No subject

Your question is solid. The short answer is that the National Office of=20
NAACP was not concerned about Medgar's being armed. [It was obviously=20
concerned about other things -- but not that.] It was understood in =
every=20
civil rights organization that field representatives -- and certainly =
the=20
grassroots people with whom we worked -- would very likely be armed. =
[Then=20
and now, of course, most people in what's called the United States do =
have=20
firearms. This is certainly true of African Americans, South and North =
--=20
and universally true with Native Americans.] But although many if not =
most=20
civil rights field people were armed, we were not -- usually -- too =
public=20
about that. A major reason was the concern that many liberal/left =
Northern=20
supporters [not all] would be troubled by that. I was probably more open =

about my firearms than were many civil rights field persons. The NAACP =
had=20
felt itself to be "burned" by the Rob Williams self-defense situation in =

Monroe, NC -- where Williams, NAACP local president, and faced with =
constant=20
and very substantive Klan violence, secured an NRA charter and organized =
a=20
broad self-defensive structure in the Black community. [He was also a=20
supporter of the Cuban revolution.] When trouble erupted in the Monroe=20
situation, the NAACP attacked Williams, who was forced from the country =
and=20
several of his colleagues subjected to "criminal" charges. Medgar, =
during=20
one of our earliest conversations, expressed to me his strong sympathy =
for=20
Williams and his self-defensive actions.

There were "ways of warning" the hostile forces we faced. I and my wife, =

Eldri, recall vividly Medgar's telling us that a young white utility =
worker=20
came by his house, somewhat nervously, to check on some outside power =
lines.=20
When the guy was finished, Medgar invited him into his home, ostensibly =
to=20
show him "a large fish that I caught, stuffed, and put on my wall." The=20
young man came in but, only glancing at the stuffed fish, stared at a =
couple=20
of Medgar's rifles that were also racked on the wall. "He couldn't take =
his=20
eyes off my guns," Medgar told us, chuckling.

Hope this has been helpful. All best -- and write again if so inclined. =
In=20
Solidarity, Hunter [Hunter Bear]

HUNTER GRAY  [HUNTER BEAR/JOHN R SALTER JR]   Mi'kmaq /St. Francis
Abenaki/St. Regis Mohawk
Protected by Na=B4shdo=B4i=B4ba=B4i=B4
 and Ohkwari'
=20
Check out our Hunterbear website Directory =
http://hunterbear.org/directory.htm
[The site is dedicated to our one-half Bobcat, Cloudy Gray:
http://hunterbear.org/cloudy_gray.htm
=20
And see Outlaw Trail:  The Native as Organizer:  =
http://hunterbear.org/outlaw_trail1.htm