Date: Sat, 27 Apr 1996 17:42:26 -0400
To: marxism-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu
From: Charlotte Kates <ckates-AT-mosquito.com>
Subject: San Fran March


50,000 march in S.F. against the ultra-right



by Marilyn Bechtel



This article was reprinted from the April 20, 1996 issue of the People's

Weekly World. For subscription information see below. All rights reserved -

may be used with PWW credits.





SAN FRANCISCO - "Unity" and "action" were the watchwords April 14 as an

estimated 50,000 demonstrators thronged the streets from Fort Mason Park to

Crissy Field for the National Organization for Women's "Fight the Right"

national march.



Speaker after speaker, and many in the predominantly young, multi-racial,

multi- national crowd, expressed confidence that a vigorous grassroots

campaign can beat the ultra-right Republicans in November. Affirmative

action headed the demands.



Following the vicious beating of two immigrant workers in Riverside, Calif.

and the deaths of others in a Border Patrol car chase, equal rights for all

immigrants and the fightback against police brutality drew major attention.

Workers' rights, choice and the struggle against all forms of racial,

national and gender discrimination were prominent themes.



Marchers carried banners and signs from many organizations and regions of

the country. Many NOW affiliates participated, while Californians for

Affirmative Action, Californians for Justice and associated groups had a

large presence. Giant puppets, stilt walkers and marching bands added a

festive note. Labor organizations marching included the San Francisco Labor

Council, the auto workers, longshore and warehouse workers, teachers,

service workers and others. Among more than 600 endorsers nationwide were

the national AFL-CIO and a dozen state federations.



The Rev. Jesse Jackson told the crowd that "the people rising up" won

abolition of slavery, women's suffrage, labor rights and civil rights.

"Affirmative action is not a Black issue, and it's not a minority issue,"

he said. "We are now a majority ... We can send [Gov. Pete] Wilson back to

private life; we can send Dole ... back to Kansas."



"Today is a day of fun, but from now on, every single day until Election

Day has to be a day of work," said Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-Calif.). "You must

keep the message in front of everyone you know, that we must have the most

schools in this country, not the most prisons ... health care for all

Americans, not deep cuts in Medicare and Medicaid."



"We have a message for Gov. Wilson and for Bob Dole," said Farm Workers

union leader Dolores Huerta. "You have brought us together. We are going to

take the message that we are not going to accept your lies, to every home

in California."



NOW President Patricia Ireland said, "We do have common enemies, they are

using common tactics, and we share a struggle ... Our futures and our

families' futures are on the line." She called on marchers to "stand

together and stand strong" against the scapegoating of immigrants, welfare

recipients and beneficiaries of affirmative action.



Lillian Galedo of Asian Pacific Americans for Affirmative Action and

Filipinos for Affirmative Action, told the World those organizations

marched because "we are upset by the overwhelming portrayal of Asian

Americans as opposed to affirmative action" when, in fact, they support and

benefit from such programs. Galedo pointed out that attacks on affirmative

action help create a climate for attacks and discrimination against

immigrants of color.



Emphasizing his union's long-time backing for affirmative action, Lew

Gibbon of ILWU Local 6 said other issues concerning his union are

ultra-right efforts to scuttle the National Labor Relations Board, and the

drive for "right-to- work" laws which he said give employers "the right to

pay the lowest wages."



Antonio Perez and Bonnie Bone of East Bay Californians for Affirmative

Action called the march a "kick-off" for activities in that area. Two years

ago, anti-immigrant Proposition 187 caught people unaware, Perez said, "but

now, because we understand that the CCRI affects us all, we have a good

chance to defeat it." The misnamed Citizens Civil Rights Initiative (CCRI)

is a right-wing ballot initiative to destroy affirmative action.



A lively Northern California Communist Party/Young Communist League

contingent of some 50 marchers, with banners and signs emphasizing

immigrant rights, affirmative action, public works jobs and other

working-class demands, drew applause from onlookers and attracted

participants along the way. Over 20 new members joined the two

organizations at the Party's table at Crissy Field.



---------------------------------------------------------------------------



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