Self-Development of People Celebrates the Life of
James Forman
By Cynthia E. White

It would be true to say that the action of the 1970 General Assembly, which established the National Committee on the Self-Development of People, had its roots in the Christian gospel from its very beginning.

John Conventry Smith

John Conventry Smith continued, “Moreover, in the last century and a half, Presbyterians, through their various judicatories and agencies, have participated in such development. Both in the USA and overseas, sometime intentionally and sometimes unintentionally, they have contributed to the development of whole people – economically, politically, socially, and spiritually.

But in the last two years the focus on this element of the Christian mission has been sharpened and made more urgent by events in the USA and overseas.”

Mr. Smith went on to describe the presentation of the Black Manifesto at the 1969 Presbyterian Church General Assembly in San Antonio, Texas. James Forman of the Black Economic Development Conference and the leaders from La Raza presented the Manifesto to the church.

The Presbyterian Church listened “thoughtfully” to Forman, though the message was uncomfortable. In response to Foreman’s presentation, the 182nd General Assembly (1970) of The United Presbyterian Church, USA gave final approval to the plan to raise funds for the Self-Development of People. September 29-30, 1970 was the first meeting of the National Committee on the Self-Development of People. The Committee met with a mandate from the Assembly to use funds in “depressed areas and among deprived people”. Thirty-five years later the Presbyterian Church remains committed to that mandate.

Self-Development of People celebrates and honors Mr. Forman’s life, his dedication and commitment to the elimination of racial and economic discrimination. James Forman, a native of Chicago, grew up in rural Marshall County, MS. He was a principal organizer of the 1963 March on Washington, and the Freedom Rides in the South, as well as voter registration drives and sit-ins. He died at the age of 76 on January 10th in Washington, DC.