Scott Braley
Encyclopedia
Scott Braley was a leftist activist and a regional organizer for the Michigan State University's
chapter of the Students for a Democratic Society
, better known as SDS. Braley became a member of Weatherman (later known as Weather Underground Organization
) in 1969 and remained so until the group disbanded in 1977. Braley was one of the original members of the Revolutionary Youth Movement
, a group devoted to anti-racism and Third World
struggles which later evolved into Weatherman.
and later called the Flint War Council
. It was during this meeting that members of Weatherman officially decided to move underground. Attendees at the War Council discussed issues such as women’s liberation
, youth culture, and the imperialism
that existed in the events of the Vietnam War
. SDS demonstrated these issues and opinions through satirical Christmas carol
s and spinoffs of popular songs, such as changing the lyrics to the Supremes’ “Stop! In the Name of Love
” to “Stop This Imperialist Plunder.” Government documents note that the room in which the SDS National War Council was held was rented under Braley's name.
was an activist and the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Black Panthers. Considered by Weather members to be a comrade in the struggle for black rights, Hampton criticized Weatherman actions, especially those used in the Days of Rage
, calling the group opportunistic and chauvinistic. Two months after the Days of Rage in 1969, Hampton was found murdered in his apartment, along with fellow Black Panther Mark Clark
. When the murder was linked to the FBI
, Braley was quoted as saying that the murders proved that “the stakes really were what we thought they were.”
where he works as a photographer for social justice and non-profit organizations.
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
chapter of the Students for a Democratic Society
Students for a Democratic Society (1960 organization)
Students for a Democratic Society was a student activist movement in the United States that was one of the main iconic representations of the country's New Left. The organization developed and expanded rapidly in the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969...
, better known as SDS. Braley became a member of Weatherman (later known as Weather Underground Organization
Weatherman (organization)
Weatherman, known colloquially as the Weathermen and later the Weather Underground Organization , was an American radical left organization. It originated in 1969 as a faction of Students for a Democratic Society composed for the most part of the national office leadership of SDS and their...
) in 1969 and remained so until the group disbanded in 1977. Braley was one of the original members of the Revolutionary Youth Movement
Revolutionary Youth Movement
The Revolutionary Youth Movement was the section of Students for a Democratic Society that opposed the Worker Student Alliance of the Progressive Labor Party...
, a group devoted to anti-racism and Third World
Third World
The term Third World arose during the Cold War to define countries that remained non-aligned with either capitalism and NATO , or communism and the Soviet Union...
struggles which later evolved into Weatherman.
Revolutionary beginnings
Martin Luther King Jr. was an inspiration for Scott Braley, and the reason for Braley's desire to see an escalation in the struggle for equal rights. “It seemed like a pretty clear choice,” Braley was quoted as saying, “To be on the immoral and historically losing side of white supremacy, or to join a vibrant struggle for liberation around the world.” It was because of MLK that Braley dropped out of school in 1967 and started organizing SDS chapters in his area full time.Flint War Council
Braley attended the December 1969 SDS National Meeting, held in Flint, MichiganFlint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
and later called the Flint War Council
Flint War Council
The Flint War Council was a series of meetings of the Weather Underground Organization and associates in Flint, Michigan, that took place from 27–31 December 1969 . During these meetings, the decisions were made for the WUO to go underground, to "engage in guerilla warfare against the U.S...
. It was during this meeting that members of Weatherman officially decided to move underground. Attendees at the War Council discussed issues such as women’s liberation
Women's liberation movement
The Women's Liberation Movement was a political movement, born in the 1960s from Second-Wave Feminism.It generated mythology almost before it was born such as bra burning - and it was allegedly a matter of deep concern to those within it at the time that its history would allegedly be rewritten...
, youth culture, and the imperialism
Imperialism
Imperialism, as defined by Dictionary of Human Geography, is "the creation and/or maintenance of an unequal economic, cultural, and territorial relationships, usually between states and often in the form of an empire, based on domination and subordination." The imperialism of the last 500 years,...
that existed in the events of the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. SDS demonstrated these issues and opinions through satirical Christmas carol
Christmas carol
A Christmas carol is a carol whose lyrics are on the theme of Christmas or the winter season in general and which are traditionally sung in the period before Christmas.-History:...
s and spinoffs of popular songs, such as changing the lyrics to the Supremes’ “Stop! In the Name of Love
Stop! In the Name of Love
"Stop! In the Name of Love" is a 1965 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Stop! In the Name of Love" held the number-one position on the Billboard pop singles chart in the United States from March 21, 1965...
” to “Stop This Imperialist Plunder.” Government documents note that the room in which the SDS National War Council was held was rented under Braley's name.
Hampton-Clark murders
Government surveillance and violence against civil rights leaders served to strengthen Scott Braley's political resolve. Fred HamptonFred Hampton
Fred Hampton was an African-American activist and deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party...
was an activist and the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Black Panthers. Considered by Weather members to be a comrade in the struggle for black rights, Hampton criticized Weatherman actions, especially those used in the Days of Rage
Days of Rage
The Days of Rage demonstrations were a series of direct actions taken over a course of three days in October 1969 in Chicago organized by the Weatherman faction of the Students for a Democratic Society...
, calling the group opportunistic and chauvinistic. Two months after the Days of Rage in 1969, Hampton was found murdered in his apartment, along with fellow Black Panther Mark Clark
Mark Clark (Black Panther)
Mark Clark was a member of the Black Panther Party. He was killed with Fred Hampton in a Chicago police raid on December 4, 1969.-Youth:...
. When the murder was linked to the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
, Braley was quoted as saying that the murders proved that “the stakes really were what we thought they were.”
Underground
Braley remained underground with the group until the dissolution of WUO in 1977. Originally opposed to the suggestion of surfacing, Braley stated in an interview excerpted in Dan Berger's book Outlaws of America that the decision was tormenting.Red Dragon Print Collective
In 1973, the Weather Underground Organization established a printing operation called the Red Dragon Print Collective, a venture which Braley helped run. Operating out of a soundproof apartment, the print collective was a formative part of the Weather Underground Organization for its final three years. The Red Dragon Print Collective was responsible for producing the Weather Underground Organization's book Prairie Fire. All printing, binding, and collating of materials was done by the members themselves. As a precaution, work was done wearing gloves to ensure that no fingerprints would be left.Later life
Scott Braley lives in Oakland, CaliforniaOakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
where he works as a photographer for social justice and non-profit organizations.