The voice. (Lincoln, Nebraska) 1946-195?, July 28, 1949, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    - -
•g* *13100® Lincoln 3, Nebraska Thursday, July 28, 1949
Interraci Hits
At Discrimination In D.C.
Pools and Terminal Cafe
WASHINGTON. (ANP). The Washington Interracial
Workshop with 20 participants from 15 states has just com
pleted its first week of activity. This included meeting with
Washington representatives of civic organizations to con
sider the Washington pool situation. As a result of these con
ferences, the workshop organized a letter-writing campaign
and submitted a plan of action in an effort to persuade
President Truman and Secretary Krug to reaffirm the in
terior department’s previous policy of non-exclusion.
The workshop carried through
a “sit-down” in the discriminatory
Greyhound Bus terminal restau
rant last Sunday. Thirty-five Ne
groes and whites sat for three
hours, the whites refusing serv
ice until the Negroes who had
proceeded them were served first.
As a result of this protest, the
workshop secured an interview
with Edward Talbert, the restau
rant’s owner and is hopeful of
negotiating a solution.
The Workshop is sponsored by
the Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE) and the Fellowship of
Consultant
DOWDAL H. DAVIS ~~
Dowdal H. Davis, newly elected
president of the Negro Newspaper
Publishers association, was guest
consultant at the annual seminar
in journalism at Florida A. & M.
college in Tallahassee, July 21-23.
Mr. Davis, who is managing edi
tor of the Kansas City Call, suc
ceeds Thomas W. Young, presi
dent of the Norfolk Guide Pub
lishing company, as head of the
newspaper association. (ANP)
Shriners To Meet
In Detroit August
14-18, Aims Told
DETROIT. (ANP). The Ancient
Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of
the Mystic Shrine will hold its
48th annual meeting in Detroit,
Aug. 14-18.
One of the highlights of the
convention will be the third an
nual bathing beauty and talent
pageant to be given Aug. 17 at
Music hall. Proceeds from this af
fair will go to the Shriners’ Tu
berculosis and Cancer Research
Foundation, Inc. Booker T. Alex
ander, imperial potential director,
said that more than 30 temples
\ have entered contestants in the
project.
Among the aims of the Shriners
is the establishment of a true
democracy in America. In a re
cent article in Pyramid, official
organ of the group, Levi H. Mor
ris of Chicago asked for a Mar
shall plan for the south to insure
Negroes their civil rights.
Reconcliation, and is co-operating
with representatives of American
Friends Service committee, Ameri
can Veterans committee, Anti
Defamation league of B’nai B’rith,
Catholic Interracial council, Con
solidated Parents group, NAACP,
and the Urban League.
(Among those attending the
workshop is Miss Ruth Sorensen,
2451 Park, University of Nebraska
sopomore. July 14, she conferred
with Sen. Hugh Butler concern
ing discriminations in Washing
ton.—Editor).
Bunche Receives
Spingarn Medal
At NAACP Convo
BY HARRY LEVETTE.
LOS ANGELES. (ANP). In a
spectacular climax to one of the
greatest conventions held by the
NAACP, Dr. Ralph J. Bunche,
UN peace mediator in Palestine
and director of trusteeships, was
awarded a Spingarn medal be
fore 25,000 persons of all races at
Hollywood Bowl, last week.
In his acceptance address Dr.
Bunche ripped racial prejudice as
an evil that could destroy the
American way of democracy.
Madam V. J. Pandit, Indian
ambassador to the United States,
presented the award to Dr.
Bunche. Gov. William Hastie of
the Virgin Islands presided over
tbe program.
Other features of this final
meeting of the 40th annual con
vention of the NAACP included
music by a 350-voice choir and
contributions of more than $11,
000 to the sponsoring organiza
tion at the meeting.
Yale’s Levi Jackson Keeps
Fit As Concrete Worker
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (ANP).
! Wrestling with block of concrete
is Yale’s football captain-elect
Levi Jackson’s way of keeping
in shape during the summer.
I Fraternity Officer Speaks In Omaha
Bennie D. Brown, Chicago, gen
eral secretary of the Alpha Phi
Alpha Fraternity, was in Omaha
Tuesday, July 19, as he paused
in his flight to the West Coast to
meet members of the fraternity
there. Addressing the Beta Xi
Lambda and Beta Beta chapters,
which represent students at the
University of Nebraska, Union
College, Omaha University and
Creighton University as well as
some of Omaha’s most outstanding
citizens, Mr. Brown called atten
tion to the increasing service pro
gram of the organization. He
pointed out that Alpha Phi Alpha
is co-operating with six other col
lege fraternities and sororities,
representing over 50,000 students,
educators, business and profes
sional people in America, to main
tain the American Council on Hu- ‘
man Rights in Washington, D. C.
Headed by Elmer Henderson,
Kappa Alpha Psi, the Greek let
ter organizations maintain two
professional advisors in the na
tion’s capitol to encourage the
passage of civil rights legislation.
Mr. Brown said that local councils
were being set up in many college
communities and urged that a
council be established in Ne
braska.
The meeting was held at the
residence of Mr. Joseph Moseley,
wartime director of one of Oma
ha’s USO clubs. Presiding was
Marion Taylor, industrial secre
tary of the Omaha Urban league.
Plans are being laid to broaden
the service aspect of the Alpha
Phi Alpha fraternity in Nebraska
and Iowa according to Charles M.
Goolsby, Lincoln, regional direc
tor.
Declare Robeson Red
P.H.A. Masons
Name Lewis To
Head 6th Time
CLAYTON P. LEWIS.
The Prince Hall Affiliated
Masons in Nebraska and jurisdic
tion met for their 21st annual
session in Omaha July 20-22.
Among other important things
considered and done was the allo
cation of funds for the scholarship
which was set up last year. The
award is available to high school
graduates. A great deal of in
terest was manifested in the
growth of the Youth Fraternity.
For the sixth consecutive time,
the august body re-elected M!r.
Clayton P. Lewis, 1945 T Street,
as Most Worshipful Grand Mas
ter. Mr. Jewell Kelley of the
Publicity committee has re
leased the following list of other
officers elected and appointed:
Deputy Or. Master; Robert Harris.
Gr. Sr. Warden, C. A. Stewart.
Gr. Jr. Warden, J, E. McIntyre.
Gr Sr. Deacon, Jewell Kelley.
Gr. Jr. Deacon, G. W. Camper.
Gr. Sec’y, J. H. Andrews.
Gr. Tre&s, George Althouse.
Chaplain. Rev. D. Nichelson.
Gr. Sr. Steward, T. Merriweather.
Gr. Jr. Stewart, Jasper Johnson.
Tyler, Richard Turner.
District Deputy, L. B. Burden, William
Hightower.
Foreign Correspondent, Clyde Malone.
The Lincoln chapter, Lebanon
No. 3, of which Jewell Kelley is
master, was well-represented and
its members served on a number
of committees.
Levi is currently employed by a
local contractor on a crew repav
ing a section of State street, one
of the city’s downtown thorough
fares.
I Leaders Tell House Group
That U.S. Should Live Up To
Stated Ideals of Democracy
BY ALICE DUNNIGAN.
WASHINGTON. (ANP). The name of Paul Robeson
played a prominent part in the news again last week when
two well-known Negroes testified before the house un-Amer
ican activities committee that the great American baritone
was a disloyal American and a member of the communist
party.
Thomas W. Young, president of the Guide Publishing
company in Norfolk, Va., and the former president of the
National Negro Publishers asso
ciation, and Manning Johnson, an
international representative of the
International Retail Clerks asso
ciation, an A.F.L. affiliate, who
at one time was a leading com
munist figure, were among a
group of witnesses appearing be
fore the committee to repudiate
pro-Russian statements made by
Robeson concerning the Negro’s
loyalty to the United States in
case of war. Others who voiced
strong opinions of the Negro’s
loyalty to this country were
George K. Hunton, executive di
rector of the Catholic Interracial
council of New York City, Dr.
Charles S. Johnson, president of
Fisk university; Clarence B. Clark
of Pittsburgh, Pa., Rev. Sandy F.
Ray, chairman of the Social Serv
ice commission of the National
Baptist convention, and Lester B.
Granger, executive director of the
National Urban league.
Young testified that he per
sonally had heard Robeson de
clare his disloyalty to the United
States nearly two years ago. He
stated at a fraternity smoker in
Norfolk, Oct. 10, 1947, Robeson
said, “If this country ever went
to war against Russia and my son
took up arms to fight against
Russia he would no longer be my
son.”
Young asserted that the man
who made Phi Beta Kappa at
Rutgers university and the All
American football team is repudi
ated by the American Negroes as
one who has “done a great dis
service to his race and country.”
Manning Johnson declared:
“Paul Robeson has been a mem
ber of the communist party for a
number of year. Of that I have
not one iota of a doubt.”
A leader in the communist
party for 10 years, Johnson gave
the committee a detailed descrip
tion of the party activities, their
method of operation and their de
sired goal.
Because of the highly secretive
assignment given to Robeson, he
continued, the communists did not
want it known that he was a
member of the party. For that rea
son he was never permitted to at
tend meetings and only the hier
archists knew of his party affilia
tions.
If Robeson’s political identity
was revealed, the commies feared
that his influence upon the high
professional groups, with which
he worked, would be less effec
tive. Therefore, party leaders were
instructed to never reveal the fact
that the famous singer was a
member of the communist party,
Johnson declared.
After having played the role of
Emperor Jones, he stated, Robe
son developed an idea of achieving
grandeur and power. He hopes to
be a “Black Stalin” among Ne
groes, and the commwliist party is
i encouraging that.” I
“It is regrettable indeed that
such a man has sold himself to
Moscow,” continued the witness.
In reply to the committee’s
question on the attitude of the
communist party toward recog
nized Negro leadership, Johnson
said the communists have the
greatest contempt for Negro lead
ers.
Referring to Robeson’s recent
statement regarding the corrup
tion of Negro leaders, the witness
stated that Paul Robeson would
like to destroy Negro leadership
and ride into the position of power
on the broken back of Negro
leaders who have been good
Americans.
The committee was informed of
the communists’ plans to over
throw the American government
and set up a black republic in the
southern cotton belt. Johnson ex
plained how they hoped to stir up
trouble between the Negroes and
whites of the southern states,
hoping that through demonstra
tions, race riots might be incited
which would eventually lead to
insurrection.
He explained very clearly how
communists work their way into
organizations, and either through
heavy contributions or vigorous
activity, soon make their way to
some top official position where
they might influence the policy of
the organization.
He named a list of organiza
tions which were formed exclu
sively by the communist party,
among them being the United Ne
gro and Allied Veterans of Amer
ica and the National Negro con
gress.
John P. Davis, editor of Our
World magazine, was named as
having been an active member of
the communist party during the
time of the organization of the
NNC.
The National Committee to
Abolish the Poll Tax was another
of the well known organizations
listed by Johnson as communist
fronts.
The Negro publications stated
as being controlled by the com
munist party are the Negro
Champion, the Liberator, New
Africa and the New York Peoples
Voice, said the witness.
The ex-communist, who was
subpoenaed to appear before this
committee, was grilled under-oath
for more than three hours, taking
the witness stand in the morning
and answering questions until
one o’clock when the committee
recessed for lunch. At 2:30, John
son again took the stand where
he spoke until 4 p. m.
In his concluding remarks the
witness declared that “if heads of
government would speak out for,
and pass civil rights legislation,
and if the American mothers in
the homes, and church leaders
would speak out against segrega
i Continued on Page L