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Aaron / The People's Party II and Vietnam

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Interviewer: You guys were very connected to the Black Panther Party even before you got a chapter here in Houston. Did any of the leaders of the Black Panther Party come here to network with you guys when you were People’s Party Two? Aaron: Yeah, we had party members from Oakland that would pass through periodically. (inaudible) awhile. Work with us a while. Yeah, that happened while we was down here. Interviewer: Were y’all or yourself part of the anti-Vietnam movement that happened in Houston? Aaron: Yeah, we definitely was part of that. Like I said, this was going on during this period. We were very much involved in the anti-war movement. A lot of the demonstrations, things that we participated in at the time, that’s what it was about. Anti-war. That was one of the main focuses of the movement at that time was protesting the war in Vietnam. Interviewer: Why? Aaron: Why? Because we felt it was an unjust war. We felt it was a war against poor people for rich people and we couldn’t see no justification for it. We was fighting poor people and poor people was dying in the process. So we couldn’t see no reason in that. So, we protested it. Especially we didn’t see no reason for a lot of poor blacks to be over there fighting and dying with the situation that was in our neighborhood at the time. For what? Over there killing poor people and we’re poor ourselves. Being discriminated against. So we didn’t see no reason in it.

Interview Interview with James Aaron
Subjects Citizenship › Civic Engagement
Work
Work › Occupations
Community Organizations
Community Organizations › Civil Rights Organizations
Community Organizations › Civil Rights Organizations › National and Regional Civil Rights Organizations
Community Organizations › Civil Rights Organizations › Local Civil Rights Organizations
Community Organizations › Community outreach
Race Relations › Black-White Race Relations
Discrimination or Segregation
Historic Periods
Military › Vietnam War
Direct Action
Direct Action › Direct Action (unspecified)
Black Power
Black Power › Black Panthers
Black Power › Local Black Power Organizations
Direct Action › Protests
Military › Vietnam War › Anti-war Movement
Tags The People's Party II
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Interview date 2016-06-08
Interview source CRBB Summer 2016
Interviewees Aaron, James
Interviewers Enriquez, Sandra
Rodriguez, Samantha
Locations Houston, TX
Duration 00:02:23
Citation "The People's Party II and Vietnam," from James Aaron oral history interview with Sandra Enriquez and Samantha Rodriguez,  June 08, 2016, Houston,TX, Civil Rights in Black and Brown Interview Database, https://crbb.tcu.edu/clips/2583/the-peoples-party-2-and-vietnam, accessed March 19, 2024