Black Communists Speak on Scottsboro: A Documentary History

“They Shall Not Die!”

Fond 515, Files of the Communist Party of the United States in the Comintern Archives Telegram from Executive Committee of League of Struggle for Negro Rights to Governor B. M. Miller of Alabama April 9, 1931 The League of Struggle for Negro Rights vigorously protests the deliberate frame-up against the nine Negro youths and their railroading to the electric chair. This organization of ten thousand membership demands that you stop this legal lynching and holds you responsible to stay the hands of the lynch mob. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE LEAGUE OF STRUGGLE FOR NEGRO RIGHTS B. D. AMIS, PRESIDENT. Fond 515, Files of the Communist Party of the United States in the Comintern Archives. “They Shall Not Die!” ❖ They Shall Not Die! ▪ 29 Statement by the Central Committee, Communist Party U.S.A. April 9, 1931. The Communist Party of the United States calls upon the white workers of Alabama, the white workers of the whole south and the whole United States to make the cause of the Negro workers their own cause.We call upon both Negro and white workers to unite and to rally to the cause of these 9 Negro boys who are being lynched in Scottsboro. The Communist Party calls upon all working class and Negro organizations to adopt strong resolutions of protest, and to wire these to the governor of Alabama and to the Daily Worker. But wires to such capitalist officials alone will do no good, you must organize at the greatest possible speed mass meetings and militant mass demonstrations against this crime. Let the southern ruling class know that the working class will not tolerate further continuance of their bloody crimes against our class! Certain “reformist” organizations, claiming to represent the interest of the Negroes, such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Universal Negro Improvement Association, the Urban League, etc., are, in fact under the leadership and control of middle class reformists who, we are perfectly aware, cannot be depended upon to rally those organizations in defense of these helpless boys of Scottsboro. These reformist leaders can be expected, as usual, only to betray the Negro masses, and in this case it is easy to betray by pretending to believe that these boys are getting a “legal trial,” whereas these reformists claim only to be “against illegal lynching.” The Communist Party calls upon the rank and file members of these organizations nevertheless to give their support to the campaign to save these defenseless Negro boys. We demand a united front of all working and farming masses of this country to stop the legal lynching at Scottsboro. Workers, black and white——organize monster mass meetings , militant demonstrations! Let the southern ruling class know that we will tolerate their crimes against our class and the persecuted Negro race no longer! The death penalty for lynchers! Stop the legal lynching at Scottsboro! The Communists organized and inspired protests against the Scottsboro trials and sentences. The letter below, from William Pickens of the NAACP , reveals that at the beginning of the case even this black middle-class reform organization seemed to be following the Communist lead. Daily Worker April 19, 1931 Kansas City, Mo. Dear Daily Worker: I am writing from Kansas City, where I have just seen a copy ofThe DailyWorker for April 16th and noted the fight which the workers are making, thru I.L.D., to prevent the judicial massacre of NegroYouth in Alabama. Enclosed is a small check for that cause. Please send it to I.L.D in enclosed stamp envelope. The promptness with which the white workers have moved toward defending these helpless and innocent Negro boys, sons of black workers, is significant and prophetic.The only ultimate salvation for black and white workers is in their united defense, one of the other. Other causes and movements may do good work, but all other causes are good only as preliminaries to that consummation . The one objective for final security is the absolute and unqualified unity and cooperation of ALL WORKERS of all the exploited masses, across all race and color lines and all other lines. In the present case the Daily Worker and the workers have moved, so far, more speedily and affectively than all other agencies put together. If you do not prevent Alabama from committing 30 ▪ They Shall Not Die! these horrible murders, you will at least educate working people, white and black...