Benjamin J. Davis, born on this day in 1903, was American lawyer and communist who was elected in 1943 to the New York City Council, representing Harlem. Davis was persecuted by the state via the anti-communist Smith and McCarran Acts.

Davis became radicalized through his role as defense attorney in the 1933 trial of Angelo Herndon, a 19-year-old black communist who had been charged "attempting to incite insurrection" because he tried to organize a farm workers' union.

In 1949, Davis was among a number of communist leaders prosecuted for violating the Smith Act. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison. In 1962 Davis was charged with violating the Internal Security Act (also known as the McCarran Act), but died before the case could come to trial.

"Whether one agrees with the Communist Party or not, one must at least know the truth about it. One must not permit his ideas to be shaped by the hysteria which now passes as a 'crusade against Communism'... For example, the canard that every Communist has his pockets lined with 'Moscow gold.' If that were true, one could be sure that there would scarcely be any room in our party for workers. The capitalists, to whom gold is god of the universe, would crowd them out."

  • Benjamin J. Davis

Ben Davis: The Communist Councilman from Harlem cpusa

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  • TerminalEncounter [she/her]
    ·
    1 year ago

    I have to do it, the kids still need nursing care overnight and we don't do pure overnight shifts in a cycle (it's too cruel, you wouldn't be able to do anything) so people have to switch, except for the more senior nurses that get pure day shifts - reward for sticking to the same place forever, also not much happens overnight anyway its probabky best to have the most experienced people concentrated in days. It sucks there's no underestimating how much it sucks. I still haven't gotten used to it, but it's gotten easier with some zopiclone and melatonin every once in a while. It does reduce your lifespan so yeah its one of those things people should avoid if possible.