 21      May 28, 2007

The sponsoring groups included the American Friends Service Committee, Antonio Maceo Brigade, Florida Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression, Latin America and Caribbean Solidarity Association, National Committee Against Repressive Legislation, and the Socialist Workers Party.

John Ratliff, president of the Latin America and Caribbean Solidarity Association, explained: "This is an attempt by the administration here at home so they can be unrestricted in their war policy in the Caribbean… The only possible explanation is that it is afraid for the American people to see Cuba first-hand."  
 
May 27, 1957
By special trains and buses, chartered planes, motorcades and every means of individual travel thousands of Negro freedom fighters from every corner of the country marched on Washington for the May 17 prayer pilgrimage. The great throng of some 27,000 gathered at noon before the Lincoln Memorial for three hours of prayer and protest against Jim Crow. The size of the meeting and the great distances traveled by the audience made it the most impressive demonstration for civil rights to date.

Integrated in the audience and in their mode of transportation were some two or three thousand white supporters of the fight against race discrimination. Many of these were from union delegations, anti-racist organizations and the various components of the socialist movement.  
 
May 28, 1932
The spontaneous strike of the Colorado beet workers against a 40 per cent wage cut has grown to such proportions under the leadership of the T.U.U.L. that it is now one of the largest strikes of agricultural workers in the history of the American labor movement. It appears that more than 12,000 workers are out on strike. Their ranks have been swelled by the strike of the onion workers, who are also striking against a wage cut and in sympathy with their brothers in the beet fields.

The growers are replying to the strike with the usual repertoire of capitalist persecution. The merchants have refused credit to the strikers who, like the miners, buy on credit against their future pay. Workers are being picked up and held for deportation. Arrests of the leading militants are a daily occurrence.  
 
 
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