African Activist Archive

Press packet for the all-night vigil on January 14-15, 1985. The offices the Martin Luther King Anti-Apartheid Coalition (MLKAAC) have been hearing from callers who want to contribute food, blankets or whatever they can to the all night vigilers who will be out in the temperatures predicted to be in the twenties. Thanks to Mayor Goode, the Northwest wing of City Hall will remain open throughout the evening. The coalition, now numbering more than 200 religious, community, labor and peace groups, marks the beginning of the broadest cross section of Philadelphians working together to end racism to date. The press packet says MLKAAC's five demands were presented to the City Council by Council Angel L. Ortiz and were unanimously passed in a resolution dated January 10, 1985 (included in the packet). That resolution also endorsed today's event and called for the City of Philadelphia to not support the institutionalized system of apartheid in South Africa through its procurement policies. These demands are: 1) RELEASE NELSON MANDELA AND ALL OTHER POLITICAL PRISONERS, 2) RELEASE OF RECENT STRIKE LEADERS IN SOUTH AFRICA, 3) SCRAPPING OF PRESIDENT REAGAN'S "CONSTRUCTIVE ENGAGEMENT" POLICY, 4) GOOD FAITH NEGOTIATIONS WITH LEGITIMATE SOUTH AFRICAN LEADERS, AS A START, and 5) ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST SOUTH AFRICA. The packet includes ANTI-APARTHEID RALLY and ALL NIGHT VIGIL dated January 10, 1985; MARTIN LUTHER KING ANTI-APARTHEID RALLY AND VIGIL-JANUARY 14/15, 1985; a letter to The Rev. Richard R. Fernandez of the Northwest Interfaith Movement from Robert W. Edgar, Member of Congress, dated January 14,1985; and SPONSORS OF MARTIN LUTHER KING ANTI-APARTHEID RALLY AND VIGIL, JANUARY 14/15, 1985. The press packet mentions Vanessa Watson, the African National Congress (ANC), Nelson Mandela, the Freedom Charter, citizenship rights, the right to vote, trade unions, mass arrests, killings, the Soweto uprising, the United Democratic Front (UDF), divestment of City Pension Funds, the Bantu Education Policy, civil and human rights, Congressman William Gray, State Representative Dave Richardson, David Cohen, Henry Nicholas, 1199C, Marvin Schuman, the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, Joe Miller, SANE, Catherine Blunt, CAFSAN (Coalition for a Free South Africa and Namibia), Rabbi Max Hausen, Sister Nia, and the South African national anthem.

African Activist Archive

ANTI-APARTHEID RALLY & ALL NIGHT VIGIL

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