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The Monitor
NEBRASKA’S WEEKLY NEWSPAPER DEVOTED TO THE INTERESTS OF COLORED AMERICANS
THE REV. JOHN ALBERT WILLIAMS, Editor.
GROWING —
THANK YOU
$2.00 a Year-> its a Copy Omaha, Nebraska, Friday, February 3, 1928 Vol. XIII—Number 31 Whole Number 653
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National Negro History Week Feb. 6-13
National Urban League
Reports Employment
Conditions Unimproved
Official Bulletin Recently Issued by Industrial Relations De
partment of Urban League Discloses Disquieting
Difficulties Encountered in Making
Placements
“The day-to-day appeals for work I
during December resulted in scant re
lief and little or no promise of im
provement throughout the country,”
says bulletin No. 20, issued by the
industrial relations department of the
National Urban league from its head
quarters at 17 Madison avenue, New
York City. The bulletin states fur
ther that reports from the league’s
advisors indicate considerable re
placement of colored employees by
white workers. In Boston a manager
for a chain grocery store was dis
charged because patrons of the store
not of the Negro race objected to
his serving in such a capacity. In
Chicago, Negro porters were dis
charged because the clothing manu
factory that employed them to try an
“experiment” with white labor in that
capacity. In that city unemploy
ment is said to be at its highest peak
"There is moreover,” the bulletin
continues, “a large number of skilled
and semi-skilled workers doing un
skilled work, with the result that un
skilled workers, customarily the mi5st
unprotected of all classes of indus
TO PREVENT LYNCHING
URGED BY COMMITTEE
Nashville, Tenn.—More stringent
laws to prevent lynching, the secur
ing of bus transportation for Negroes
in certain sections' of the state, and
the provision of better facilities for
the training of colored doctors and
nurses were among the definite goals
set by the State Inter-racial commit
tee in annual session here January
25. Encouraging reports were heard
from many quarters, and a fine spir- j
it of optimistic co-operation was evi- j
dent. On the other hand, certain
unfavorable conditions were brought
out and frankly faced, and plans j
were formulated for their correction.
Deep humiliation and concern was
expressed as the result of Tennessee’s
backsliding last year into the list of
lynching states. The need of effect
ive anti-lynching legislation was
pointed out and the executive com
mittee was instructed to take steps
to that end. Among the measures
suggested were the suspension of
sheriffs in whose jurisdiction lynch
ings occur, and the assessment of
heavy damages against the counties
involved, in favor of the families of
mob victims.
Attention was called to discrimin
ation against Negroes in public busses
in certain parts of the state, and a
committee composed of Dr. W. D.
Weatherford, Mrs. Charles S. Kin
caid and Dr. C. V. Roman was ap
pointed to see the officials of the bus
companies and, if necessary, the pub
lic service commission, with a view
to a correction of this condition.
It was pointed out that the state
provides no facilities for the training
of Negro doctors and nurses, and a
committee was appointed to bring
this need to the attention of the state
board of health. On this committee
the chairman named Dr. J. E. Clark,
President W. J. Hale of the State
A. and I. college, and Bishop I. B.
Scott.
STEWARD’S BOARD BANQUETS
—
The steward’s board of St. John’s I
A. M. E. church gave a delightful
banquet last Friday night which was
attended by 80 guests. The tables
were attractively decorated. The
menu consisted of baked turkey with
dressing, lettuce salad, baked sweet
potatoes, peas, mashed potatoes, rolls,
ice cream and cake and coffee. The i
Trustee Helpers club was awarded
$6.00 for the best decorated table.
trial workers, are out of employment
to a larger degree than is usual.” Be
cause of the uncertainty of securing
jobs there is an unusually heavy
movement of people from place to
place. Pittsburgh has experienced
difficult problems because of this as- j
pect of the situation due to the use
of Negro miners in the strike regions
in and around the city.
The bulletin states that here and j
there some little change for the bet
ter was noticed during December.
In Cleveland, the Urban league plac
ed 19 per cent more people in De
cember than in November, but 22 per |
cent less than in December 1926. In i
Milwaukee where a plant is employ- '
ing 60 Negroes and another 50, these I
plants have resumed full operations, ;
and in San Antonio “several large
new hotels are about to open with
crews of colored waiters.” In Jef-»
ferson City, Mo., Hotel Missouri has
now all colored domestic help and
many colored men are being used in
highway building. In Pittsburgh one
department store began the use of
colored elevator men and another an
nounced i/s intention of doing so on
February first.
FIVE NEGROES PLACED ON
LOUISVILLE POLICE FORCE
Louisville, Ky.—Five colored po
licemen have been placed on the
Louisville metropolitan police force.
The city has had two colored detec
tives for several years.
The five patrolmen were assigned
to the police school Saturday. They
are Robert C. Brown, 330 East Lib
erty street; William F. Downs, 1016
South Hancock street; John Hayden,
122 West W'alnut street; William
Scott, 1132 West Chestnut, and J. E.
Shepherd, 1705 West Chestnut street.
The new officers will be assigned
to duty in the colored district. They
have instructions not to arrest whites.
It was said that another one would
be appointed later so that a pair of
them will always be on duty together.
They are attached to the Second Dis
trict station.
NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE
TO HOLD ANNUAL MEETING
AND ELECT BOARD MEMBERS
New York—The National Urban
League has announced its formal an
nual meeting for February 8, at the
offices of the league, 17 Madison ave
nue, New York City. This will be
the 17th meeting of this character
held by this organization which now
has branches in 42 cities. At this
meeting, the executive secretary, Eu
gene Kinckle Jones, will render his
annual report and the following
board members, whose terms expire
this year, will be presented by the
nominating committee for re-elec
tion: Josiah P. Marvel, Mrs. Mary
MacLeod Bethune, A. S. Friasell,
John Hope, Mrs. Henry G. Leach,
Mrs. B. B. Munford, Mrs. Albert S.
Reed, Miss Elizabeth Walton, E. P.
Roberts, Theodore Roosevelt, Miss
Dorothy Straus, L. Hollingsworth
Wood.
The annual conference of workers
in the Urban league movement has
been announced for Philadelphia,
April 10th to 13th, at which time the
subject of co-ordination of social ef
fort will be discussed. Representa
tives of many social service move
ments 'rom many sections of the
country will meet with Urban league
board members and workers to dis
cuss means of better co-operation, re
cent research projects, methods of
applying remedies to social problems
disclosed and industrial relations.
The subject of the public evening
meetings will be “Inter-racial Good
Will” and will be a feature of the
conference.
EDITORIAL
As will be noted by an article published in this issue the
Ministers’ Alliance is extending an invitation to the public to
attend a mass meeting, or forum, to be held next Monday
night at St. John’s A. M. E. church, to consider the local labor
situation. This is a wise and timely move as the problem of
non-employment is serious. This is true, not only as it applies
to our own people, but to other working people. Whenever
there is a shortage of employment, naturally, conditions being
as they are, our own people are, ordinarily, the first to be dis
charged and the last to be given work. Under normal condi
tions there are certain kinds of work given to Negroes, in re
stricted fields. Such jobs are not considered “a white man’s
job.” That is when labor conditions are normal and work
plentiful. But when work is scarce any kind of a job is con
sidered “a white man’s job”; and so black men are crowded
out of what are considered “a biack man’s job.”
That is just what has happened here and is happening all
over the country, as reports from the Industrial Department
of the National Urban League which specializes in opening up
enlarged occupational opportunities for Negroes show. Its
latest Bulletin is published in this issue, and despite the power
ful and influential contacts of this excellent organization, it
discloses the significant fact that the labor situation for our
group is neither encouraging nor reassuring. Omaha, there
fore, is no exception. Why there should be such scarcity of
work, we do not know. That there is, we do know, and that
our people, in common with other working people, yes, and
business interests, too, are feeling it keenly cannot be denied.
A conference on or consideration of the situation ought to
prove helpful. We do not do enough of local, racial stock
taking and fact-finding. So The Monitor heartily approves
of the proposed forum or conference.
We, however, want to point out a serious mistake the com
mittee has made in drawing up its program for Monday night,
as submitted to us for publication in this issue. The program
is entirely too long. Several subjects programmed for discus
sion, excellent though they be, should be cut out and discussed
at some subsequent meeting, and the subject should be con
fined to that of non-employment, and how it can be remedied.
We would, therefore, suggest to the committee that they revise!
the program and confine the discussion to two or three phases'
of the main topic, “Conditions of the Laboring People As They
Confront Us.”
Instructions for Celebration of
Negro History Week
Call a meeting of the outstanding
citizens of your community. Have
them agree upon an efficient commit
tee to make the celebration reach all
groups like churches, schools, lodges,
and clubB. Encourage each one of
such bodies to have appropriate ex
ercises during Negro History week.
Secure the interest and co-opera
tion of a number of professional men,
business men, teachers, and minis
ters, who will serve as speakers at
such exercises. Appeal to those who
are not trying to exploit the public.
He who charges a fee for making a
speech or singing a song on this oc
casion does not grasp the meaning
of the movement and should there
fore be avoided.
Persuade your pastor to deliver an
address on the Sunday beginning the
celebration. No one is more influ
ential than the pastor in arousing the
people to the performance of civic
duty. Do not fail to secure his assis
tance and through him the support
of his communicants.
Set aside one day of this week as
a Book and Picture Fund Day when
all groups of the community will
join in raising funds to buy books
bearing on the Negro and pictures of
distinguished men and women of the
race. If you can persuade your pub
lic library to purchase these things it
will be a fine stroke; but do not stop
an important work by waiting on oth
ers. Raise the money yourselves and
buy these books and pictures for your
schools and churches.
Appeal to the board of education
of your local school system and the
head of your school, college or uni
versity for the adoption of textbooks
treating Negro history as it really is
rather than in the present biased
fashion. Secure their co-operation in
publishing the whole truth to free the
mind of the youth from the evil con
sequences of error.
Organize in every large city and in
every state of small urban communi
ties a branch of the association for
the study of Negro life and history.
A small city or town has not a con
stituency large enough to support a
branch, but a number of clubs in such
places may combine through their
representatives to organize a state
branch with headquarters in its larg
est city.
The purposes of a branch are:
1. To save such records of the
Negro as old newspapers, receipts,
manuscripts, mission papers, deeds,
wills, and the like, and bearing on the
past of the Negro.
2. To write the life histories of
the “near great” but useful Negroes
of whom editors and authors take no
account.
3. To promote the actual study of
the Negro in a club or class proceed
ing according to a definite outline
and under the supervision of the di
rector of the association.
4. To secure the co-operation of a
number of persons who will learn to
tell intelligently to children in schools
and churches interesting stories of
distinguished Negroes who have
achieved things worth while as pio
neers in business, professional men,
teachers, and ministers.
To become a permanently organ
ized branch requires at least ten per
sons, each paying the active member
ship fee of $3.00. Fifty cents of this
fee is kept by the local branch to pay
its expenses. The remaining $2.50
is sent to the national office. For
this fee, each member receives The
Journal of Negro History for a year.
The branch, as such, moreover, is en
titled to call upon the director for
such supervision of study as may be
given by mail. This, however, must
not be confused with the individual
instruction by correspondence offer
ed by the Home Study department of
the association.—From Bulletin, As
sociation for the Study of Negro Life
and History.
THE NEGRO OLD FOLKS’ HOME
Donations to the Old Folks’ Home
were as follows: One beautiful ra
dio table, one large white granite
coffee pot and three oatmeal dishes
by the Modest Art Charity club, Mrs.
Queen Jackson, president; two pair
house slippers and two pair hose by
the Dorcas Charity club; four beau
tiful house sacks, by Zion Mission
society, by Mrs. J. A. Archie; one
glass of jelly, one jar of cherries and
one jar of tomatoes by Mrs. Maggie
Smith.
The Cupid club was entertained by
Mr. and Mrs. J. Jones at their home,
115 South Thirty-fifth street, Jan
uary 25. Time was spent playing
whist and dancing after which a de
licious luncheon was served. A pleas
ant time was enjoyed by all.
NEGRO HISTORY WEEK
WILL BE OBSERVED'"'^
BY ORGANIZATIONS
North and South Side Will Unite in
Giving Program in Spacious
Auditorium of South High
School
The South Side Cultural Center
has taken the initiative in perfecting
plans for the first observance of Na
tional Negro History week in Omaha,
in which other organizations of the
South Side have hearitly joined.
The Center invited the Omaha branch
of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, the
Business and Professional Men’s club,
and other organizations on the North
Side to unite with them in putting on
a program in keeping with the spirit
and intent of the occasion next Fri
day night in the beautiful and spa
cious auditorium of the South High
school, Twenty-fourth and J streets,
secured for this meeting. The organ
izations accepted the invitation. An
interesting and instructive musical
and literary program, featuring ex
clusively the work of Negro authors
and composers will be given. The
public is cordially invited. It is
hoped that there will be a large aud
ience present.
MINISTERS' ALLIANCE
INVITES PUBLIC TO CONSIDER
THE LABOR SITUATION
The Ministers’ Alliance hereby in
vites all churches and pastors, pro
fessional and business men to meet
with us at St. John’s A. M. E. church,
Twenty-second and Willis, Monday
evening, February 6, at 8 o’clock to
consider the labor question as it now
confronts us.
The program will be as follows:
Devotionals: Music by St. John’s
choir; scripture lesson by Rev. O. J.
Burckhardt; prayer by Rev. J. W.
Fort; solo by Rev. M. L. Hamlet; re
marks by master of ceremonies.
Among the subjects discussed will
be, “Conditions of the laboring peo
ple as they confront us,” R. L. Wil
liams; “The Working Woman,” Rev.
Charles H. Trusty; “The Need for
Leadership,” Rev. E. H. McDonald;
“The Necessity of Negroes Patron
izing Negro Enterprises,” Rev. J. H.
Garner; “How to Hold Negro Patron
age,” Rev. Z. C. McGee; “Good of a
Newspaper in a Community,” Rev.
John Albert Williams; “What Rela
tion Does the Minister Sustain to the
Business Interests,” Rev. John H.
Grant. Brief remarks by the Rev. I
Messrs. P. M. Harris and J. H. Jack- j
son, Mrs. J. D. Lewis, Mr. Charles
Solomon and Dr. A. L. Hawkins. Rev.
J. H. Brewer will be master of cere
monies. •
LADIES’ AUXILIARY,
ALLENSWORTH CAMP,
HOLDS INSTALLATION ‘
- I
The Ladies’ Auxiliary of Capt.
Allen Allensworth camp held their
public installation Wednesday even
ing at St. Benedict’s community
home. The president and other of
ficers, also the ladies’ drill team, be
sides other members and their hus
bands from Lee Forby camp were
present. The president of the Ladies’
Auxiliary of Lee Forby camp was
master of ceremonies. Mrs. Alm^
Miller was the installing officer. The
following officers were installed for
the year: Mrs. Madge Bailey, presi
dent; Mrs. Georgie Gray, senior vice
president; Mrs. Margaret Elliott, jun
ior vice president; Mrs. Margaret,
Anderson, chaplain, and Mrs. J.
Wright, secretary. Mrs. Anna Miller
of Lee Forby auxiliary and Mrs.
Madge Bailey, president and George
Douglas, retired commander of Capt.
Allen Allensworth camp made some
very interesting remarks, in behalf
of the work of the organization. Af
ter the installation a dainty luncheon
was served to the guests which num
bered about 75, after which the la
dies’ drill team entertained with sing
ing and music.
Mrs. A. H. Massey, wife of the
proprietor of “The Small Store” has
successfully undergone an operation
from which she is recovering.
FEDERAL COUNCIL OF
CHURCHES SPONSORS
RACIAL CONFERENCE
Executive Committee Takes Emphat
ic Stand for Enforcement of
AH Amendments to
Constitution
PROTECTION FOR DELEGATES
Church Organizations Urged to Meet
Only in Such Places Where All
Delegates May Avoid
Embarrassment
Cleveland, Ohio, January 24.—The
annual meeting of the executive com
mittee of the Federal Council of
Churches met here this week, and
among the several reports of the va
rious commissions was that of the
commission on church and race rela
tions.
The executive committee approved
a proposal that its commission on
; race relations co-operate wiwth 15
[other national organizations in spon
soring the second national inter-racial
conference to be held next Novem
ber. Following a report on the re
cent national exhibit of fine arts by
[Negro artists in New York held in co
i operation with the Harmon Founda
tion, the session approved the pro
posal that such an exhibit of fine arts
by Negroes be fostered annually.
The question drawing the keenest
attention was a recommendation on
the enforcement of the amendments
to the constitution, involving the
fourteenth, fifteenth and eighteenth.
This recommendation was presented
by George FT. WS^Vies, secretary of
the commission. Fear was expressed
jby some of the delegates that such a
resolution would partake too much of
I politics and thus involve the churches
in partisan political controversy.
Bishop George C. Clement, chairman
of the commission, defended the reso
lution on the ground that law en
forcement was primarily a moral
question, especially the enforcement
of the constitution which is the bul
wark of our liberties. Bishop R. C.
Ransom of the A. M. E. church, a
member of the commission, said,
“We must face the questions; I am
inclined to believe that our not being
willing to face them is an evidence of
cowardice on the part of the white
people and hypocrisy on the part of
us colored people.”
The resolution, after being refer
red to the business committee of the
meeting and receiving a final draft
following the discussion on the floor,
was adopted by the executive body
as follows:
“The question of enforcing the
18th amendment has become an out
standing moral issue in America to
day and has raised the question of
[obedience to the fundamental law of
our land, including all amendments to
[the Constitution. We, therefore, go
on record as endorsing the honest en
forcement of the Constitution includ
ing all amendments, and we ask the
co-operation of all the communions
of the Federal Council of Churches to
that end.”
The executive committee of the
Federal Council also passed without
debate the following resolution:
“We urge all our church organiza
tions in selecting their places of meet
ing to insist that provision be made
for delegates of other than the white
race and that every precaution be
taken to protect such brethren
against embarrassment from any
form of social discrimination.”
GIRLS’ FRIENDLY SOCIETY
HOLDS SOCIAL MEETING
The Girls’ Friendly society of the
Church of St. Philip the Deacon, en
joyed a very delightful social meeting
at the rectory Monday. According
to the custom of the club, two girls
were appointed hostesses to have
charge of the social meeting. Those
who had charge of this social meet
ing were Miss Celestine Smith and
Miss Lucille Patterson. The time wad
sp2nt in games, jokes, riddles and
dancing.