| NDN | Photo Gallery | Documents | Classroom | Search |
Student Activism in the 1930s
50th and 25 National Reunion--ASU and SDS--1986 Abbott Simon
I had graduated City College in the Summer of 1934 and after doing some graduate work at Columbia in late 1935 and part of 1936, I was working for the American Newspaper Guild helping conduct a boycott of the Hearst newspaper chain in connection with a union-breaking effort by Hearst at the Wisconsin News in Milwaukee. This ended when I was arrested for disorderly conduct for taking part in a demonstration against the Nazi Ship "The Bremen" in July of 1936 to protect fascist support to Franco. At that time, one out of every three young people in the United States between the ages of 16 and 25 was unemployed. Young black people suffered blatant discrimination. Above all, fascist aggression cast the shadows of a forthcoming Second World War. This ferment produced the American Youth Congress which structurally was a federation of young people's groups from every area and field of life: student, religious, ethnic, political, labor, fraternal, etc. My first job in the American Youth Congress was to help organize a mass Washington "Pilgrimage" which was to bring thousands of young people to demand legislation and action by the government on youth needs, civil rights and an anti-fascist policy internationally. The agenda included a huge colorful parade which went through downtown Washington on a beautiful Saturday morning in March, 1937 to the rear of the White House. It was the period of the sit-in strikes in the auto industry. Suddenly, we sat down in front of the White House in the rear "ellipse" area. I remember being with Bill Hinckley, the American Youth Congress Chairman, surrounded by thousands of young people sitting down on the pavement not far from the White House. One of the Police Commissioners rushed up to me shouting: "Mr. Simon, Mr. Simon, you were given a permit for a moving parade, not a sitting parade." Needless to say, after a few moments, Bill Hinckley and I were arrested, and taken to a quiet police station. That afternoon a number of Youth Congress leaders met with President Roosevelt, who was amused by the incident, told everyone of having been arrested five times in one day in Austria when, as a Harvard student he had gone on a summer mountain-climbing trip to the Alps, and directed Tom Corcoran, ("Tommy the Cork") one of his key New Deal assistants, to call up the police and arrange for our release. These early years were years in which we were closely allied to and on the whole supportive of the New Deal. We were friendly and dealt on intimate terms with members of the Cabinet, with Aubrey Williams, the head of the National Youth Administration and above all with Mrs. Roosevelt. For many of us, the "icing" on the cake, were such rare experiences as being invited to stay at the White House (to save hotel expenses!), having our meals there frequently, sitting in the Presidential Box at the opening of Congress, etc. (then returning to the office, afterwards in black tie and tux, to run the mimeograph machine!) In 1939, I was chosen to go to Europe and participate as the American Representative to the Bureau of the World Youth Congress which met at Vassar College in the Summer of 1938. I came back to the United States in December 1939 and began to work on the preparations for a gigantic "pilgrimage" in February of 1940. That weekend was a weekend of pouring rain. Thousands of people came to Washington from all over the country in support of the Youth Congress. On Saturday morning, a parade took place. With the rain pouring down, the parade marched into the garden of the White House where President Roosevelt came out to address us. Unfortunately, cognizant of our differences with him on foreign policy, the President read us a lecture. That afternoon, John L. Lewis, President of the Mine Workers' Union and President of the Congress of Industrial Organizations (the CIO), addressed us and took issue with President Roosevelt on every point. Sunday evening forum wound up that particular meeting in Washington. Mrs. Roosevelt, responding to questions, presented the thinking of herself and President Roosevelt with regard to the issues on which we differed. Her calm, intelligent approach, her background of having worked closely with us over a number of years, drew from the audience a recognition that, despite our differences, there were still ways in which we could work together. I came out of the Army early in 1946 strengthened by my experiences in the Youth Congress. I continued working in movements for peace and civil liberties as long as I could. There was a new arena of struggle—the anti-nuclear movement. After ten years or so, I then began to work in private industry, eventually becoming an attorney. These were great years and the lessons we all learned from them were even greater. Home | Historical Essay | Documents | Credits |
| NDN | Photo Gallery | Documents | Classroom | Search |