Forever Activists

During the height of the Great Depression, some 15 million Americans were unemployed, many of them living in shacks on the street. The luckier ones still had their furniture with them, but eventually the city would come by in their trucks to take it away--it was illegal to keep one's belongings on city property.

The Depression proved that the traditional support systems--the family, private charities, local government--were not enough. Sam Gonshak was one of the first unemployed young men to lobby for social insurance programs, starting a crusade for what is now known as Social Security. At that time, the idea of unemployment insurance was not a popular one with the government or some sectors of society; they were horrified at the notion of supporting those who weren't working--they would all become freeloaders. The activists' argument was the analogy of a mule: If a farmer spends money and time raising, feeding, and caring for what will eventually bring that farmer his livelihood, then why not invest in future and fellow employees who would do the same?

Vaughn Love was one of many black individuals who marched for social security. At that time, he expresses, there was no color, there were no differences, just human beings forced to share the indignities of unemployment. Milt Wolff was one who experienced the "fall," as they say. Wolff grew up with a substantial amount of money, but his family lost it all in the market. From then on, his family experienced poverty. When Steve Nelson was a young man, he went before Congress to fight for the unemployment insurance. There, he argued the "mule theory" and finally got FDR to sign into law one of the most comprehensive pieces of legislation ever passed by Congress, the Social Security Act.

The film shifts to Spain, where the newly elected left-wing government was deposed in a military coup, resulting in the bloody civil war of 1936-39. Barely adults at the time, Bill Wheeler and Peter Frye recall their journey to Spain to aid the Stalin-backed Republicans in their fight against the Hitler and Mussolini-backed Nationalists. They joined over 3,000 young Americans and over 40,000 men and women from many countries. The Americans formed the Abe Lincoln and George Washington Brigade against fascism. Since the US government had not deployed any troops, the Brigade was considered an activist group, and was not highly regarded in the US. In September 1938, the Abe Lincoln and international brigades pulled out of battle in vain hopes that the League of Nations would lead a pull-out of Italian and German troops. But, Franco prevailed.

Live footage portrays the farewell parade in Barcelona for all the troops who fought for freedom. The farewell speech was delivered by Dolores Ibarruri, known as "La Pasionaria," a great activist and the symbol of freedom for Spain. In her speech she asked that every soldier return to Spain when the country is once again free. The soldiers of the Brigade returned to the United States; their passports were revoked. The US didn't take lightly to fighting in a foreign war that wasn't backed by the government.

Once home, many of the activists took up the concerns they found in their own backyards. Some of them were the initial union organizers, spending their time and energy negotiating for better working conditions and fringe benefits. In 1941 the United States finally went to war against fascism. No veterans of the Spanish Brigades were allowed to bear arms in World War II, as they were thought to be not only subversive, but communist. As the war escalated, however, many of them were called into combat duty.

In 1950 Senator Joseph R. McCarthy issued his first accusations of communists in government, leading to general hysteria and Congress' enactment of the Internal Security Act. The Abe Lincoln Brigade headed the government's list of communist organizations and subsequently, eight members were sentenced to twenty years in prison. Steve Nelson was one of the activists who served over a year in prison before the government admitted its wrongdoing and released him. Many of the veterans who were indeed communists became disenchanted when Krushchev denounced Stalin. The nation was going through an identity crisis that was escalated by the civil rights movement. Many activists took part in the Martin Luther King demonstrations, and from there marched against the Viet Nam War, and later still, supplied services for the Nicaraguans.

Today, the activists view themselves as senior anti-fascists, but now they concentrate on the war against homelessness. A few of them do indeed return to Spain. They tour the battlefields and recall their youth with bittersweet memories, but most importantly, they once again see "La Pasionaria." And still, she remains Spain's symbol of freedom.

FOREVER ACTIVISTS is a good historical account of the Abe Lincoln Brigade and the infancy of American activism, but as a cinematic experience it leaves much to be desired. The format is cut and dry--narration followed by footage, narration again followed by footage. The editing and pacing, of course, follows suit. In that, it's consistent, but lacks any dramatic or moving moments. Although there are some very dry scenes here, this film should not be dismissed; the narration is packed with insightful information, and interesting footage. Possibly the most interesting point of this story is the irony involved ... these activists were shunned, indicted, some even convicted, for fighting for freedom and democracy on all fronts, and yet, these are the very activists who single-handedly established Social Security, unions, relief charities, and have helped secure the rights and freedoms Americans have come to expect. leave a comment