OPERATION BREADBASKET: Supporting Black Businesses before Today.

Word Searches: “Operation Breadbasket” , “SCLC + Operation Breadbasket, *Operation Breadbasket + Dr. King

“Frederick Douglass said it many years ago, "Those who are ignorant of history are destined to repeat it." And the same thing could happen to you…. should not be just taught during black history month. It should be taught as a unit on a year-round basis. organizations that we should remember.” A quote from State Senator of Illinois Emil Jones. Black History Month is not just about remembering the impactful black figures within American history but also important events and organizations that helped improve black Americans’ lives today. Operation Breadbasket is one of those “

Before discussing Operation Breadbasket, we have to discuss the Southern Christian Leadership Conference or SCLC as it is often abbreviated. Civil rights activist and minister, Reverend Joseph Lowery (1921-2020) discusses the founding of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. “SCLC [Southern Christian Leadership Conference] was organized in '57 [1957]. We started having these meetings in '56 [1956]...But we had those meetings, and, SCLC, somebody suggested a South-wide meeting. And we met in, at the end of '56 [1956] in, Atlanta. And while we were here, Ralph's church was bombed. And we adjourned and, and met later in February in New Orleans. And that's where SCLC was organized in '57 [1957].” 

So, what is Operation Breadbasket? It is not an event but rather an organization during the civil rights era. As described by Civil Rights lawyer Thomas Todd, “Operation Breadbasket was the urban arm of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, established by Dr. King, after his marches in Chicago [Illinois], and  Reverend Jesse Jackson was placed at the head of that, in Chicago, dealing with economic development and that sort of thing.”

It focuses a lot on the impact black Americans had on the economy, interestingly, Civil Rights Activist Jesse Jackson recounts where the name “operation breadbasket” came from. “..what happened was, Leon Sullivan in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania had tried to get blacks jobs at, I think, one of the bread--or a grocery or bakery there. And they would not let--hire blacks. And he organized a boycott. And they won. But they then said, we can't find qualified blacks. He then was able to get the use of an old, downtown jail in Philadelphia, turned it into a training center, and formed OIC, Opportunities Industrialization Centers. And he felt a comfort groove in that, Reverend Sullivan did. He then brought the idea to Atlanta, and said, "Dr. King [Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.], this idea of using economic leverage for boycotts, for economics.”  

Martin Luther King Jr, Outside SCLC Headquarters

Jackson also recalls the reasoning for incorporating Operation Breadbasket into their agenda, “… They had that, or voting rights. It was the economic piece they'd come north for. He brought the idea to Atlanta, which is a generous thing of Reverend Leon Sullivan, and Wyatt Walker [HistoryMaker Reverend Dr. Wyatt Tee Walker] named it Breadbasket, Breadbasket, and it began to work in Atlanta with Reverend Boone [Joseph E. Boone] and some of the ministers there. So he brought that program to Chicago [Illinois] and asked me to head it up, and that's how--and because I had this minister base, and some working knowledge of, of how to negotiate, which had come out of my Greensboro [North Carolina] experience, it kind of took off…” 

Reverend Willie Barrow (1924-2015) also discusses Operation Breadbasket as well as the impact that African Americans, specifically African American women had on the corporate industry,  “ Del Farm. A&P, we ran the A&P out of Chicago. And then Del Farm and then, then Red Rooster. Red Rooster was the other one, but we picketed them….they wouldn't allow black people to pick up the garbage, not even exterminate them. So we entered into a covenantal relationship with these major corporations. And I know whether you were here then, we went from the food industry to the cosmetic industry cause you know we own, they called our hair black, nappy and, and didn't want to have nothing to do with it. They didn't know there were so many dollars wrapped up in black hair. So we had Johnson and all of these hair products.”

Barrow further extends on the amount of money cosmetic industries were missing out on by not catering to black hair as well as, the impact of losing millions of dollars when African American women started to boycott their products as well as the lack of black leadership in the corporate world, “...they began to realize and do research on how much money there was in hair. So now that's why they bought up every hair company…and then Revlon didn't have anybody on their board that was African American. “ Revlon will come back up again further down in the blog post.

While Operation Breadbasket did have a large amount of participation, their membership skyrocketed after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  As described by Nonprofit Executive Reverend Dr. Calvin Morris, “..it was a catalyst for this kind of eruption of participation because there was already--Breadbasket [Operation Breadbasket] Dr. King had come several times to speak at Breadbasket. But there were people who, you know, they were not, you know, they liked Dr. King. And as long as he was around and stopped like that…they weren't committed to the Movement. And when he died, when he was killed, that jolted a number of people. I think it made some guilty, it touched some of their guilt, that they really hadn't been involved when he was alive. And, but we will be now. We will honor his memory. The Dreamer is dead, but the dream will go on. And so for Breadbasket it was a catalyst for the organization just, just growing. It was incredible.”

Morris goes on to further explain his reasoning for guilt being the reason why Operation Breadbasket membership suddenly exploded after the death of Martin Luther King Jr. “…And Breadbasket, which was growing anyhow, in the aftermath of Dr. King's assassination, you had all of these people, I think, who felt, well, we may not have been supporting Dr. King the way we should have when he was alive, but we're gonna do our part now. And Breadbasket was the magnet for that. And so the weeks after his death, the numbers of people coming to the Saturday morning meetings grew exponentially. there were so many people wanting to get to the meetings that folks would--at the Parkway Ballroom on King Drive now… And they'd bring chairs, folding chairs. And they'd sit there in order to be able to get in and get a seat. And everybody came. “

Discussing the impact that Operation Breadbasket had on the Black community can be detailed by these quotes. The first is from Reverend Willie Barrow,  “...they got a vice president and they got managers, and they got-- from the top-- from the bottom up, they went. And from the top down. And in fact, one of the girl's the vice president, and she's a member of my church. She was the first female vice president of Revlon. Of course, now they've sold.  I don't know who they are now. But that's how we got started, started with the food industry and then with the cosmetic industry, and then with the car industry…. All operation Breadbasket.” 

Founder of N’DIGO magazine, Hermene Hartman, also adds, “....in those days Operation Breadbasket was a group of young, vibrant, energetic, focused civil rights people, doing things – being creative….Sometimes there were protests and pickets but it was a--it was a very, very exciting time. Breadbasket eventually went into PUSH. The [Black] Expos began to make a lot of money and it was still--Breadbasket.”

Though Operation Breadbasket became Operation PUSH, remembering the origins of such a vital organization is essential to understanding that the civil rights movement was not just about voting rights and desegregation but also economic equality and African Americans being in positions of power that would make decisions thinking about other African Americans.

Ambassador Update: Hello, Everyone! Happy Black History Month! This week has been filled with more and more promotions for my Black History Month contest. The Spelman College History Club helped me promote a bit by discussing the contest on their Instagram page and promoting it in their meeting. I still don’t have any sign-ups, but I am still hopeful, and the last thing I would have to do is extend the registration deadline. I hope you all enjoyed learning a bit about Operation Breadbasket. Here is my playlist for the blog: https://da-thehistorymakers org.us1.proxy.openathens.net/stories/6;IDList=84548%2C14355%2C8140%2C16312%2C78643%2C18245%2C16317%2C78813%2C675067%2C18527%2C675061%2C675065%2C675073%2C675071%2C78640;ListTitle=OperationBreadBasket

Worked Cited:

Thomas N. Todd (The HistoryMakers A2002.094), interviewed by Larry Crowe, June 6, 2002, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 8, Thomas Todd explains his involvement with Operation PUSH and Operation Breadbasket

Hermene Hartman (The HistoryMakers A2001.035), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, April 4, 2001, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 2, Hermene Hartman describes the success of Operation Breadbasket

Reverend Willie T. Barrow (The HistoryMakers A1999.001), interviewed by Adele Hodge, August 19, 2002, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 7, Willie Barrow details the Operation Breadbasket boycott of Revlon

Reverend Willie T. Barrow (The HistoryMakers A1999.001), interviewed by Adele Hodge, August 19, 2002, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 12, Willie Barrow describes her transition from Operation Breadbasket to Operation PUSH

Reverend Dr. Calvin Morris (The HistoryMakers A2003.053), interviewed by Larry Crowe, March 21, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 4, story 7, Calvin Morris describes the growth of Operation Breadbasket

Reverend Jesse L. Jackson (The HistoryMakers A2006.031), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, March 1, 2006, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 2, tape 10, story 2, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson recalls the growth of Operation Breadbasket

Reverend Dr. Joseph Lowery (The HistoryMakers A2003.185), interviewed by Larry Crowe, August 13, 2003, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 1, tape 3, story 4, Joseph Lowery recalls the beginnings of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Reverend Jesse L. Jackson (The HistoryMakers A2006.031), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, March 1, 2006, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 2, tape 9, story 4, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson describes Operation Breadbasket in Chicago

Reverend Jesse L. Jackson (The HistoryMakers A2006.031), interviewed by Julieanna L. Richardson, March 1, 2006, The HistoryMakers Digital Archive. Session 2, tape 10, story 6, Reverend Jesse L. Jackson describes the development of Operation Breadbasket