Ruby Ficklen Powerpoint

1953

by: Ruby Ficklen

Much like the rest of the country during this time, San

Francisco was on the cusp of a nation at war and post-

war society. This was reflected in the art and media of

the time, taking cues from poets that had come before

them such as Walt Whitman in their response to both

the devastation of the war and the restrictive cultural

climate. The Red Scare ran rampant, while a civil rights

revolution was building. In 1953, a poetic and artistic

movement called The San Francisco Renaissance was

gaining momentum.

Grand Jury indicts Bryson on Charges of Communism

Hugh Bryson, president of

the National Union of

Marine Cooks and Stewards,

was tried on two counts of an

indictment which charged

that he filed with the

National Labor Relations

Board 'an affidavit of a non-

Communist union officer,' in

which he falsely alleged that

he was 'not a member of the

Communist Party or

affiliated with any such

Party.' He was charged with

falsely denying membership

in the first count and

affiliation in the

second count, all in violation

of § 1001, Title 18, United

States Code. The jury

acquitted him on the

membership count but found

him guilty on the affiliation

count. From a judgment of

conviction and a sentence of

five years imprisonment plus

a $10,000 fine, Bryson

appeals.

As early as 1937, Bryson

was an active and militant

member of both the

Communist Party and the

Marine Cooks and Stewards.

The San Francisco ChroniclesApril 8

th1953 “The Voice of the West” - Since 1865

Racial Integration Demanded of Housing Authority

The San Francisco Housing

Authority operates the third

largest public housing program

in the country. By the start of

the decade, this program

included over one hundred and

ten thousand units or

apartments housing almost five

hundred thousand persons. In

wake of a racial movement

rolling across the country, these

units remain largely and

distinctly divided. Local civic

groups such as the CSFR and

SFNL have called on the San

Francisco Housing Authority to

set a standard of racial

integration among its program.

“Why?” is the statement made

by the head of the Authority,

“Our job is simply to provide

people a roof over their heads

when they cannot under their

own means. We are not a moral

compass. Our priorities are

decidedly separated and

irrelevant to the social

uprisings goings-on.”

Government operated housing

has already proven itself to

incite conflict between

neighbors who might not

otherwise cross paths, already

subject to frequent police

intervention. Is this worth it?

The San Francisco Negro

League seems to believe so.

“This is a turning point for San

The San Francisco ChroniclesJune 7

th1953 “The Voice of the West” - Since 1865

Elaine and Willem

De Kooning

They were the typical

artist couple in the

1950's, both staples

in the San Francisco

culture, struggling

with serious financial

hardships while

producing

tremendously

innovative work.

Although California did not begin legally integrating until the 1960s, the issue had

already hit progressive San Francisco in 1953. This picture shows anti-integration

protestors gathered outside a San Francisco courthouse.

On May 25, 1953 this blast took place as part of Operation Upshot-Knothole

which was a series of eleven nuclear test shots conducted in remote areas of

the US. This is the first test of a nuclear artillery shell. Images like these

solidified America as a strong and conquering to some citizens, and an

unforgiving force to others.

As the first faint

streaks of dawn poked

over the distant hills

the blast came. A vivid

flash of light pierced

the desert darkness

and lighted up the

entire countryside. It

lasted but a moment or

two then was gone. All

eyes turned toward the

spot where the bomb

had exploded. They

saw a big ball of

furiously churning fire,

smoke, sand and

debris rapidly rising

from the ground in

huge, rolling waves.

“

”Nevada Highways & Parks 13, no2,

"Observation Shot Project",

The marriage of John F

Kennedy and Jacqueline

“Jackie” Bouvier was more

than a idyllic wedding. As a

couple, John and Jackie were

the quintessential 50s

romance and their wedding did

not stray from this standard.

The fashions, trends, and

themes observed here are

perfect examples of the time.

What is more iconic of San Francisco

than the Golden Gate Bridge? Although

construction was officially completed in

1937, Albert Croxson (35) and Donald

Hogan (35) were killed when their 25-

ton steel and timber scaffold tore loose

from beneath the Golden Gate Bridge

on November 7th, 1953. They were part

of a 28-man crew installing lateral

bracing beneath the roadway of the

bridge.

They are murdering all the young

men.

For half a century now, every day,

They have hunted them down and

killed them.

They are killing them now.

At this minute, all over the world,

They are killing the young men.

They know ten thousand ways to

kill them.

Every year they invent new ones.

In the jungles of Africa,

In the marshes of Asia,

In the deserts of Asia,

In the slave pens of Siberia,

In the slums of Europe,

In the nightclubs of America,

The murderers are at work.

They are stoning Stephen,

They are casting him forth from

every city in the world.

Under the Welcome sign,

Under the Rotary emblem,

On the highway in the suburbs,

His body lies under the hurling

stones.

He was full of faith and power.

He did great wonders among the

people.

They could not stand against his

wisdom.

He cried out in the name

Of the tabernacle of witness in the

wilderness.

They were cut to the heart.

They gnashed against him with

their teeth.

They cried out with a loud voice.

They stopped their ears.

They ran on him with one accord.

They cast him out of the city and

stoned him.

The witnesses laid down their

clothes

At the feet of a man whose name

was your name —

You.

You are the murderer.

You are killing the young men.

You are broiling Lawrence on his

gridiron.

When you demanded he divulge

The hidden treasures of the spirit,

He showed you the poor.

You set your heart against him.

You seized him and bound him with

rage.

You roasted him on a slow fire.

His fat dripped and spurted in the

flame.

The smell was sweet to your nose.

He cried out,

“I am cooked on this side,

Kenneth

Rexroth“Thou Shalt

Not Kill”

click here to read the rest of this

poem

click here to skip to next

topic

You are murdering the young men.

You are shooting Sebastian with

arrows.

He kept the faithful steadfast under

persecution.

First you shot him with arrows.

Then you beat him with rods.

Then you threw him in a sewer.

You fear nothing more than

courage.

You who turn away your eyes

At the bravery of the young men.

You,

The hyena with polished face and

bow tie,

In the office of a billion dollar

Corporation devoted to service;

The vulture dripping with carrion,

Carefully and carelessly robed in

imported tweeds,

Lecturing on the Age of Abundance;

The jackal in double-breasted

gabardine,

Barking by remote control,

In the United Nations;

The vampire bat seated at the

couch head,

Notebook in hand, toying with his

decerebrator;

The autonomous, ambulatory

Kenneth Roxworth,

Authorclick here to return to part one of the

poem

Your cheatin' heart will make you

weep,

You'll cry and cry, and try to sleep.

But sleep won't come, the whole

night through.

Your cheatin' heart, will tell on you.

When tears come down like falling

rain,

You'll toss around, and call my

name.

You'll walk the floor, the way I do.

Your cheatin' heart, will tell on you.

When tears come down like falling

rain,

You'll toss around, and call my

name.

You'll walk the floor, the way I do.

Your cheatin' heart, will tell on you.

Your Cheatin’

Heart By: Hank Williams

Your Cheatin’ Heart was #2 nationwide

in 1953 and was a popular song on San

Francisco’s KGO radio station. Hank

Williams, however, died this year.

This feature debuted in 1953.

Many parallels can be drawn

between this cartoon and the

Red Scare of the time. It

would’ve played at San

Francisco’s Cascade Theater,

among other places.

Duck Dodger in

the 24½ Century

The end.