Steve Sumerford on 1979

Steve Sumerford on 1979

political repression, racism, Reagan, Iran, draft, anti-nuclear power, Greensboro massacre, Klan

WRL Southeast office co-founder Steve Sumerford remembers 1979 as year of political repression, white supremacist violence, global crisis, and right-wing victories in the US.

Steve Sumerford

1979

Kimber Heinz

Steve Sumerford, Oral history interview with Kimber Heinz, November 18, 2022.

.mp3

English

audio file

Reagan era, anti-nuclear movement, Iran hostage crisis, Greensboro massacre, North Carolina

'79, that year was just unreal. It was the worst year. '79, here's what happens: Reagan gets elected, not till November, the Iran hostage thing is going on. The Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, Carter brings back the draft somewhere in '79 or '80.

Then, November 3rd in Greensboro, we were—Reagan and that. It was an unbelievable year. We thought it was the worst year in the history of the United States. It wasn't, but it was horrible. 

Evelyn thought every day I was going to be arrested while I was out talking against the draft. That was when I was in it. By the time 1980 came, I think we went to jail for eight days, whatever it was, seven days for protesting nuclear power that summer of '79, protesting with the Kudzu Alliance. It was the most intense year politically at the national level, and locally, too. It was something.