top of page
Search

Democrats Rally at St. Nick's Arena

Mar. 7, 1962 - Extremists, both Right and Left, “are the same pigeons and eventually join feathers,” Senator Hubert H. Humphrey (left) told a cheering rally of young liberal Democrats in New York tonight. The rally was organized during the last few days to counter one held at Madison Square Garden by the conservative Young Americans for Freedom. The liberals met in the St. Nicholas Arena, Broadway and 66th St. Senator Humphrey, one of nine speakers who kept the youngsters applauding and booing for two hours, said there was a “political sickness” in some fellow citizens. “To hear some people talk,” he said, “you would think the United States was flooded with Communists, that they were the real menace, not the imperialist Russian leaders.” Shelly Winters (right), the movie actress, made an unexpected appearance onstage shortly before Senator Humphrey arrived, and was cheered loudly. Addressing the audience as “Kids,” she said: “I’m proud of you. I admire the courage shown by you young people in recent peace demonstrations. It showed that something will come out of the 1960s other than the Twist.” The gathering, titled “Stand Up for Democracy Rally,” was sponsored by the campus division of Americans for Democratic Action, the National and New York State College Young Democrats, and Students for a Democratic Society. The rally was a little late getting under way because half of the audience had been down on Eighth Avenue picketing the Madison Square Garden rally.

© 2024 by Joe Rubenstein

bottom of page