Ngomhla wesi-7 kuMatshi ka-1942, umlilo watshisa ikhaya eliqhelekileyo likaLucy Gonzales Parsons oneminyaka engama-89 ubudala eChicago's North Troy Street, waza waphelisa ubomi obuzinikezele ekukhululeni abafazi abasebenzayo kunye namadoda ehlabathi kubungxowankulu nakwingcinezelo yobuhlanga. Isithethi sasesidlangalaleni esinamandla, esinemfazwe, esizifundileyo kunye nombhali, waba libhinqa lokuqala laseMelika elinombala ukuba liqhube umnqamlezo wakhe wobusoshiyali kwilizwe liphela naphesheya kweelwandle. ULucy Gonzales waqala ubomi eTexas. WayengowaseMexico waseMelika, e-Afrika yaseMelika, kunye nenzala yaseMelika yaseMelika kwaye wazalelwa ebukhobokeni. Indlela awayikhethayo emva kokukhululwa ikhokelele kungquzulwano neKu Klux Klan, ukusebenza nzima, ilahleko ebuhlungu, kunye nobusuku obuninzi entolongweni. EAlbert Parsons, umlungu wakhe Umbukeli weWaco walwa noKlan kwaye wafuna ukulingana kwezentlalo nezopolitiko kubantu base-Afrika baseMelika, wafumana iqabane lomphefumlo elihle, elizinikeleyo. Imikhosi yamandla amhlophe eTexas yabona esi sibini siyingozi kwaye umtshato wabo wawungekho mthethweni, kwaye kungekudala wabagxotha kurhulumente.
ULucy no-Albert bafika eChicago, apho baqala khona usapho kwaye baziphosa kwimibutho emibini emitsha yokulwa, enye kukwakha imanyano yemizi-mveliso eyomeleleyo kwaye enye ivuselela isoshiyali. U-Lucy wagxila ekuququzeleleni abasetyhini abasebenzayo kwaye u-Albert waba ngumququzeleli odumileyo kunye nesithethi, enye yeenkokheli ezimbalwa ezibalulekileyo zomanyano eChicago owayengengomphambukeli.
Ngo-1886, esi sibini kunye nabantwana baso ababini bangena kwi-Avenue yaseMichigan ukukhokela abantu abasebenzayo abangama-80,000 kumboniso wokuqala wehlabathi kaMeyi kunye nemfuno yosuku lweeyure ezisibhozo. Iholide entsha yamazwe ngamazwe yazalwa njengoko abangaphezu kwe-100,000 nabo baye bamatsha kwezinye izixeko zase-US. Ngeli xesha, izityebi zaseChicago zemizi-mveliso kunye nezeebhanki zazijolise ku-Albert kunye namanye amanani aqatha ukuze apheliswe-ukuphelisa intshukumo yomanyano olukhulayo. Uqhanqalazo olubizwe nguAlbert kwiintsuku ezimbalwa emva kokuba uMeyi Day waziwa ngokuba yiHaymarket Riot xa amapolisa asixhenxe aseChicago asweleka kuqhushumbo lwebhombu. Akukho bungqina bukhe bafunyanwa bukhomba abo benza okanye baqhushumbisa ibhombu, kodwa uParsons kunye neenkokheli ezisixhenxe zabaphambukeli babanjwa. Njengoko amajelo eendaba ayenyusa umoya wokuthand’ izwe kunye nomthetho nocwangco, inkqubo yomthetho egqwethekileyo yabalekisela aba basibhozo kwizigwebo zentambo nezigwebo zentambo.
Xa uLucy wayekhokela iphulo lokuphumelela ityala elitsha, elinye igosa laseChicago lambiza ngokuthi “uyingozi ngakumbi kunewaka labaqhankqalazi.” Xa uAlbert namanye amaqabane amathathu babulawayo, baza abanye abane bagwetyelwa ukuvalelwa entolongweni, umbutho wemibutho yabasebenzi kunye nosuku lweeyure ezisibhozo wanqunyulwa intloko. ULucy, ekude nokudimazeka, wazikhawulezisa izenzo zakhe. Nangona wayephulukene noAlbert—yaye kwiminyaka emibini kamva waphulukana nentombi yakhe encinane ngenxa yokugula—uLucy waqhubeka nephulo lakhe lomnqamlezo nxamnye nobukapitali nemfazwe, waza wabakhulula “abafeli-nkolo baseHaymarket.” Ukhokele abasetyhini abahluphekayo kwiindawo ezityebileyo “ukuba bajongane nezityebi emigubasini yabo,” wacela umngeni abezopolitiko kwiintlanganiso zikawonke-wonke, bamatsha ngemigca yepikethi, kwaye waqhubeka nokujongana nokubhala amaphecana ezopolitiko kumaqela abasebenzi kude ngaphaya kweChicago.
Nangona uLucy wayethethelele inyathelo elithe ngqo kwabo basebenzisa ubundlobongela kubasebenzi, ngo-1905 wacebisa iqhinga elahluke kakhulu. Wayengomnye wabathunywa basetyhini (omnye wayenguMama uJones) phakathi kwamadoda angama-200 kwindibano yokuseka i-Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) kunye nomfazi oyedwa ukuthetha. Okokuqala wayekhuthaza umlinganiselo osondeleyo entliziyweni yakhe xa wayebiza abafazi ngokuthi "amakhoboka amakhoboka" kwaye wabongoza abathunywa be-IWW ukuba balwele ukulingana kunye nokuvavanya amabhinqa angaphantsi kweentlawulo zomanyano.
Kwintetho ende, ucele ukusetyenziswa kokungabikho kobundlobongela okunokuba nentsingiselo ebanzi kwimibutho yehlabathi yoqhanqalazo. Uxelele abathunywa abasebenzi akufuneki "babethe baphume balambe, kodwa mabaqhankqalaze bahlale ngaphakathi kwaye bathathe impahla efunekayo yemveliso." Kunyaka kamva uMahatma Gandhi, ethetha namanye amaIndiya eJohannesburg Empire Theatre, wakhuthaza ukungabi nabundlobongela ukuze kuliwe ubukoloniyali, kodwa wayeseneminyaka engama-25 ekude nokukhokela amanye amaIndiya kwimingcelele engenabundlobongela nxamnye nabalawuli baseBritani baseIndiya. Ekugqibeleni umgaqo kaLucy Parsons uye waya e-US ehlala phantsi ngabahlaseli beminyaka yee-1930, uGqr. King kunye ne-Civil Rights Movement ye-1950s kunye ne-1960s, iintshukumo ezichasene nemfazwe ezalandelayo, kwaye ekugqibeleni ukuya kwi-Arab Spring kunye neentshukumo ze-Occupy.
ULucy wayengumqhushumbisi ongayekeleliyo, ekhokela imigca yokuchola kwaye ethetha nabaphulaphuli babasebenzi eMelika, emva koko phambi kweentlanganiso zemanyano yabasebenzi eNgilani. NgoFebruwari 1941, ehlwempuzekile kwaye ehlala kwipenshini yeemfama, iManyano yaBasebenzi beZixhobo zaseFama yacela uLucy Parsons ukuba anike intetho ekhuthazayo kubasebenzi bayo, kwaye kwiinyanga ezimbalwa kamva wakhwela njengondwendwe olubekekileyo kumngcelele weMay Day. Abameli baseburhulumenteni kunye nabendawo bafika kwikhaya laseParsons ukuba baqinisekise ukuba ilifa lakhe lifa kunye naye. Bagqobhoza kuloo mbhodamo, bahlutha ithala lakhe leencwadi elikhulu nemibhalo yakhe, baza abazange bazibuyisele. Umzamo ozimiseleyo kaLucy Parsons wokuphakamisa nokukhuthaza abacinezelweyo ukuba bathabathe ulawulo lwahlala luphila phakathi kwabo babemazi, beva, nabamthandayo. Kodwa bambalwa namhlanje abakwaziyo ukuqonda, inkalipho nokungagungqi. Ngaphandle kwengqondo yakhe echumileyo, ukubhala kunye nezakhono zokuthetha, kunye nobuhle obumangalisayo, uLucy Parsons akafumananga ndawo kwimibhalo yesikolo, kwikharityhulam yezifundo zentlalo, okanye iimuvi zaseHollywood. Nangona kunjalo uzuze indawo ebalaseleyo kumlo omde wobomi obungcono kubantu abasebenzayo, kubafazi, abantu bemibala, ilizwe lakhe kunye nehlabathi lakhe.
UWilliam Loren Katz ulungelelanise esi sincoko kuhlelo lwakhe oluhlaziyiweyo nolwandisiweyo lwe AmaNdiya aseMnyama: iGugu efihliweyo (Atheneum, 2012). Iwebhusayithi: williamlkatz.com.
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