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7,500 March woh"1 ’^1S n
For Civil Rights Legislation
WASHINGTON. (ANP). An
all-out drive for civil rights leg
islation was launched in Wash
ington this week after 7,500 civic
and social leaders from all parts
of the country gathered in the
nation’s capital to urge the pas
sage of an anti-lynching bill, fair
employment practices legislation
and an anti-poll tax measure be
fore the" adjournment of the 80th
congress.
The visitors also expressed the
strongest possible opposition to
the Mundt-Nixon bill now pend
ing before the senate judiciary
committee.
A mass meeting held at Sylvan
theater at the foot of the Wash
ington monument Wednesday
evening climaxed a day of busy
activity by the delegation. Speak
ers participating in this meeting
included Paul Robeson, Rep. Vito
Marcantonio, Rep. Leo Isaacson,
Editor Percy Green, Mrs. Ada
Jackson and Judge Joseph
Rainey—
The delegates milled around
on Capitol Hill the greatest por
tion of the day. Dividing them
selves into groups of five, they
visited their representatives re
questing them to vote to defeat
the Mundt bill. Many of the
senators, however, refused to see
the delegations from their states.
A well organized picket line
composed of near 4,000 persons
led by Paul Robeson paraded
four-abreast on the Pennsylvania
side of the White House Wed
nesday afternoon. Picket lines
were also thrown around the
headquarters of the National
Democratic and Republican com
mittees.
The group called itself the
“National non-partisan delega
tion to Washington for passage
of Civil Rights- Legislation” and
was supported by trade unions
and peoples’ organizations.
Among its sponsors were listed
such well known Negro leaders
as Dr. W. E. B. DuBois, Roscoe
Dunjee. Mrs. Estelle Massey Os
borne, Earl B. Dickerson, Frank
Marshall Davis, Rev. W. H. Jer
nagin, Mrs. Mary Church Terrell,
Councilman Benjamin J. Davis,
Dr. Oliver C. Cox, Mrs. Charlotta
A. Bass, Louis E. Burnham, Capt.
Hugh S. Mulzac and others.
Interracial Scout
Troop Receives
Charter in Mich.
SAGINAW, Mich. (ANP). A
large crowd of parents and
friends cheered as Boy Scout
Troop 26, the only interracial
troop in the Valley Trails coun
/ cil, received its charter recently
at the Church of God.
Scout Commissioner Andrew
W. Forbes presented the charter
to Clarence Davis. The commis
sioner gave a short talk on “The
American Way of Youth.* Davis
is chairman of the committee.
Troop 26, one of the youngest
troops in the area, was formed
three months ago. Commissioner
Forbes has formed an interracial
Cub scouts unit, too, Cub Pack
326.
Vacation Church School
Opens June 21
Vacation Church School begins
Monday, June 21 at 9:30 o’clock
in the Urban League building.
L' IImBI
Miss Doris Powell, grand
daughter of Mrs. Birdie Artis
was on the scholarship roll
three semesters at Whittier Jr.
high school. Betty Rose Huston
and Mary Lou Knowles were
also on the scholarship roll for
three semesters.
Honor Roll (five semesters)
Mary Lou Knowles.
Efficiency Roll:
Ionna Adams.
Betty Rose Huston.
Millard 6Mitsey9
T. Woods, Jr.,
Graduates
Millard T. Woods, better
known as Mitsey, spent most of
his school days in Lincoln until
about one and a half years ago
when he moved to Muskegon,
Mich., with his^arents.
Mitsey was graduated from
the Muskegon high school June
10th. He was a member of the
orchestra and band when he
played the tenor saxophone.
Mitsey expects to enter the
University of Nebraska next fall.
Chattanooga Adds
5 to Police Force
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.
(ANP). Five uniformed Negro
policemen, the first in many
years, were named to the Chat
tanooga police force by Commis
sioner Roy Hyatt last week.
The new men, picked after very
careful screening, are Reuben D.
Jones, 30; Arthur H£ard, 30;
Fred Reynolds, 31; Thomas W.
Patterson, 30, and Singer Askins,
31.
Amsterdam News
A Semi-Weekly
NEW YORK. (ANP). A Negro
d.'ily newspaper in the nation’s
largest city came a step nearer
to reality at the beginning of
this month when the New York
Amsterdam News began publish
ing every other day of the week.
The News had been published
semi-weekly in New York, and
as a weekly tabloid in a national
edition.
There are two Negro dailies in
the United States now, the At
lanta Daily World in Atlanta and
the Ohio Daily Express of Day
ton. Several colored papers in
cluding the Philadelphia Tribune,
the Baltimore Afro-American
and the Detroit Tribune, are
semi-weeklies. ,
Wins Coveted
Cornell V
English Prize
ITHACA, N. Y. (ANP). George
H. Fowler of New York City was
named winner of the coveted
Stewart Lyndon Woodford prize
for the best English oration by a
Cornell university senior.
Mr. Fowler is the first Negro
student to win the award, which
carries with it a cash prize of
$120, since its establishment by
the former New York governor
in 1870. When he receives his de
gree in June, he will also be the
first Negro to be graduated from
the university’s three year old
school of industrial and labor re
lations. The young World War II
veteran has been an outstanding
member of the Cornell debating
team and has presided as chair
man over intercollegiate debates
with some of the leading schools
in the east. He was also treas
urer of the student council of the
school of industrial and labor
relations.
The winner’s oration, on “The
Diseases of Democracy,” was a
compelling comparison of Athe
nian and American societies. The
suppression of free speech, class
prejudice and lack of active citi
zen participation in political af
fairs, which caused the collapse
of democracy in Athens, Mr.
Fowler declared, and the dangers
threatening democracy in Amer
ica today. He emphasized the
evil in oppression of minority
groups and indifference to citi
zenship responsibility.
Mr. Fowler is the son of Mr.
and Mrs. Stephens H. Fowler, Sr.
of New York City. He is a mem
ber of the Alpha Phi Alpha fra
ternity.
Hobby is Profitable
w * *
(Courtesy of the Roberta News.)
Guy Stephens—his boyhood experience “paid off” during hard times.
When Guy Stephens was only
14, he worked for his uncle in
Manhattan, Kans., pulling nails
out of old lumber before and after
school. He admits that he soon
grew sick and tired of the job
which kept him from joining other
youngsters at play, but in later
years he found that the experi
ence he gained as a lad was to
serve him first as a livelihood,
then as a hobby.
Carpenter work was the fur
thest thing from his mind, how
ever, when he joined the Lincoln
branch as a custodian in 1925.
And it was not until 1930 that he
again picked up the hammer and
saw—finding in them a solution
to the decreased earnings which
came as a result of the depression
years.
It was about this time that a
lady came to his door, selling
whatnots made from old orange
crates. She did no business at
the Stephens’ residence, .but she
(Continued on Page 2.)
Bishop Gregg Honored By
Kansas University Alumni
LAWRENCE, Kans. (ANP). Bishop John A. Gregg of
the AME church, Kansas City, was one of six alumni hon
ored by the University of Kansas Alumni association last
week at the association’s annual meeting.
Truman Still
Against Armed
Forces Bias
WASHINGTON. (ANP). The
segregation issue which is being
injected into the congressional
fight over selective draft has not
changed President Truman’s stand
on the elimination of discrimina
tion in the armed forces.
After explaining to the Presi
dent at a news conference last
week that some supporters of the
draft act feared that its chances
for passage had been hindered by
the position he had taken, one re
porter then asked whether the
President was willing to modify
his stand.
The President replied that his
request to secretary of defense,
James A. Forrestal, still stood.
Here the President was referring
to his civil rights message to con
gress early in February when he
complimented the army for the
progress it had made toward
equalizing the opportunities in the
armed services without regard to
race, color or national origin. He
then added that he had given in
struction to the secretary of de
fense to take steps to have the
remaining instances of discrimina
tion in the armed services elimi
nated as soon as possible.
In spite of the President’s re
quest, the so-called “Russell
amendment” waits in the senate to
be brought up when the draft bill
reaches the floor. This amendment
gives every draftee the right to
demand that he be assigned to a
military unit composed entirely of
members of his own race.
mis citation is tne equivalent
o^ an honorary degree from the
university itself. The citation to
Bishop Gregg read:
“For the quality and breadth
of his leadership in the field of
religion and education, ahd foe
the effect of his influence for
good will among all people, the
Alumni association of the Univer
sity of Kansas cites John A. Gregg,
graduate of the class of 1902.
“He was for years a missionary
in South Africa, was successively
president of Edwards College, of
Wilberforce University and of
Howard University, and became
bishop of the African Methodist
Episcopal church first for the
17 th Episcopal district covering
South Africa and later for the
fifth Episcopal district covering
central United States. During
World War II he traveled around
the world as an emissary of the
United States government among
American troops for observing
and building morale. In that
service he won the high civilian
recognition the Award of Merit.**
California U
Newspaper Has
Negro Editor
LOS ANGELES. (ANP). A na
tive of Los Angeles, J. Horace
Hampton, was elected by the stu
dent body as editor of the Cali
fornia Aggie, weekly newspaper
of the University of California.
Hampton is a student in the col
lege of agriculture.
A U. S. Marines veteran, Hamp
ton was a public relations NCO for
his unit. He is a member of Alpha
Phi Gamma, honorary journalistic
fraternity, and a member of the
Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.
Oklahoma City’s
First Negro
Disc Jockey
OKLAHOMA CITY. (ANP).
Oklahoma City’s first Negro disc
jockey went on the air for the
first time last week when radio
station KTOW (800 on the dial)
hired Clayton White. He is being
heard five days a week, Monday
through Friday at 4 p. m.
Negotiations with sponsors are
already in progress, according to
White. The station’s managers,
Neal Baird and Ted Cramer, re
ported that they have received a
large number of phone calls about
the program.
Quinn Chapel
1949 Calendar
Drive Begins
The Quinn Chapel Usher Board
Auxiliary that is responsible for
the fine calendars put out each
year, will meet at the residence of
Mrs. R. G. Huston, 2420 Holdrege,
Sunday, June 20th, at 4 p. m.
The purpose of the Sunday
meeting is to start the drive for
the 1949 calendars.
Mrs. Wyatt Williams is Chair
man and Mrs. John Robinson is
secretary.
