It was a broad alliance of all kinds of groups to
advance the welfare of the race. Although it did not receive the
backing of the N.A.A.C.P., the Urban League, an even more
conservative organization, became a cornerstone in the Congress.
The Urban League has always been primarily interested in securing
employment for the Negro working class. During the thirties, the
communists adopted a united-front policy, and they tried to
infiltrate the N.N.C. Some of the left-wing unions which did
support the N.N.C., were largely white.
Randolph's talent for mass mobilization was demonstrated most
clearly in his efforts to organize two gigantic marches on
Washington in order to dramatize Afro-American needs and to
pressure the government into action. As American industry began
to gear up for war production at the beginning of the Second
World War, it needed to find new sources of labor. The Afro-
American community was eager to support the war effort,
particularly because it meant fighting Hitler's racism.
But they were also eager to find jobs. However, defense
industries in America continued to display their own brand of
racial discrimination.
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