ABSTRACT
In 1981 speech to the West Coast Women's Music Festival, veteran civil rights worker Bernice Johnson Reagon admonished her audience to attend to the needs of every coalition member. African American women have long recognized the danger and taboo of charging fellow African Americans with wrongdoing. Consequently, Washington, Hill and Heard were labelled by many as traitors to the race. The more recent conviction of Illinois Congressman Mel Reynolds on twelve counts of criminal sexual assault, sexual abuse, solicitation of child pornography and obstruction of justice serves as another example of divided community support. The closing ranks mentality circles the wagons around men rather than women. The rule against speaking out against African American men further justifies this exclusion of women from similar support. African Americans, male and female, participated in the planning and speech making in an effort to recognize the diversity, intelligence, majesty and strength of African American men.
