Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone gathering friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom.
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind. BREATHE!
This is the “missing” post for Wednesday, November 6th. The related practice references a “formula” that is not outlined here, but that I will breakdown this weekend. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra(at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
“There’s a darkness upon me that’s flooded in light
In the fine print they tell me what’s wrong and what’s right
And it comes in black and it comes in white
And I’m frightened by those that don’t see it”
— quoted from the song “Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise” by The Avett Brothers (written by Robert Crawford / Scott Avett / Timothy Avett)
Fair warning, this is not my “regularly scheduled” Movember 6th theme. Well, not exactly. I mean, I am not sporting a mou’ that is a “little Sax” and a bit of Sousa. Nor am I slipping in history and statistics about Movember and men’s health. However, there is some focus on the heart and on mental health. There is also a playlist inspired by Adolphe Sax and John Philip Sousa — and there is a bit of information about them below.
Born today in 1814 (in present-day Belgium), Adolphe Sax was a musician who was particularly accident prone when he was a child. His many accidents included falling three stories and hitting his head on the stone below; drinking a bowl full of acidic water (that he thought was milk); swallowing a pin; and being burnt by a gunpowder explosion and after falling against a cast-iron frying pan. He also had several incidents when he was almost poisoned and suffocated from sleeping in a room with furniture that still had wet varnish. His neighbors called him “little Sax, the ghost” and no one expected him to live very long. Yet, he lived to the age of 79.
Adolphe Sax’s parents were instrument designers and he followed in their footsteps. First, he redesigned the bass clarinet when he was in his 20s. He went on to invent the saxophone (which he patented in 1846) — with designs ranging from sopranino to subcontrabass. He also invented the saxotromba, saxhorn, and saxtuba. Not all his designs were built and even some of the ones that were built were not successful (e.g., the clarinette-bourdon, an early version of the contrabass clarinet). His work paved the way for the creation of the flugelhorn and the modern euphonium (similar to a baritone horn). More importantly, his instruments became very popular with people composing music for concert bands, (military) marching bands, and orchestras.
One of those composers was John Philip Sousa, who was born today in 1854, in Washington, D. C. Known as the “March King” or the “American March King” (so he wouldn’t be confused with the British composer Kenneth J. Alford), John Philip Sousa was the composer of “The Stars and Stripes Forever” (the National March of the United States of America), “Semper Fidelis” (the official march of the United States Marine Corps), “The Liberty Bell”, “The Volunteers”, and “Daughters of Texas.” He also composed “The Beau Ideal” and “The Diplomat” — both which I am definitely channeling today.
“Rule 303: If you have the means at hand, you have the responsibility to act.”
“Do what you can, when you can, as much as you can, for as long as you can.”
— the t-shirt and (a paraphrased version of) common refrains on the YouTube channel “Beau of the Fifth Column”
The perfect example of something is the beau ideal. According to Paul E. Bierley, in The Works of John Philip Sousa, “The expression ‘beau ideal’ was used in the early 1890’s to describe anything that had caught the public fancy.” Nowadays, when I see the title, I think of Rule 303, which was introduced to me by a guy called “Beau” and which I think is an ideal way to get things done — especially during challenging times.
While “The Diplomat” was officially dedicated to the diplomatic skills and bearing of Secretary of State John Milton Hay, it was (unofficially) dedicated to “the unseen cook who prepared that tenderloin [in Mitchell, South Dakota].” So, I aim to be diplomatic and to provide a little food for thought.
To that end, let me first address the elephant in the room. I recognize that there are people who don’t really care about the U. S. election; people who believe their life will stay the same; and people who are…[relieved, excited, grateful?] — feeling some kind of positive way about the election results. To those people, I say (a) I am holding space for you in this practice and (b) I wish you the best and hope that the best comes with very little detriment to others.
To people who are not feeling so positive, I want to tell you about three “older” women.
“But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’” (10:29, NIV)
“And he [the expert in the law] said, ‘The one having shown compassion toward him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘You go and do likewise.’” (10:37, BLB)
— quoted from The Gospel According to St. Luke (New International Version and Berean Literal Bible, cited)
The first woman was my neighbor Evelyn. Before she passed last year, she always took the opportunity to speak. Sometimes it was a wave across our lawns. Other times it was a startling knock on her window when she saw me practicing yoga in my driveway. If we were in a position to talk, she would ask how I was doing; ask after my family; and then — every single time — she would say, “We have to look out for each other.”
There are a lot of times when I think of Evelyn, when I think about our random conversations, and when I think about those final words. They are words to live by. They are the epitome of what (I think) it means to be a good neighbor. To be clear, I am using the word “good” as it is used in the Hebrew Bible / Christian Old Testament and the word “neighbor” in the way it is used throughout the (written) Torah and the Christian New Testament. To paraphrase the meaning of the latter, a neighbor can be:
Someone similar to you;
Someone perceived as different from you who lives in close proximity; and/or
Someone with whom you cross paths when one or both of you are in need.
In Shemot / Exodus and, also, in The Gospel According to Luke (10:29 – 37), a good neighbor is not defined by their ethnicity, nationality, religion, and/or socioeconomic background. A good neighbor is defined by their actions. A good neighbor comes through in times of need and trauma, perhaps providing you with what you need to survive a long journey and what you need to make it to better days. (S/E 3:22)
This is how we look out for each other. This is just another version of Rule 303.
Some may feel like their neighbors are not (and have not been) looking out for them. I can’t blame you if you feel that way. But, if you do, please remember, that the world is more connected than it has ever been and that there are “good neighbors” all around you. Connect and stay connected. You may have resources and knowledge that someone else needs just as they may have resources and knowledge that you need.
“An old woman living in a nightmare, an old woman who has fought a thousand battles with death and always won. Now she’s faced with a grim decision—whether or not to open a door. And in some strange and frightening way she knows that this seemingly ordinary door leads to the Twilight Zone.”
“There was an old woman who lived in a room. And, like all of us, was frightened of the dark. But who discovered in a minute last fragment of her life that there was nothing in the dark that wasn’t there when the lights were on. Object lesson for the more frightened amongst us in, or out of, the Twilight Zone.”
— “Opening” and “Closing” narrations, quoted from “Episode 81 (3.16) — ‘Nothing in the Dark’” of The Twilight Zone (premiered January 5, 1962)
If you feel like we have entered the Twilight Zone, you are not alone — which brings me to the second woman inspiring my practice today: the woman in “Episode 81 (3.16) — ‘Nothing in the Dark’” of The Twilight Zone. We have all been that woman, frightened by a shadow or a sound or a feeling in the dark. Metaphorically speaking, many of us are currently that women. But, we must remember, that anyone who wishes us harm today, wished it yesterday; that hasn’t changed. Anyone who had our back yesterday, has it today. More importantly, the things that we wanted or needed fixed yesterday, still need to be fixed today. The work that needs to be done in the world was never going to be finished at the ballot box.
Sure, it might be harder to get certain things done. It might even [now] seem impossible. It may also seem like there are more obstacles in the way — although, it is possible that those obstacles were already there… in the dark. However, do not lose faith in yourself.
Remember, as we have been saying during the Saturday practices: You are prepared, and have what you need to succeed. The key, as always, is to focus your energy on what you can do and what you are doing. Then, let go of the rest.
Do whatever your heart and mind-body-spirit need to move forward. Take a moment to rest, grieve, howl at the moon, and/or sing. Dance. Eat well and stay hydrated. Send (or give) someone a hug and some love in the way they will appreciate it. Rest some more. And then, be like a bee or a donkey and get busy.
Finally, if you believe in God — whatever that mean to you at this moment — do not lose faith in that Higher Power. In the wee hours of the morning, I found myself listening to the words of Saint Teresa of Ávila (my final woman of the day). She was writing about the prayer of quiet, which is one of the nine grades of prayer described in her works. She was writing from a contemplative Christian mystic perspective and, yet, her words mirror those found in the Bhagavad Gita. Similar words and intention are also found in the Yoga Sūtras. I could go on; but, my point is this: Even though some of these texts come from vastly different traditions, the instructions are ultimately the same.
“It is ridiculous to think that we can enter Paradise without first entering ourselves! We must get to know ourselves, reflect on our limitations, acknowledge our gratitude for God, and solicit his mercy.”
— quoted from “Second Mansions .1.” of The Interior Castle, or The Mansions by Saint Teresa of Ávila (New Translation and Introduction by Mirabai Starr)
“All our trouble comes to us from not having our eyes fixed upon Thee. If we only looked at the way along which we are walking, we should soon arrive; but we stumble and fall a thousand times and stray from the way because, as I say, we do not set our eyes on the true Way.”
— quoted from “Chapter 16” of The Way of Perfection by Saint Teresa of Ávila (Dover Thrift Editions, General Editor: Mary Carolyn Waldrep; Editor of This Volume: Jim Miller)
“‘To work without desire may seem impossible, but the way to do it is to substitute thoughts of Divinity for thoughts of desire. Do your work in this world with your heart fixed on the Divine instead of on outcomes. Do not worry about results. Be even tempered in success or failure. This mental evenness is what is mean by yoga…. Indeed, equanimity is yoga!’”
— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (2.48) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
Wednesday’s playlist is available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “Movember 6th 2024”]
NOTE: I added a theme (with 3 tracks) after the 4:30 practice. The practice timing is the same.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255)for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
“You should each do your duty; and, if this is not appreciated by your superior, you may be sure that it will be appreciated and rewarded by the Lord. We did not come here to seek rewards in this life, but only in the life to come. Let our thoughts always be fixed upon what endures, and not trouble ourselves with earthly things which do not endure even for a lifetime…. Never give way to these thoughts, which sometimes begin in a small way but may cost you a great deal of unrest. Check them by remembering that your kingdom is not of this world, and that everything comes quickly to an end, and that there is nothing in this life that goes on unchangingly.”
— quoted from “Chapter 29” of The Way of Perfection by Saint Teresa of Ávila (edited by Anthony Uyl)
“‘The ideal, Arjuna, is to be intensely active and at the same time have no selfish motives, no thoughts of personal gain or loss. duty uncontaminated by desire leads to inner peacefulness and increased effectiveness. This is the secret art of living a life of real achievement!’”
— Krishna speaking to Arjuna (2.47 excerpt) in The Bhagavad Gita: A Walkthrough for Westerners by Jack Hawley
Happy Spring Festival! Happy Carnival! Peace and ease to all during this “Season of Non-violence” and all other seasons!
This is a special post for Friday, February 3nd, which is also known as “The Day the Music Died. In 2023, it was also the 13th day of the Spring Festival, which is one of the days when people eat “clean” (more on that in the Friday post). In addition to all of that (and more) it is the anniversary of the birth of a man who (partially) inspired a big, barrier breaking, change in history – a change many people celebrate without ever knowing this particular man’s name.
“Rule 303: If you have the means at hand, you have the responsibility to act.”
“Do what you can, when you can, as much as you can, for as long as you can.”
– the t-shirt and (a paraphrased version of) common refrains on the YouTube channel “Beau of the Fifth Column”
Normally, on Day 13 of the Lunar New Year, I focus on what it means to be clean and practice some kind of “detox” sequence that highlights how the body naturally eliminates waste and how it is just as important for us to let go of things we don’t need physically as it is for us to let go of things that no longer serve us mentally, emotionally, energetically, and/or spiritually. This is also a day when some people celebrate the birthday of the “God of War” – who is associated with empathy and “brotherhood” – and so it can be a good day to reflect on how letting something go can actually bring us closer together.
Sometimes, however, we are not ready to let go. Sometimes, circumstances force us to figure out how to deal with the loss of a friend, a family member, a “brother” or “sister” – even someone we have never (physically) met and will never meet. Just as their is an inhale, a literal “inspiration,” there is an exhale – a literal “expiration” – and part of being alive is dealing with death. The big difference is that when we consciously bring our awareness to our breath, we can consciously and peaceful engage the concept of beginnings and endings.
Unfortunately, everyone isn’t promised peaceful beginnings and endings. Unfortunately, everyone doesn’t get to live long lives and pass peacefully in their sleep, surrounded by people who love them and who treated them well. Like so many recent years, this is one of those years when Lunar New Year celebrations here in the United States have been marred by horrible tragedies and losses that are beyond comprehension. Yet, people continue to come together to figure out how to move forward as a community. People keep connecting in order to honor rituals and traditions despite (or sometimes because of) the fear, anger, frustration, anxiety, grief, and dismay that arises.
People continue to live… and laugh and love… and play music – even though, as I mentioned before, today is the day the music died.
“For years, [Dr. Mike Miller], a research cardiologist, has been studying the effects of happiness — or things that make people happy — on our hearts. He began his research with laughter, and found watching funny movies and laughing at them could actually open up blood vessels, allowing blood to circulate more freely.
Miller thought, if laughter can do that, why not music? So, he tested the effects of music on the cardiovascular system. ‘Turns out music may be one of the best de-stressors — either by playing or even listening to music,’ said Miller.”
– quoted from a 2009 CNN Health segment entitled, “The power of music: It’s a real heart opener” by Val Willingham, CNN Medical Producer
Normally, on this date on the Gregorian calendar, I tell the story of the disastrous “Winter Dance Party” tour and how a plane carrying Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson crashed just outside of Clear Lake, Iowa, today in 1959. The tragic loss of the the three stars and the pilot, Roger Peterson, as they were traveling to Moorhead, MN, is compounded by the fact that they were all so young, that they were all really started to live their lives as husbands and fathers, and that the three musicians were right on the precipice of making sure their names would never be forgotten simply because of their music. Over the years, as I have recounted this story, I have encountered people who were directly connected to the events of 1959, people who remembered when it happened, people who only know the story because of the music the events inspired, and people who realized they only knew the music of the three legends because a popular musician had covered one of their hit singles.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, it is not uncommon for people to hear one of these stories and realize they knew the big picture, but not all of the details. What happens, however, when you realize that for all the details that you know, there’s a missing piece of history that no one ever mentioned?
“‘Follis was a natural hitter and he had an ease about him and a confident smile that always seemed to worry opposing pitchers,’ one report said. ‘As a football player and as a baseball player he gained the respect of his associates and opponents as well by his clean tactics and his gameness,’ said another.”
– quoted from “Charles Follis” by Milt Roberts (originally in Black Sports, Nov. 1975), reproduced in THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 2, No. 1 (1980)
Charles W. Follis was born February 3, 1879, in Cloverdale, Virginia. One of nine children born to Catherine Matilda Anderson Follis and James Henry Follis, who worked on a farm, Charles had fours sisters and four brothers (one of whom died from an football-related injury when he was about 19 years old). In 1885, the family moved to Wooster, Ohio, and the eldest Follis son started attending Wooster High School, where he helped establish a football team (on which his brothers would also eventually play). With Charles Follis as it’s captain and lead player, the mostly-white Wooster High School football team was unbeatable and, for the first year of it’s existence, no one could even score against them.
When he graduated from high school, in 1901, Charles Follis enrolled at the University of Wooster (now known as the College of Wooster), a private liberal arts college founded by the Presbyterian Church. While he ended up playing baseball for his university team, he decided to play football with the Wooster Athletic Association. It was while playing football that Charles Follis earned the nickname “The Black Cyclone.” He also earned a reputation an amazingly formidable competitor. He was so good, in fact, that after he played against the all-white Shelby Blues (part of the “Ohio League” that competed for the Ohio Independent Championship (OIC) and would evolve into the National Football League (NFL)), the manager of the Shelby Blues convinced Charles Follis to sign a contract – making Charles “The Black Cyclone” Follis the first African American to play professional football on an integrated team. Frank C. Schiffer, the manager of the Shelby Blues, also got Mr. Follis a job at a hardware store that would accommodate his practice and playing schedule.
About a year after the Shelby Blues signed Charles Follis as a halfback, a young student from Ohio Wesleyan University started playing for pay. That student has a name that will forever be enshrined in sports history and even in the minds of lay sports historians: Branch Rickey.
“Rickey later said: ‘I may not be able to do something about racism in every field, but I can sure do something about it in baseball.’”
– quoted from the “Sports Heroes Who Served: WWI Soldier Helped Desegregate Baseball” by David Vergun, DOD News (dated July 7, 2020, U. S. Department of Defense website)
Charles Follis and Branch Rickey not only played football together as Shelby Blues, they also play against each other when Mr. Rickey coached the Ohio Wesleyan University football team. So, Branch Rickey had a front row seat to witness the athletic ability of Charles Follis as well as the way “The Black Cyclone” handled the adversity of dealing with racism on and off the field. That racism not only caused Mr. Follis to be isolated and separated from team functions – even in his hometown of Wooster – it also lead to insults and (actually, physical) injuries during the games. One of those injuries, or the culmination of those injuries, ended Charles Follis’s football career.
However, Charles Follis wasn’t finished with sports and football wasn’t the only place where ran into Branch Rickey. The two athletes also found themselves in direct competition when they started playing as catchers for Ohio college baseball teams. Even though they were rivals, they seemed to share mutual respect and friendship with each other. Charles Follis became the first African American catcher to move from the college leagues to the Negro League. Meanwhile, Branch Rickey coached college baseball at Ohio Wesleyan – where he coached another African American catcher, Charles Thomas – and then signed a contract with the Terre Haute Hottentots of the Class B Central League, making his professional Major League Baseball (MLB) debut on June 20, 1903.
“In a 1975 Akron Beacon Journal story, the late John M. Smith of Shelby was interviewed a year before his death. As a teenager, Smith watched Follis star for the Shelby Blues.
‘Could he run?’ Smith asked incredulously, ‘Lord almighty! The man was the best I’ve ever seen. Could he run!’”
– quoted from the Akron Beacon Journal clip posted on the Charles Follis Foundation website
In 1905, Charles Follis was fast becoming the superstar of the Cuban Giants, the first fully salaried African American professional baseball team. He was an all-around all star who stole bases, made double and triple plays, and was known as a power hitter as well as one of the most popular and well-liked players on the team. He made headlines during every game and forced other teams to pull out all the stops in an effort to best him. A rival team from Elyria, Ohio, thought they could beat biggest “giant” by bringing in a ringer: Herbert “Buttons” Briggs, a former Chicago Cubs pitcher. On May 16, 1906, the MLB pitcher faced the “cyclone”… and lost, big time. As the first batter, in the first inning, against the first pitch, Charles Follis hit a home run. He literally hit it out of the park and would end the game four-for-six against the pitcher who had previously won 20 games in one MLB season.
Within a few years of that 1906 season opener, three of the biggest names on the field that day had all passed away at young ages: John Bright, the Cuban Giants pitcher died in 1909 or 1908; Herbert Theodore “Buttons” Briggs caught pneumonia in 1910 and died of tuberculosis in 1911; Charles Follis caught pneumonia during a game in 1910 and died April 5, 1910.
“The [old-timers] in Wooster, Shelby, and Cleveland still talk about him today… but historians forget him… young sports fans probably never heard of him before. In Wooster [Cemetery], a thin, weathered headstone, slightly tilted by the winds and snow of more than 65 years, marks his final resting place. Today it is viewed as a local historical site.”
– quoted from “Charles Follis” by Milt Roberts (originally in Black Sports, Nov. 1975), reproduced in THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 2, No. 1 (1980)
Around the same time Charles Follis was besting MLB players, his college teammate and rival was moving up to the majors. The only problem was that Branch Rickey’s stats were lacking. Two years into his contract, the St. Louis Browns (formerly the Wisconsin Brewers) became the New York Highlanders (later the New York Yankees). On June 28, 1907, Mr. Rickey, the backup catcher, was forced to play a game while injured. It was a disaster. He couldn’t throw, he struck out three times, and the opposing team (the Washington Senators) stole a whopping 13 bases. Not surprisingly, that was his one and only season with the Highlanders.
Branch Rickey would go back to coaching college football, make another go as a baseball player (1914) and as a baseball manager with the reconstructed St. Louis Browns (1913–1915, 1919). Then, after serving in the United States Army during World War I and spending that final year in the front office of the St. Louis Browns, he became General Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals (which had been the St. Louis Browns née St. Louis Brown Stockings, before the Brewers used the name). The MLB catcher some described as lackluster, excelled as a manager. He was an innovator, especially when dealing with conflict and controversy. He became General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1943 and immediately started laying groundwork for some groundbreaking.
Even though he would later talk about his experiences as a coach of a Black player and as a member of the military (before the U. S. military integrated), what many people may not know is that, before that, he had a rival, a teammate, a peer, a friend – someone he admired: a man named Charles W. Follis, a man who just happened to be Black.
“On October 17, 1903, Rickey felt the ‘Black Cyclone’s’ full power when he ran their ends dizzy for 20, 25, 35 and 70 yard gains, the last being a touchdown. After that game Rickey praised Follis, calling him ‘a wonder.’ It was the power of his example, his character, and his grace that convinced Rickey, that color could not belie his greatness. The rest is history….”
– quoted from the “Background” section of the Charles Follis Foundation website
PRACTICE NOTES: I actually have several baseball-related sequences and themes in my notebooks. They range from (sort of) silly to (very) serious, from meditative Restorative and Yin Yoga to “slow flow” and vigorous vinyasas. Philosophically, what the all have in common is a focus on teamwork, on doing one’s best and then letting go, and on an awareness of what happens when we become part of something bigger than our individual selves. Physically, what they all have in common is asymmetrically, unilateral poses with special awareness of the feet, hips, core/midsection, and shoulder girdle.
Of course, we can’t have a practice about baseball without a seventh-inning stretch and the wave.
### “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” ~ Jack Norworth and Albert Von Tilzer ###
For Those Who Missed It: The following was originally posted in 2020, but I’ve updated the class details and added a 2022 video link that highlights a very important point. There’s also a link to date-related post.
“Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind then that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; and while there is a criminal element, I am of it; and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”
– Eugene V. Debs, quoted from his statement to the Federal Court (Cleveland, Ohio), after being convicted of violating the Sedition Act, September 18, 1918
Today, the first Monday in September, is Labor Day in the United States and parts of Canada. We often think of Labor Day as the long weekend that marks the end of summer and the beginning of “our regular routines.” It’s one of the Federal holidays typically marked with big sales, fairs, parades, and the last big barbecues and picnics. However, there is nothing typical about this year and – with the exception of the parades – none of this reflects the original intention behind Labor Day.
Labor Day has a bloody history rooted in the Labor Movement, whose history runs parallel to the history of the Socialist Movement. It was one of the outcomes of social activism and what happens when the government decides not to honor its citizens’ right to assembly. In fact, the federal holiday was established in the United States as a direct response to conflict which arose the first time the federal government used an injunction to break up a workers’ strike in the United States.
During the last twenty years of the 19th century, there were approximately 37,000 strikes in the United States, resulting in at least 800 people being killed – with almost all the deaths being the result of altercations between the striking workers and state security forces or the military. Everything came to a head, however, with the Pullman Strike (and subsequent railroad boycott) during the late Spring and Summer of 1894.
The Pullman Palace Car Company was not only a major employer of a diverse workforce, it was also the owner and operator of the Illinois town where most of its workers lived. The company provided homes as well as groceries and all other amenities…for a fee, of course. When the economic depression kicked in 1893, the company lowered the workers already low wages; however, it did not lower rent or the cost of other goods and services within the town. Facing starvation, the workers attempted to schedule a meeting with the company’s president, George M. Pullman. When Pullman refused to meet, the workers voted to strike. As the strike began, the company announced that the factory was closed – essentially undermining the workers’ leverage. Most of the workers, however, were part of the American Railway Union (ARU) and when the union met, for its first annual convention, it voted for a boycott.
I’m condensing and simplifying the situation a bit here, but the bottom line is that there was a cascade effect that successfully tied up railway traffic on all lines west of Chicago and eventually in most of the United States (with the exception of the East and Deep South where the striking unions were not as strong). While the union leadership, in particular the ARU’s president Eugene V. Debs urged the striking workers and their families to stay calm, people were filled with anger and that anger turned a peaceful rally into a rage-filled moment that derailed a locomotive which was attached to a U. S. Mail train. Previously, states and local militia had engaged the wildcat strikes that were breaking out, but after the events of June 29th, an injunction was obtained which cited the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Interstate Commerce Act. The injunction prevented the ARU leadership from communicating with the striking workers – even to urge peaceful protests. It also enabled President Grover Cleveland to order in federal troops, whose orders were not focused on peace; but, instead on making sure the trains kept running.
The arrival of the federal troops further enraged the striking workers and their supporters, who overturned trains, erected barriers, and destroyed railcars. Ironically, this uptick of destruction started on Independence Day. By July 7th, the altercations had turned deadly. By the second week of July, upwards of 250,000 workers in 27 states were participating in some aspect of the protests and riots. Whereas people outside of the workforce had initially sympathized with the workers, the movement became something the general populace feared would directly impact them in a detrimental way. The mainstream media and the United States Congress also started changing their minds about the situation. By the end, at least 30 people had been killed, the ARU leadership had been arrested, and the strikers had lost over $1 million in wages. Additionally, the railroads had lost millions of dollars in revenue and in looted and damaged property.
And, this is where things turned again.
Previously, as trade unions and the labor movement worked for workers’ rights (including fair wages and safe working conditions), different groups chose different dates to celebrate and honor the “contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and wellbeing of our country.” After the deaths of the workers in the Summer of 1894, Congress and President Cleveland needed something to maintain peace and acknowledge the needs of the people. They decided to dedicate a day, complete with a street parade, to recognize the “social and economic achievements of American workers.” Of course, May Day (May 1st) was already International Workers’ Day, but it was so closely associated with the Socialist Movement – which some of the ARU leadership was gravitating towards – that President Cleveland wanted a day that would not encourage additional strikes and protests. Today is that day.
“I am not a Labor Leader; I do not want you to follow me or anyone else; if you are looking for a Moses to lead you out of this capitalist wilderness, you will stay right where you are. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I led you in, someone else would lead you out. You must use your heads as well as your hands, and get yourself out of your present condition; as it is now the capitalists use your heads and your hands.”
– quoted from “Life of Eugene V. Debs” in Debs : His Life, Writings and Speeches by Stephen Marion Reynolds, edited by Bruce Rogers and Stephen Marion Reynolds
Please join me on the virtual mat today (Monday, September 5th) at 5:30 PM for a 75-minute virtual yoga practice.
This is a 75-minute Common Ground Meditation Center practice that, in the spirit of generosity (dana), is freely given and freely received. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below.
“I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence.”
– Eugene V. Debs, quoted from his statement to the Federal Court (Cleveland, Ohio), after being convicted of violating the Sedition Act, September 18, 1918
A Joyful Practice 