Who Speaks for the Negro? James Farmer, Jr.

The Congress of Racial Equality (C.O.R.E.)

Jackson Mississippi Police Department, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

C.O.R.E. never got the publicity that other civil rights organizations like the SCLS and SNCC received. Robert Penn Warren did a long-form interview with James Farmer to discuss C.O.R.E. and its role in the movement. This Black History Month, I encourage everyone to dig deeper and get a true understanding of the struggle. The link below leads to an audio version of this discussion with the full transcript following.

James Farmer, Jr. | Who Speaks for the Negro?

Farmer describes the foundation of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and its primary aims, contending that most African Americans are concerned more with ending oppression than with integration. Farmer explains how and when quotas might be necessary to prevent resegregation. Farmer voices his support for integrating schools to the degree possible, and he describes racial violence in Mississippi. He also recalls Medgar Evers’ efforts to evade such violence. Farmer contends that civil rights activists need the assistance and talents of both black and white people, and he discusses the leadership and tactics of the civil rights movement. Farmer considers differences of class among African Americans working in the civil rights movement, and he also discusses the extent to which working-class…