tagged w/ sit-ins
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CNN...
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Civil rights leader Patricia Stephens Due dies at 72
By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 9:40 PM EST, Tue February 7, 2012
Dr. Patricia Stephens Due died Tuesday at age 72.
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Due played a leading role in student sit-ins more than half a century ago
She and other activists were arrested at a Woolworth lunch counter
The activists spent 49 days in jail rather than pay fines
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(CNN) -- Civil rights leader Dr. Patricia Stephens Due died Tuesday at age 72, nearly 52 years after she played a leading role in student sit-ins in Tallahassee, Florida, her family said.
Due's death followed "a determined and courageous fight against cancer," her family said.
In 1960, as a 20-year-old college student and founding member of the local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality, Due, her sister, Priscilla, and three other Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University students were arrested for sitting at a Woolworth lunch counter.
Their decision to spend 49 days in jail rather than pay fines marked one of the first "jail-ins" during the civil rights movement, according to Johnita Due, one of the civil rights leader's three daughters and a lawyer for CNN.
During her time in jail, Due received a telegram of encouragement from the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "Going to jail for a righteous cause is a badge of honor and a symbol of dignity," it said. " I assure you that your valiant witness is one of the glowing epics of our time and you are bringing all of America (to) the threshold of the world's bright tomorrows."
Jackie Robinson, who broke major league baseball's racial barrier, sent Due a diary so that she could record her experiences while in jail, the family said.
Due's involvement with civil rights, which included leading rallies and marches throughout Tallahassee and elsewhere, came with a price, her family said. She was arrested for protesting in Florida and New York and the FBI had built up a 400-page file on her because of her activities, according to the family.
During one incident in 1960, Due was injured by a tear gas bomb used by police. The incident left her sensitive to light, requiring that she wear dark glasses throughout her life.
Her activism also jeopardized her college education at FAMU. Due's parents feared for her safety and wanted her to focus on her college education, according to Johnita Due.
Due tried to balance school and her protests against segregation, but according to the family, FAMU administrators were ultimately pressured by Florida officials to suspend Due.
Due was allowed to re-enroll and earned her degree in 1965. "I was determined that nothing was going to stop me from getting my degree," Due later said.
In 2006, FAMU gave Due an honorary doctorate in human letters and formally acknowledged the five decades she spent as a social activist. In response, Due said then, "At our ages when entering college, we were still children and FAMU was our surrogate parent, and time after time, we were punished for our 'behavior,' and now, they are embracing us and saying, 'well done, well done.'"
Due co-authored a book in 2003 with her daughter Tananarive Due called "Freedom In The Family: A Mother-Daughter Memoir of the Fight for Civil Rights." Due wanted the stories of the Florida civil rights movement and its key players to be remembered for their contributions to the fight against social injustice. According to the family, Due remarked, "Stories live forever. Story tellers don't."
The book was honored by the Black Caucus of the American Library Association.
In 2006, The History Channel's award-winning series "Voices of Civil Rights" profiled Due.
She was recently honored by Tallahassee Mayor John R. Marks, who issued a proclamation declaring May 11, 2011, "Patricia Stephens Due Day."
Florida Gov. Rick Scott praised Due in a private letter last year recognizing her "impact as a civil rights pioneer" and commending her for her "lifetime of advocacy and commitment to achieving racial justice in America."
Scott called Due's actions "a significant moment in our country's history and ... an incredible source of inspiration still today."
.CNN...
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Civil rights leader Patricia Stephens Due dies at 72
By the CNN Wire... more
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Click here to read the CNN iReport: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-312359
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These were my hastily-written memories, because I was so sick -- the days before the 40th anniversary of Woodstock -- of the hundreds of negative articles and emails I was seeing plastered everywhere. What got to me the most was that of all those people who wrote ABOUT Woodstock -- and how bad, ugly, awful, scary, dirty, blah, blah, blah, it was -- not one of those folks had actually BEEN at Woodstock!!!! That just pissed me off.
Hell, I even recently heard a woman neighbor of mine telling her 11-year-old daughter that Woodstock was the ultimate "filth experience," and that most of the girls who attended were raped and got pregnant that weekend.
Um.......... this was the era of..... FREE LOVE!!!!!!! No damn REASON for rape! And we had diaphragms and IUDs and The Pill, so there were no more "unwanted" pregnancies than in any other city a half a million strong.
So anyway, I threw together this rundown of my ACTUAL experiences around Woodstock. The next day, CNN called me and had me come to the studios to do a live, on-the-air, on-camera report. Before all that, maybe for the 20th anniversary, I'd done lengthy interviews with Jack Curry, who subsequently wrote a book about Woodstock, and two of the chapters were named my name. Damned if I can remember the name of that book, though! Then, because of THAT, for the 25th anniversary, ABC (New York) gave me a call and sent out a crew to interview me for "Turning Point," which was a one-hour weekly news program. Then, last year -- in preparation for this year's 40th anniversary -- a film crew flew in from Germany and interviewed me for their 90-minute documentary, which still hasn't been released here in the States, but got good airing time in Europe.
These experiences -- while not in the least mind-blowing -- were good for me, because I got to re-live a great deal of my happy time during Woodstock.
There really will never be another Woodstock... nor SHOULD there be.
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Click here to read the CNN iReport: http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-312359
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Click here to read the CNN iReport:... more
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Baltimore, MD – Two physicians and two supporters were arrested today at a sit-in at a Baltimore CareFirst health insurance office. The sit-in is part of a national groundswell of citizens and health care providers demonstrating for meaningful health care reform at insurance company offices.
Doctor Margaret Flowers, a pediatrician who has testified before Congress on the need for meaningful health care reform, was arrested and intends to stay in jail until the CEO of CareFirst has a public meeting with her. She is joined by Charles Loubert, 81, a Baltimore resident and former teacher who was also arrested, and who was denied health care several years ago by his insurer. Both Flowers and Loubert are refusing to give information to the Baltimore police that would lead to their release until Chet Burrell, the CEO of CareFirst, agrees to meet with them publicly to discuss CareFirst redirecting all funds that go to lobbying, advertising, or political contributions to pay for the care of clients who need it.
http://www.healthcare-now.org/physicians-and-supporters-arrested-at-carefirst-health-insurance-office-to-call-for-real-health-care-reform/Baltimore, MD – Two physicians and two supporters were arrested today at a... more
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12 were arrested in San Francisco at Pelosi's office in protest of her promise to keep single payer on the table - the people's table.
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Ten to twenty people engaged in a sit-in at Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s San Francisco Office in the afternoon on Tuesday. The sit-in was a response to Pelosi’s decision to not bring health care reform legislation to a vote with the Kucinich Amendment, an amendment that would have gave states the option to enact single-payer health care.
Buff Whitman, who was arrested for participating in the direct action, explained that the individuals engaging in the action “wanted to have a conversation with Nancy Pelosi” and they knew she was in Washington but wanted staff to call her and allow her to talk to them about breaking a promise she had made on the Kucinich Amendment.
Those participating in the action also wanted to draw attention to the fact that the Weiner Amendment had been dropped. The Weiner Amendment would have given representatives in the House a chance to vote on single-payer health care.
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http://mobilizeforhealthcare.org/2009/11/04/12-were-arrested-at-nancy-pelosis-office-in-san-francisco-to-promote-health-care-for-all-and-encourage-speaker-pelosi-to-allow-amendments-which-will-make-it-possible-for-california-and-other-state/
This video was shot at the Anthem Blue Cross offices in L.A. on October 15, 2009 and I believe it explains why protesters remain steadfast and persist at these rallies around the country, almost daily now, for a single payer system to be put back on the table.12 were arrested in San Francisco at Pelosi's office in protest of her promise to... more
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