“You are the Salt of the earth … You are the Light of the World.” -- Matthew 5:13-14, KJV
“We’ve got to find some way to bring together those who want to work for the good of all of us.” – Dr. C. T. Vivian
“I’ve just met the most amazing man!” These were my thoughts as I exited a warm and intensely edifying conversation with the distinguished Dr. C. T. Vivian. I’d asked to meet with Dr. Vivian for a variety of reasons: First, I wanted to hear his thoughts on what I and many others perceive as our nation’s increasingly oppressive socio-political landscape. Second, I wanted to understand his thinking about contemporary protest and resistance movements against social injustice and political repression in the U.S. Third, I simply wanted to learn all that I could from this civil rights legend and modern-day icon. And so, I was blessed to listen for a while, to this wise, witty and very gracious man of honor.
Dr. Cordy Tindell (C. T.) Vivian is likely most known for having endured violent personal assaults, imprisonment and torture during his participation in the 1960s-era Civil Rights Movement to secure voting rights for African Americans. However, Dr. Vivian’s legacy involves much, much more. For example:
> He is the Baptist minister Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. called “The greatest preacher who ever lived.”
> He was recently awarded the highest civilian honor in the U.S.: The Presidential Medal of Freedom.
> He served as consultant to five U.S. Presidents and several international Heads of State.
> He founded numerous organizations to support educational scholarships and leadership training for hundreds of disenfranchised students.
> He amassed an esteemed history of “firsts”, e.g., organized some of the nation’s first Freedom Rides, sit- ins, and Civil Rights marches, and
> He transformed the lives of Chicago-based gang members by collaborating with gang leadership and Union officials to locate hundreds of jobs for their employment.
For seventy plus years now, Dr. Vivian has passionately dedicated his life to nonviolent activism for racial equality in the United States, and today he is still going strong. In recent cameo appearances on BET’s award-winning Being Mary Jane and popular new series The Quad, this now 90-something leader shared his perpetually passionate call for love-centered social and political action as the purest means of acquiring human rights for all.
To be clear, Dr. Vivian’s work and sacrifices have deep historical roots in the quest for equality for African Americans in the U.S. In 1947, decades before the beginning of the renowned Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, a 23-year old Vivian joined others to execute one of the earliest nonviolent sit-in campaigns in the nation. The protest took place in Peoria, Illinois where activists successfully integrated Barton’s Cafeteria which previously refused to serve blacks. It was during the Peoria protests that Dr. Vivian met Octavia Geans, the woman who would become his wife and life partner in nonviolent activism until her death some 58 years later. According to Dr. Vivian, from the moment he and Octavia heard of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and learned about his Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), they were ecstatic. “We knew Martin was the real deal,” said Vivian, “and we were happy about being a part of something that would change the world.” And so, with Octavia at his side that’s exactly what they did.
“We were willing to die.” – Dr. C. T. Vivian
It was in his service as one of Dr. King’s Lieutenants that Dr. Vivian would be confronted with some of the most violent and potentially lethal experiences of his life. For example, it was following the infamous 1961 firebombing of a busload of Freedom Riders near Anniston, Alabama and despite subsequent terroristic threats from mobs of angry whites that Dr. Vivian continued to volunteer for those now legendary bus rides. In fact, it was his commitment to the cause of the Freedom Rides that led to him being arrested and confined to Mississippi’s notorious Parchman State Prison Farm where hundreds of Civil Rights protestors were jailed and tortured. Later, in 1965 while leading a Voting Rights protest, Dr. Vivian was violently assaulted on the Courthouse steps of Selma, Alabama by the County Sheriff. It was Vivian’s nonviolent yet persistent response to this highly-publicized confrontation that many credit with being the pivotal moment in securing the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
But of course, that was then – a time when persistent protests and relentless activism were needed to assure equal rights and social justice for all citizens as granted under the U.S. Constitution. And of course, this is now – a time when persistent protests and relentless activism are still needed to assure equal rights and social justice for all citizens as granted under the U.S. Constitution. And it is the circumstances of now that concern me deeply, and led me to Dr. Vivian.
In today’s America, millions of U.S. citizens are disturbed by the federal government’s increasingly- apparent anti-civil liberties agenda. This appears most evident in recent proposals and legislation presenting ominous threats to decades of civil rights gains and the democratic principles that have long characterized this nation. Especially troubling is the painful realization that despite the loss of countless lives for advancements in socio-economic equality, voting rights, education and social justice, persons of color are specifically, in greater peril today than at any other time in the 21st century. Given that, I am happy to share below the very candid, sometimes blistering musings of Dr. Vivian on a series of topics related to the shifting and disturbing socio-political landscape of the United States.
On the recent presidential election
“Everyone was so certain that Clinton was going to win. We can’t figure out how decent people could vote for him [Drumpf].” - Dr. C. T. Vivian
[Note: During our talk, Dr. Vivian would not speak the name of the 45th elected U.S. President, a person whom I reference as “Drumpf” (his family’s ancestral name) as a reminder to all that Trump’s family emigrated to the U.S. and changed its surname from Drumpf to Trump.]
On the current U.S. presidential administration
“This person [Drumpf] has taken us back. We don’t know what he will do. He never tells the truth or says anything that’s real. He knew how to stir up fear, and it worked. But it’s messing up government, period. And with a guy like this we’re not certain what he might do at a given time and place.” - Dr. C. T. Vivian
On current black-white race relations
“The U.S. has been more racist than most other countries. Now, we’re in a situation where he [Drumpf] has created a problem between poor whites and blacks. We know this is true because the average poor white doesn’t want to be aligned with blacks; they feel they are better than us. But somehow, we have to re-do a good deal of what we thought we had done. And we’ve got to offset racism in all its forms.” - Dr. C. T. Vivian
On the U.S. as a Christian nation
“We’ve never really been Christian in America because racism by itself is very destructive to any kind of real Christianity. You can’t be Christian and racist at the same time; that’s not taking Christianity seriously. That’s trying to fool God!” - Dr. C. T. Vivian
On the ongoing struggle for human rights
“We so want it [human rights], but we know that it will always be a struggle and we’ve got to prepare for this. We talk about the world as if it’s a nicer place than it really may be. Decency and good may not be on our side.” - Dr. C. T. Vivian
On the need for African Americans to hold the U.S. accountable
“If not for black people, this nation would not be held accountable for living up to its principles. As black people, we have to teach white America how to be Christian. And being Christian means love, truth, and justice.” - Dr. C. T. Vivian
On the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s
“’Old school’ changed the world. And because we had a man like Martin King, we had a whole organized structure led by ministers across the south. The whole world knew who we were and what we stood for, and we were willing to die for what we believed.” - Dr. C. T. Vivian
On the Black Lives Matter Movement
“I’ve gone to a couple of their meetings. And when I first saw them, I thought they were not organized enough, but now they are coming around to where they have more leadership. Now, we don’t necessarily need one central leader, but we do need organization and clear leadership.” - Dr. C. T. Vivian
On hope for the future
“You’re just like I am. You hope that it’s going to be better. You’re dreaming. Poor whites are back on the scene and they’re going to create more problems than what we had before. And that’s my real fear, all these poor whites. He [Drumpf] knows how to play them and work them. We’re going to have to go back to thinking about how we got where we are.” - Dr. C. T. Vivian
I decided to end our chat by posing two personal questions to Dr. Vivian. First, I wanted to know what accomplishments he is most proud. Second, I wondered how we [African Americans] might best honor his decades of sacrifice.
After a few moments of quiet contemplation, to my first question he humbly replied: “I am most proud of the fact that I was called into ministry, and that led me into not just being a pulpit minister, but going beyond that to being a part of Martin King’s organization.” And then, in response to my second inquiry he added, “The point is, there were not only black folk, but white folk too who were involved in the Movement. They worked together, black and white. That’s what we need today.”
These days, Dr. Vivian remains an activist in the ongoing pursuit to hold the U.S. accountable to its documented democratic principles. In that regard, he is a frequent speaker at national and international conferences and other gatherings where the wisdom of his experiences is invited and cherished. He is also on the Board of Directors for several organizations, including his own BASIC Diversity, Inc., the nation’s oldest diversity consulting firm, and the C. T. Vivian Leadership Institute (CTVLI), an Atlanta-based organization dedicated to community development and sustainability.
To learn more about supporting the work of Dr. C.T. Vivian and volunteering with CTVLI contact: givingback@ctvli.org.
“You are made by the struggles you choose.” – Dr. C. T. Vivian