Hunter Gray

Hunter Gray taught in Indian Studies [and Honors] at the University of North Dakota for thirteen years [full professor and chair in Indian Studies], and was a member of its graduate faculty. he was deeply and consistently involved in Indian rights, labor unionization, and civil rights and civil liberties.

Supporting Civil Rights

In the 1960's radical activist Hunter Gray, attempted to enlist Ralph Helstein, Charles Hayes and especially Jesse Prosten to help finance "civil rights" activists in the South.

In April, 1966, with the Civil Rights Movement having now substantially opened up much of the South, I met at Chicago with Ralph Helstein, President of United Packinghouse Workers and Vice-President Charles Hayes and Director of Organization Jesse Prosten.

Packinghouse, of course, although AFL-CIO, was certainly anything except a business union. Its leaders were essentially radicals. I carried a complex but clear and direct proposal from the Deep South that Jesse -- a friend -- strongly supported: that Packinghouse would fund a number of proven civil rights organizers in Mississippi and the Carolinas who would focus on broad community grassroots organization. And those new, broad organizations would both stimulate new, interracial unionism in those Southern settings and would provide significantly tangible community support for union organizing and eventual strike actions. In the end, although Jesse -- Director of Organization -- continued to support the proposal with the greatest vigour, Packinghouse backed away. Again --money, more than anything else.

CCDS

In 2010, Hunter Gray was Idaho contact for Committees of Correspondence for Democracy and Socialism.