Forty years after marching for justice and equality in the Milwaukee community, Dick Gregory is back in Milwaukee to commemorate the events, motivate the individuals who marched, and to teach the history of the movement to younger generations.

On Sept. 29, Gregory spoke of his experiences protesting and living as a black man during the Civil Rights Movement, and unveiled his perspectives on the pitfalls of America at the “March on Milwaukee” conference, in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s Union Ballroom.

In 1967, Milwaukee residents marched for the right to live on the city’s south side. The march, led by Vel Phillips, Father James Groppi, the NAACP Youth Council, and Commandos, encountered many set-backs. Gregory told of the white people that threw bricks at them and spit at them, and how the police stood by and watched.

The lack of proper response from law enforcement is one of the downfalls of America that Gregory spoke of, with the press being the second one.

Essentially, the cops don’t know what’s going on, and the “free press” is owned by conglomerates, Gregory said.

For example, CBS is owned by Westinghouse Electric Company, NBC is owned by General Electric, and ABC is owned by Disney, etc.

Gregory also said that the American press will tell you things that aren’t always the full truth. He commented that in the case of the Virginia Tech shootings, the press never interviewed those that lived in the dormitories where students were gunned down.

Despite the drama in America, Gregory proposed a reasonable solution: “go see the real water,” he said.

“The rain comes in trillion of drops, not in sheets. Once the raindrops hit the ground, they only have one agenda: work on getting back home.”

“It’s not about acquiring that Ph.D. or who you’re married to,” he said. “When you reach home, have no fear, sexism, or racism. Be as pure as you were back home when you first came out of your mom’s womb.”

Rick Guerard, a fellow marcher in 1967, and now a member of the Executive Committee for the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice, said that,“[Gregory is] not as influential as he should be. When marches were going on, he brought a lot of power to the people.”

Beth Heinecamp, a UWM student, said, “Mr. Gregory’s passion struck me the most. He spoke with great feeling, and it was apparent to me that he wasn’t at all interested in lecturing to us, but in sharing.”

Throughout his life, Gregory has marched, fasted more than 60 times in protest, and also ran for president in 1968 as a write-in candidate for the Freedom and Peace Party and received 1.5 million votes. He also befriended civil rights activists like Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

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