Oral History interview with Tom Bailey by William Chafe
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In this July 9, 1979, oral history interview conducted by William Chafe, Tom Bailey recalls his involvement in community organizing in the Piedmont Triad area through YES (Youth Education Services), OEO (Office of Economic Opportunity), and GAPP (Greensboro Association of Poor People) during the late sixties and seventies. Bailey recalls his work with an anti-poverty program in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, including canvassing and clean-up campaigns. Of note is his discussion of a pass given by the Winston-Salem police department to help quell riots, which he then used in Greensboro to move freely during curfews in the late sixties. Bailey expresses the opinion he was essentially paid off to leave Winston-Salem and return to school at North Carolina A&T University Bailey describes A&T presidents Samuel Proctor and Louis Dowdy and the atmosphere of activism on campus. He discusses joining YES; Howard Fuller and the Foundation for Community Development, the disconnect between academia and the community, and the Black Power movement. He talks about meeting Nelson Johnson and Frank Williams, refusing the draft, faculty response to student activism, and the Black Liberation Front. He discusses the structure and activity of YES; Eric Brown, Nathan Garret, and George Esser; protests on campus after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.; the formation of GAPP; and the election of Vincent McCullough and Nelson Johnson to student body government. Bailey also discusses his work in Davidson County, including efforts to condemn a poisoned well; improve living conditions for poor whites; giving OEO money directly to community members; and being fired by the board of directors. Bailey recalls the 1969 Dudley High School and NC A&T protest. Topics include Claude Barnes' involvement with GAPP; the paranoia of Dudley's administration paranoia; Willie Grimes' murder; the role of the National Guard and Greensboro police; and the formation of SOBU (Student Organization for Black Unity). He talks about his work with OEO, conflicts between OEO and GAPP, and the difficulty of writing a grant that would be approved. Bailey describes an armed confrontation with Herman Gist and other issues with Gist and the black community. He talks about the A&T cafeteria workers' strike in 1969, the board of education cafeteria workers' strike in 1970, and being accused of inciting demonstrations. He also discusses running GAPP with no funding, the formation of the Malcolm X Liberation University, community opinion of the organizations, the relationship between GAPP and the Greensboro Citizens Association, black separatism, a split over the issue of busing, and the importance of working with the established black community.
