revolutionary action movement (ram) - Michael Schwartz Library

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Philadelphia . One acquaintance was Bill Davis, a leader of an independent
black Marxist cadre called Organization Alert (OA) . During this time,
Stanford had discussion with Marion Barry about the direction of the civil
rights movement . One night while listening to the discussion in NSA office,
Miss Ella Baker encouraged Stanford to continued to develop his ideas .
After Marion Barry left Philadelphia, Bill Davis asked Stanford to
join Organization Alert . Stanford wrote Freeman about OA and Freeman decided
to meet with Davis . Freeman went to Philadelphia in October of 1962
and after long discussions with Davis told Stanford that OA was too bourgeois/intellectual
and not sufficiently action-oriented .
Freeman had organized
the African-American Institute in Cleveland in 1962 . He was also a
school teacher in the Cleveland school system . He told Stanford that he
had to start something independent of OA . Stanford was still not convinced .
Freeman left and returned to Cleveland .
During a meeting of OA,
Davis harshly criticized SNCC and said that
SNCC would never change .
Stanford opposed that position, saying that SNCC
was at the center of the movement and events would force SNCC to change .
The discussion ended in a heated debate .
Stanford discussed the debate
with Wanda Marshall of the original RAM cadre .
During the Thanksgiving break, Marshall and
Stanford decided to visit
Malcolm X .
Stanford wanted to seek Malcolm's advice about joining the
National of Islam . Marshall and Stanford met with Minister Malcolm in New
York .
After a lengthy black history lesson by Minister Malcolm, Stanford
asked Malcolm if he should join the Nation of Islam . Malcolm, to Stanford's
surprise, said no . He said, "You can do more for the Honorable Elijah
Muhammad by organizing outside of the Nation ." 5
5 1nterview with Malcolm X, Shabbaz Restaurant, November, 1962, New York .