‘We are all the Jena 6’

Sept. 20—A militant, dignified and powerful sea of mostly African Americans filled almost every street in the small rural town of Jena, La., today to let the world know that Jim Crow injustice is not going to be tolerated any longer.

Jena, La., Sept. 20. WW photo: Gloria Rubac

With chants of “Enough is enough—Free the Jena Six”, “We are all the Jena Six” and “No justice, no peace, no racist police!” throngs of people protested in front of the LaSalle Parish Courthouse, on the lawn of the Jena High School, in a large city park and on many streets throughout this small city.

They came from all over the United States, particularly from every single Southern state, by train, plane, bus, motorcycle and car, to take a stand in support of the Jena Six.

Dozens of historically Black colleges and universities had delegations, including Texas Southern University, Prairie View A & M University, Paul Quinn College, Dillard University, Spelman College, Grambling State University, Jackson State University, North Carolina Central University and Southern University, to name a few.

Of the buses from Houston and surrounding areas, two were from Prairie View, three were from Texas Southern, and three had working people, students, youth and elders. Hundreds from Dallas caravanned with their churches, universities or groups of friends.

Many in Jena had never marched before but came with their school, while many others were working people who had taken a day off. A large number of these latter had participated in the 1960s civil rights marches and protests.

Some groups of families and elders sat in portable, lightweight chairs in groups of 10 to 25, talking about the Jena Six, eating homemade picnic lunches, and reminiscing about the struggles that brought about the victories of the civil rights movement. They eagerly accepted literature and signed petitions.

A large delegation from North Carolina Central University Law School sat together in maroon law school shirts, taking in all the activities with wide eyes. One young woman commented, “I thought this only happened in history books. And here I am!”

A middle-class Black family sat together in lawn chairs with a big sign that read “No justice, no peace—OKC” and had a large peace sign in the middle. When asked if the “OKC” meant Oklahoma City, they proudly told WW they had driven all night from there to be a part of history and take a stand in support of the Jena Six.

Working Black ranchers from rural Florida attended. They said to tell everyone that Black ranchers were represented in Jena and emphasized that they not only owned their ranches but also worked them every day.

Folks from all over Louisiana attended, from big cities like Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Lake Charles to small towns like Broussard, New Iberia, Bunkie, Wilson, Houma, Crowley and Opelousous.

Traditional civil rights organizations were well represented. Large groups carried NAACP signs from many cities. The SCLC also had hundreds of signs.

There were also members of the New Black Panther Party, the Millions More Movement, the National Black United Front, and other activist and revolutionary organizations.

A large white RV owned by Robert Clark of Monroe, La. had people on top of it speaking to the crowds all morning. A man recited Martin Luther King’s speech on Vietnam as well as his “I Have a Dream” speech from the 1963 march on Washington.

Clark began raising bail money for Mychal Bell, one of the Jena Six., around 10 a.m. By noon over $18,000 had been collected in donations of $5, $10, $20 and $100. The crowd on that block cheered every time someone put a bill in the box and Clark said who they were and where they were from. When it was announced that over $18,000 had been raised and that they would try to bail out Mychal Bell that afternoon, the crowd went wild.

Because every street in Jena has only two small lanes, and because the courthouse rally had an inadequate sound system for such a huge crowd, each block began its own impromptu rallies, street meetings, drumming, second line dancing, picnics, reunions, conga lines and marches.

The mood of the crowd was very serious, militant and determined. Many conveyed the feeling that they knew the whole world was watching Jena and were therefore careful to maintain discipline while being excited, angry and focused. Participants picked up every scrap of paper and every empty water bottle off lawns and streets.

Taking photos and videos was the order of the day. At the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement table, several people asked that the banner be held straighter as they snapped the shutter so folks at home could see who was there in Jena.

Two men from Mobile, Ala., held a big white banner. They asked people to sign it so they could send it to the Jena Six families. It read, “Free the Jena Six—Mobile, Alabama.” Hundreds of people signed with their names and hometowns.

At least a dozen different Jena Six tee shirts were being sold. Many organizations had come wearing their own originally designed shirts. Others sold shirts on the street. Some shirts had nooses, some had the “White Tree,” and some had quotes from Fannie Lou Hamer. Over 90 percent of the crowd wore black, as requested by organizers.

Some sympathetic whites in Jena waved to the buses while sitting in their yards. One elderly man gave two thumbs up to the crowd and told them, “Thanks for coming!”

Despite the 90-degree heat and not a cloud in the sky, people were focused and unity was the theme. Everyone agreed that each state has its own Jena, that it isn’t just Louisiana. And all left with a determination to continue the fight, not only for the Jena Six but for justice, when they get back to their homes.

The writer is an organizer with the Texas Death Penalty Abolition Movement in Houston.