Mass action against segregation in the 1930s North. On a speaking tour, Ada Wright, mother of two Scottsboro defendants, is refused service at downtown Cleveland’s Mills Restaurant while in the company of their counsel, the legendary radical lawyer Leo Gallagher, who protests. She is evicted and he is beaten. Three days later and hundreds organized by the I.L.D. descend on the franchise, forcing it to abide by Ohio law forbidding discrimination in public conveyances and pushing the city to do the same in other notorious jim-crow establishments.

‘Jim-Crowism Smashed in Cleveland’ by Sam Stein’ from Labor Defender. Vol. 10 No. 6. June, 1934.

“Is this lady with you?” asked burly Leon Kuenning, pro-Nazi manager of Mills Restaurant, 315 Euclid Ave., pointing at Ada Wright, mother of Roy and Andy Wright, two of the innocent Scottsboro boys.

“Yes,” said Leo Gallagher, ILD attorney who is accompanying her on a National Scottsboro-Thaelman tour.

“I’m sorry, we can’t serve her.”

“You’ll serve Mother Wright just as well as you will anyone else,” retorted Gallagher, militant attorney, who was present during the Leipsiz trial of the Reichstag frame-up.

“Get the hell out of here,” said the neatly dressed manager-thug as he pushed Gallagher and Mother Wright thru the doorway into the street. “Maybe this will keep you out of here,” he declared as he showered a barrage of blows on Gallagher. Gallagher, a frail man, defended himself as best he could until Yetta Land and workers passing by dragged the Mills’ ruffian away.

Three days later–“Down with Mills’ Jim-crow policy! Down with Mills’ discrimination against Negro people!” roared 700 Negro and white workers, answering the call of the I.L.D. Cleveland District to demonstrate on April 14, at noon before Mills Restaurant in protest against their vicious race hatred policy. 500 people gathered on Euclid Avenue, Cleveland’s shopping center and busiest street and cheered the demonstrators.

A delegation was elected by the demonstrators to enter Mills Restaurant and demand the dismissal of the manager and the end of the Jim-crow policy against the Negro people. Headed by Mrs. Thomas, fiery Negro labor leader of Scovill and Sam Stein, district secretary of Cleveland ILD, the delegation presented its demands to the heads of the Mills Co. A lawyer was rushed to the aid of the owners of the restaurant. He attempted to maneuver around by talking about law. Stein cut him short by saying:

“The Ohio General Code No. 12940 makes it an offense to deny anyone service in a restaurant, theatre or public conveyance or any other public establishment because of race or color and the workers massed before the restaurant now are there to see that this law is enforced because the police and mayors are not enforcing the law and further we propose to initiate a campaign to make penalties for violation of the law more severe.”

Mrs. Thomas demanded the immediate dismissal of manager Kuenning. “The workers of Cleveland will see that this restaurant is shut tight if you do not end your Jim-crow policy,” said Mrs. Thomas.

The bosses’ attorney again engaged in much legal talk. The delegation interrupted him and said, “We are going to sit down to eat right now and we are going to have the Negro people get service just like anyone else. If not, we will come out on the street and tell the assembled workers outside that you persist in your Jim-crow policy. They will take such action that will put an end to Jim-crowism by you, once and for all. You will be responsible if they have to do this.” The delegation then left the manager’s office and went to the tables, sat down and forced the management to give the Negro people exactly the same service as the others received.

Lifted on the shoulders of the workers, Mr. Nalls of the Pauline Preston branch of the I.L.D., spoke to the thousands of workers who lined up both sides of the street, watching the demonstration. He exposed the Jim-crow policy of Mills as part of the boss system to weaken the ranks of the workers by dividing the Negro and white. Word was sent out to the demonstrators of the victory that had been gained by the delegation inside.

Frantic by this display of solidarity by the workers, manager Kuenning shrieked, “We need a Hitler here!” The workers replied, “The working class of this city will drive you out of Cleveland and the German workers under the leadership of the German Communist Party and the Rote Hilfe, our sister organization in Germany, will soon smash your friend Hitler”.

50 dicks and 35 police looked on helplessly as the demonstrators led by the I.L.D. scored this resounding triumph. The delegation left after telling the management that if Kuenning is not fired before the week is out and if Negro workers do not receive service in the future as they did today, a mighty demonstration of tens of thousands will march on Mills Restaurant and see that the owners put up a “VACANT STORE FOR RENT” sign on the establishment.

Following up the demonstration Councilman Leroy Bundy was visited by a delegation of the I.L.D. and he agreed to its demand to bring up in the City Council two resolutions, one calling for a vote of protest by the City Council to Congress demanding that no discrimination be practised in the House of Representatives’ Restaurant, and the other calling for the enactment of a city ordinance making the denial of service in any public place, because of race or color, punishable by revocation of license to operate in Cleveland.

Labor Defender was published monthly from 1926 until 1937 by the International Labor Defense (ILD), a Workers Party of America, and later Communist Party-led, non-partisan defense organization founded by James Cannon and William Haywood while in Moscow, 1925 to support prisoners of the class war, victims of racism and imperialism, and the struggle against fascism. It included, poetry, letters from prisoners, and was heavily illustrated with photos, images, and cartoons. Labor Defender was the central organ of the Scottsboro and Sacco and Vanzetti defense campaigns. Editors included T. J. O’ Flaherty, Max Shactman, Karl Reeve, J. Louis Engdahl, William L. Patterson, Sasha Small, and Sender Garlin.

PDF of issue: https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/pubs/labordefender/1934/v10n06-jun-1934-orig-LD.pdf