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Stanley is in touch with Bayard in terms of the plans for the dinner, and he tells Bayard that Mrs. King is going to be delivering a speech on this subject. Then there was big trouble. All kinds of pressures were being put on us to get Mrs. King not to speak about this subject at the Randolph dinner, ostensibly because it's a Randolph birthday party, and we shouldn't bring in extraneous issues. It was so clear that they did not want--the AFL-CIO had not yet identified with the strike. It was a real problem. I was telling Bayard, “Look, what can I do? Listen, speak to Coretta.”

He says, “I know what's going on here. Don't fool me. Don't fool with me. You've got to get Coretta not to make a speech on this subject.”

I spoke to Jimmy Wechsler about it, and Jimmy was there. I didn't go to the dinner, but I came with Mrs. King and I stood in the wings while she was making her speech. Jimmy was there with me. And what do you think happened? The speech was the hit of the whole meeting. Everybody, you know? It was a good speech. I have a copy of that speech. It's a good speech, and it links, “My husband, one of the things he was proudest about was his relationship with this union. One of the things I'm most proud about is me--it's the union that Phil Randolph helped found in the hospitals. In 1959, ten years ago, Phil Randolph headed the Citizens Committee for Justice to Hospital Workers. In 1959, Phil Randolph, with my husband and with Roy Wilkins and others. And just as Phil Randolph in 1959 was setting the stage,” you know, making the point. “Today the focus for the ideals and the things that Phil Randolph stands for is not here in this room, but it's in Charleston, South Carolina.” She spoke about the women in Charleston and she spoke very specifically about what her experience was and what they'd gone through. Jimmy Wechsler did a column on it the next day. He paid tribute to Randolph, but he said that his ideals were best exemplified without indicating that there was anything.

Did you get feedback from these characters?

I'm telling you. The session we had with them in Charleston, they were still angry about it.

That's right.

There was a problem that they were afraid that she was going to blast, so they changed the order of the speakers, so that Meany would speak after her.

So you're having this meeting with them in Charleston.