Statement of Rand Manzella to U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

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This February 26, 1980 statement by Ray Manzella to the United States Commission on Civil Rights details Manzella's experiences as a worker in several Greensboro textile mills and his attempts to organize workers. Manzella states that he began at Guilford Mills in 1976 and was locked out along with other workers for failing to work overtime. He describes incidents at Cone Mills where where workers attempted to organize and were harassed or fired. He also states that management attempted to stir up racial divisions to hamper organizing efforts. Manzella was also one of three Communist Workers Party (CWP) members indicted on felony rioting charges following the November 3, 1979, Death to the Klan march that resulted in five CWP members being shot to death (also known as the Greensboro Massacre).