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This means that we must be aware of what we're getting into. (You don't need training manuals for the fairly easy situation!) As is the case with any exercise, you practice the way you play, and winners tend to be people who practice hard and know the angles. The Deep South particularly is no affair for amateurs. 3. Who are your friends and who are your opponents ? You can assume very little when you first go into an unfamiliar community. Some spade- work may have been done by someune before you, but this is frequently nut the, case. Education matters less than an ability tu understand and communicate. The noisiest civil rights revolu- tionist may only be telling you what he thinks you want to hear, or what he thinks you ought to know, Some ministers, school teachers, and business- men in the Negro community depend on segregation for their living. Others do not, People with independent incomes (or no incomes) will tend to be readier to act than those who depend on others and are insecure. Juvenile gangs, if approached in the right way, can be givena new purpose in life and can be valuable allies --but do not expect them to become nonviolent angels overnight, Furthermore, traditional educational methods (lecture)may not work and you will have to try new and ingenious methods of teaching and training. It is important to try to involve segments of the white community. In Charlotte, N.C., the involvement of white Unitarians finally broke resistance to the sit-ins. Frequently a gesture will help: is there a union organizing campaign going on? These are potential allies. You 6 cannot expect allies to come to you simply because our cause is just. Everyone has pre- judices of many kinds--the thing to do is to limit a person's chances to find reasons for . bringing these prejudices out into the open. This is an important reason for nonviolence--it makes good public relations sense because it limits the chance for finding reasons to be against the movement. At the same time we cannot compromise, because not only will we lose thereby, but the Negro community, whose involvement is crucial, will be antagonized. Therefore: to maximize allies, don't antagonize, but don't compromise. _ _When going to other organizations for help, it is important to know how policy is made: by a few leaders, or at membership meetings, or otherwise? And can these organizations really be of help in the long run, or will they "use"! the cause to promote a particular brand of politica? Will a change in national policy force them to abandon you? Your community study should show which organizations, churches, unions are likely to be help (based on their past record). All groups in a community (regardless of type ~--even Alcoholics Anonymous ) as well as all individuals fall into one of the following classes: 1. Active associates and friends in the cause. 2. Support, but not active participation. Financial help. Moral support, some individuals giving money: Neutral--organization divided evenly. Hostile, but not active. ..wait and see. Actively hostile (Citizens Councils, Klan, etc.) nn db w Your primary job is (a) to decide which of the above is your target group in a particular 9 a { Cs