Lessons from Buffalo

Product Description

"Lessons from Buffalo" is a firsthand account of community organizing efforts in Buffalo, New York, during the late 1960s and 1970s. Harmon details his role in the development of BUILD (Build Unity, Independence, Leadership, and Democracy), an organization aimed at addressing systemic racial and economic injustices. Beginning with his arrival in Buffalo, he describes the struggles of mobilizing community members against powerful institutions such as City Hall, the police, and segregated schools. BUILD, inspired by Saul Alinsky's organizing methods, focused on grassroots tactics, including “Truth Squads” that investigated school conditions, strategic boycotts of discriminatory businesses, and confrontations with local government to demand fair employment opportunities. Over time, BUILD's efforts led to notable victories, such as the creation of the BUILD Academy and securing jobs for African Americans, yet it faced ongoing resistance from entrenched power structures, including local politicians and business leaders.

Despite its successes, BUILD struggled with sustainability, particularly as some of its leaders became involved in government programs and electoral politics. As funding shifted from grassroots organizing to program administration, the organization's momentum weakened. Meanwhile, a parallel effort to organize Buffalo’s white working-class communities emerged through the formation of CAUSE (Citizens Against Utility and Structural Exploitation), which later evolved into UCO (United Citizens Organization). While UCO successfully challenged redlining and discriminatory housing policies, it failed to capitalize on an opportunity to address industrial disinvestment, which ultimately contributed to Buffalo’s economic decline. The article concludes with a reflection on the missed opportunities in both BUILD and UCO, emphasizing the critical need for skilled, independent organizers and the importance of maintaining a focus on economic power structures rather than becoming entangled in bureaucratic or electoral distractions.

Names:

• Richard Harmon
• Saul Alinsky
• Bill Gaiter
• Carol Hoyt
• Carol Burkhardt-Lyons
• Luther Burnett
• Richard Ford
• Bob Coles
• Bob Moore
• Dick Prosser
• Miriam Beale
• Joe Beale
• Joe Manch
• E.K. Fretwell
• Jimmy Mobley
• Ed Pearson
• Boots Benford
• John Smith
• Bill Pegg
• Robert Sweeney
• Steve Schneider
• Ken Galdston
• Gordon Sherman
• Jack Egan
• Ed Chambers

Organizations:

• BUILD (Build Unity, Independence, Leadership, Democracy)
• CAUSE (Citizens Against Utility and Structural Exploitation)
• UCO (United Citizens Organization)
• OEO (Office of Economic Opportunity)
• Community Action Program (CAO)
• United Auto Workers (UAW)
• Catholic Diocese of Buffalo
• Buffalo Democratic Machine
• Jones-Rich Dairy
• Bethlehem Steel
• Goldome (Buffalo-based savings bank)
• Model Cities Program
• Episcopal Church
• Holy Angels Church
• Assumption Roman Catholic Church
• Retail Merchants Association

Issues:

• Racial segregation in schools
• Economic disinvestment and redlining
• Housing discrimination
• Employment discrimination and job access
• Community organizing and grassroots activism
• Political co-optation and bureaucratization of activism
• Labor rights and union discrimination
• Police violence and racial tensions
• Urban decline and economic restructuring
• Role of religious institutions in social justice movements

Keywords:

• Community organizing
• Grassroots activism
• Redlining
• Disinvestment
• Truth Squads
• Boycotts
• Racial justice
• Industrial decline
• Power-building
• Political co-optation

ARCHIVES:

Richard (Dick) Harmon's complete archives - including the original of this document as well as audio interviews and videos - will be available at the University of Washington Labor History Archives.