~\

\\d gideé énner C i t y Community Organization, I n c , Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, Pres

g t r e e t , N. v. Washington, D. C. 20001 Telephone 332‐7478
F o r Release: Ronday, Marph 13, 1967

DR. KlNG‘U‘lirES SUPPORT OF

N DEL CITIES PROGRAM

D r. M a r t i n L u t h e r King, J r . , t o d a y defended t h e

t o work t o make s u r e t h a t Congress a p p r o p r i a t e s t h e f u l l $400 m i l l i o n d o l l a r s

authorized f o r t h e program t h i s y e a r .
J. ' ' ‑
He a l s o urged v i g o r o u s support of t h e

President's F a i r Housing L e g i s l a t i o n .

D r. K i n g spoke a t a r a l l y l a u n c h i n g c i t i z e n p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n washington'°

unique Shaw Urban Renewal, where p r i m a r i l y Negro c i t i z e n s a r e working t o r e n e w

t h e i r community on a prototype of t h e Model C i t i e s concept. The program c a l l s

f o r t h e c o o r d i n a t i o n and c o n c e n t r a t i o n o f a l l a v a i l a b l e f e d e r a l r e s o u r c e s i n

housing c o n s t r u c t i o n , j o b t r a i n i n g , h e a l t h , e d u c a t i o n and w e l f a r e s e r v i c e s i n a n

a s s a u l t upon " p h y s i c a l decay and human d e s p a i r " t h a t w i l l i n v o l v e c i t i z e n s o f

, t h e a r e a a t e v e r y stage o f t h e p r o c e s s f r o m i n i t i a l p l a n n i n g t h r o u g h fi n a l

execution.

In answering c r i t i c s of t h e Model C i t i e s Program who say it is a g h e t t o

program to p e r p e t u a t e segregation, D r . K i n g s a i d :

" O b v i o u s l y w e must c o n t i n u e t o work t o i n t e g r a t e o u r

comm i t i e s b o t h in t h e suburbs and in t h e c e n t r a l c i t y .
But t h i s i s n o t a n e i t h e r - o r p r o p o s i t i o n ; i t i s b o t h - a n d .
To s a y t h a t we should n o t improve t h e l i f e and environment
of t h e p e o p l e in a segregated g h e t t o is to s a y, f o r example,
t h a t we should n o t spend money on
t h e y a r e now segregated. The f a c t is t h a t w e l l ‐ fi n a n c e d ,

i O f course, w e a l l r e c o g n i z e t h a t i f w e a r e u l t i m a t e l y
\_. to i p r o v e psycholcg'Lcal and p a r s i c a l con.ditions f o r
minorities t h e r e must h e t o t a l e l i m i n a t i o n o i g h e t t o e s a n d
cablishment of t r u l y i n t e g r a t e d s o c i e t y . In t h e
f t h o s e w o r k i n g f o r economic and
d to a d d r e s s themselves to i n t e r i m
t t o t a l l y charging the s i t u a t i o n ,
about i t p r o v . c ; t i n the l i v e s o f
" ' , w h i e l many of_
. t h o s e which
5 until he
1 approach

I believe t i e in the
rht d i r e c t i o n .
«x. -
AA. o. goodwill
across the country to support o n l y the
Administration's F‘air H: the integ‐
 \“ D r. King c a l l e d upon P r e s i d e n t Johnson n o t o n l y t o work v i g o r o u s l y f o r

the $400 m i l l i o n d o l l a r Congressional a p p r o p r i a t i o n f o r the program t h i s

year b u t also to urge top l e v e l technicians in relevant agencies of govern‑

ment t o work w i t h t h e p e o p l e o f t h e Shaw a r e a i n d e v e l o p i n g now a m e a n i n g f u l

demonstration of how t h e Model C i t i e s Programs work if and when t h e y go i n t o

effect. .

"I want now to appeal to t h e F e d e r a l Government f o r

i t s c o o p e r a t i o n w i t h t h e p e o p l e o f Shaw i n d e v e l o p i n g now
a p r o t o t y p e o f the Model C i t i e s Program. N o l e s s t h a n a
s p e c i a l t a s k f o r c e o f t e c h n i c i a n s f r o m each o f the r e l e v a n t
d e p a r t m e n t s o f o u r n a t i o n a l government ~ L a b o r, H o u s i n g and
Urban Development, Commerce, H e a l t h E d u c a t i o n a n d We l f a r e
and t h e O f fi c e o f Economic O p p o r t u n i t y, o u g h t t o work w i t h
t h e p e o p l e o f Shaw i n d e v e l o p i n g , c o o r d i n a t i n g and c o n c e n ‑
t r a t i n g t h e i r v a r i o u s programs upon s o c i a l and economic
problems of t h i s a r e a .

We have t a l k e d a g r e a t d e a l i n r e c e n t y e a r s about t h e
need to coordinate and concentrate a v a r i e t y of f e d e r a l
\~ programs upon t h e problems of o u r c e n t r a l c i t i e s . Now is
t h e t i m e t o , i n f a c t , d o i t . The Shaw a r e a , h e r e i n t h e
n a t i o n ’ s c a p i t a l , w i t h i n w a l k i n g d i s t a n c e o f the c e n t r a l
o f fi c e o f e v e r y m a j o r d e p a r t m e n t o f government c a n b e t h e
l i v e b o d y, t h e l a b o r a t o r y , i f y o u p l e a s e , where w e i n f a c t
w o r k o u t how t h e s e v a r i o u s f e d e r a l p r o g r a m s w i l l fi t
t o g e t h e r i n a u n i fi e d a s s a u l t o n hunmn d e s p a i r and p h y s i c a l
d e c a y. I f t h e F e d e r a l G o v e r n m e n t w i l l d o t h i s now, i t w i l l
n o t have t o g r o p e l a t e r f o r p r e c i s e l y how t h e f e d e r a l programs
should b e c o o r d i n a t e d when t h e p l a n n i n g u n d e r Model C i t i e s
L e g i s l a t i o n begins; top l e v e l s t a f f o f - t h e r e l e v a n t d e p a r t ‑
ments w i l l have worked i t o u t t o g e t h e r i n Shaw."

APPEALS 1g LABOR m BUSINESSMEN

Appealing to l a b o r unions f o r t h e i r cooperation, D r. K i n g said:

"The c o o p e r a t i o n o f o r g a n i z e d l a b o r i s a l s o c r u c i a l t o
y o u r g o a l o f r e n e w a l b y t h e p e o p l e . Some l a b o r u n i o n s i n t h e
b u i l d i n g c o n s t r u c t i o n t r a d e s o f t e n come i n f o r deserved
c r i t i c i s m f o r t h e i r f a i l u r e t o open t h e d o o r s o f a p p r e n t i c e s h i p
t r a i n i n g and j o b o p p o r t u n i t y t o Negroes. T h i s must happen i n
, Shaw if t h i s a r e a is to be renewed by t h e p e o p l e . I understand
\,/ t h a t a c o o p e r a t i Ve p r o g r a m f o r t r a i n i n g Shaw r e s i d e n t s i s b e i n g
developed t h r o u g h 0 . 1 . 0 . in Washingtan w i t h a f e w u n i o n s . Those
u n i o n s w h i c h have begun t h i s p r o g r a m a r e to be commended; t h o s e
u n i o n s w h i c h have n o t as y e t , a r e to be encouraged to do s o .

So, I s a y to t h e F e d e r a l Government and t h e Labor Unions

w h a t I s a y t o t h e p e o p l e o f Shaw; "Prepare t o P a r t i c i p a t e . ”

I n a s i m i l a r a p p e a l t o t h e b u s i n e s s c o m m u n i t y, D r . K i n g s a i d :

" I n t h i s r e g a r d l e t m e a l s o make a n a p p e a l t o t h e b u s i n e s s
c o m m u n i t y o f ; t h o Wa s h i n g t o n A r e a . I know y o u and y o u r counter‑
p a r t s in every major c i t y of o u r nation.despair at the h i g h
c r i m e r a t e : and d w i n d l i n g b u s i n e s s o p p o r t u n i t i e s i n t h e c e n t r a l
' way w e a r e g o i n g t o u l t i m a t e l y d e a l w i t h t h e
, decay in the c i t y is to help
JLQmically s e c u r e . T h i s n o u n :
to b u i l d businesses in
Page 3
MICCO News

Shaw t o s e r v e the people b u t a l s o p r o v i d e a wide r a n g e o f

employment o p p o r t u n i t i e s t o s u s t a i n them. Then and o n l y
t h e n w i l l we d e a l w i t h business decay. If bpsinesses a r e
t o t h r i v e , t h e people they s e r v e must have money; d e c e n t
w e l l p a y i n g j o b s make l i v e s o f crime and d e l i n q u e n c y b o t h
u n a t t r a c t i v e and u n n e c e s s a r y. "

Urging t h e people of Shaw, the Federal Government, l a b o r and the business

community t o "Prepare t o P a r t i c i p a t e , “ D r. King concluded w i t h a r o u s i n g

r e a f fi r m a t i o n o f h i s speech o f the March o n Washington, " I have a dream."

.go‑