Committee for Independent Political Action
Committee for Independent Political Action
History
- "If Watts was wrong, we'd better go burn all the American history books."
This statement by co-chairman Dick Gregory was a keynote in the speech to the all-day organizing conference in Chicago, January 15, 1966, of the new nationwide Committee for Independent Political Action
The audience of more than 800 delegates applauded co-chairman Gregory's statement enthusiastically. They comprised leading members of such organizations as Independent Voters of Illinois (an affiliate of Americans for Democratic Action), Students for a Democratic Society, the American Friends Service Committee, Women for Peace, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and Southern Christian Leadership Conference joined in Leftist coalition with known Communists and race riot instigators with police records.[1]
Policy declaration
Signers of the ClPA policy declaration were;[2]
- Dr. Robert Havighurst
- Lucy Montgomery
- Paul Booth ·
- Rev. Bil Briggs
- Lee Webb
- Earl Silbar
- A. A. Rayner, Jr.
- Ira Silbar
- Rennie Davis
- Paul Lauter
- Father William Hogan
- Rev. Harry Anderson
- Richard Rothstein
- Irving Birnbaum
- John Kearney
- Florence Scala
- Lee Leibik
- Ron Tabor
- Dick Gregory
- Sidney Lens
- Timuel Black
- Pat Devine
- Henry Wineberg