Vol. 4, No. 2 Lincoln 3, Nebraska Official and Legal Newspaper Thursday, November 4, 1949
Opening Of U. of N. Girls’ Dorm
Result Of Work and Pioneering
Opening of the girls’ dormitories
on the University of Nebraska
campus recently, has been widely
praised as a forward step, although
the board of regents were, in ef
fect, complying with the public
policy of the state expressed in
the revised Nebraska statutes to
the effect that the “facilities of
the University of Nebraska shall
not be barred to anyone on ac
count of race, color, creed or sex.”
Of course we all appreciate what
has been done and hope that other
areas of bias at the state univer
sity, especially in inter-collegiate
Big Seven athletics, will soon be
dealt with in a similar manner.
These discriminations have been
driving the best Negro student
material out of the state for years
and has markedly reduced the
state’s return of educated and re
sponsible citizenry.
In a sense, the church stands
today as a monument to the dif
ficulty of getting men to do as
they know they ought; but a per
sistent clergy and faithful laiety
have kept people working for
good. It took a lot of hard work
by a lot of people to convince the
regents that people weren’t to go
running around with hands raised
in holy horror because of their
action. I think some special credit
goes to a group of university
YWCA members who helped wind
up the girls’ housing project. It
took their persistent work and the
faith of a host of other people
that democracy will work. Audrey
Rosenbaum, chairman, Sue Allen,
Mary Jane Melick, Ruth Sorenson
and Jean Smith formed the YW
committee. Miss Ruth Shinn,
executive secretary has shown the
kind of pioneering spirit that built
our state and that shall make it
a stronger community.
Ruth Norman
Piano Recital
Omaha Success
Assuming the role of musical
sponsor for the first time, the
Omaha De Porres Club presented
Ruth Norman in piano recital at
the YWCA auditorium Friday
night.
The event was Miss Norman’s
debut in Omaha after having
completed prescribed music study
at the University of Nebraska.
That that study had been ear
nest and well directed was evi
dent in the efficient manner in
which she disposed of a serious
and difficult program.
Hers is a fluent competent
technique and her tone has
warmth. Further, her study has
enable her to encompass the
widely divergent styles contained
in her program.
Exerpts from one of Bach’s
English Suits revealed nice ad
justment of contrapuntal lines.
The impetuousity of Beethoven’s
Sonata, Opus 31, No. 3, was well
piojected and the Schumann “G
minor” Sonata was invested with
lyricism and brilliance.
An admirably played group of
shorter pieces, excursions into
modernity by Scriabin, Toch, De
bussy, Copland, Creston and Ka
balevsky rounded out her printed
list.
Audience approval was so
hearty as to necessitate extension
of that list.—Omaha World
y Herald.
CROP Tells
| Where Wheal
i Sent in 1948
The distribution of commodities
III from the 1948 Nebraska CROP
iff Friendship Train has been an
jm nounced by Dwight Dell, State
I Director for the Christian Rural
HI Overseas program.
Sf ^ Dell said, “We want the peo
pie who contribute to the 1949
EK Friendship Train to realize the
■ many places in the world that are
^-helped by their generosity.”
Wheat from Lancaster county
was shipped through Galveston to
Austria, China, Germany, Greece,
1} Japan and Pakistan.
All CROP gifts were distributed
under' the direct supervision of
church relief groups.
Ml
Seeks End To
Anti-Negro State
Insurance Plan
MADISON, Wis. (ANP). Re
fusal of Wisconsin to sell state
life insurance to Negroes has been
challenged by James Rancher of
Milwaukee, who filed suit against
the state last week in federal
court. Rancher charges that his
constitutional rights were vio
lated when he was denied a state
insurance policy on the grounds
that he is a Negro.
The Wisconsin law which bars
Negroes from holding state insur
ance policies came under addi
tional fire Wednesday when Atty.
Gen. Thomas E. Fairchild brought
suit in Dane County Circuit
court.
According to John Lange, state
insurance commissioner, the state
does not give Negroes life insur
ance because their mortality rate
exceeds the actuarial scale. On
the other hand, Lange pointed out,
he could not issue insurance at a
higher rate because of a 1941 law
requires standard rates for state
insurance.
However, this interpretation of
the law is “open to question,” said
Fairchild. The attorney general
added that discrimination against
Negroes in housing and medical
care “is an important cause of
the fact that life expectancy of
Negroes is decidedly shorter.”
Drake Halfback Lauds Dixie
Foes As Oklahoma Wins 28-0
DES MOINES, la. (ANP). Soph
omore Halfback John Bright of
Drake university became the first
Negro to play the Oklahoma Ag
gie home field in Stillwater re
cently, but the stadium didn’t
cave in and the sun didn’t drip
with blood.
In fact, the Fort Wayne, Ind.,
youth received a surprisingly
great reception. “After what
people told me in advance, I
thought maybe things wouldn’t
be so good,” he said.
In the old days such a game
was good for a story that the col
ored player was left behind or
the school refused to play because
of the cplored; footballer. f | 1
Not only did Bright play, taut
the fans cheered him, and the op
ponents did not foul play against
him. He said after the game:
‘ What made me feel good were
the cheers fans gave me when I
left the game. A lot of the Ag
gie players came over and shook
my hand and told me I’d done
fine. Nobody roughed me up.
A couple of times when I was hit
hard—but clean—the guys would
wink at me, then help me to my
feet.
“That was the cleanest playing
team we’ve seen.”
At Guthrie, Okl., 30 miles from
Stillwater, he stayed at a hotel
with his teammates. The clerk
said he was the first Negro to stay
in the hotel as a regular guest
The Oklahoma Aggies defeated
Drake 28-0.
I
Porters Sue Unions For
$5,000,000; Seek Ruling
Cited By Jaycees
CLAYTON P. LEWIS
Clayton P. Lewis was honored
when on Oct. 18 he appeared on
the radio program, “The Jaycee
Parade” aired at 7 p. m. on
KFOR. He was chosen by a rep
resentative group of citizens
from listener dominations “for
his outstanding service to our
community.” Mr. Lewis is Grand
Master of Nebraska PHA Masons
and an active worker of the
Urban League board and Quinn
Chapel church.
‘Homeof Brave’
j Predicted For
Movie ‘Oscar’
RICHMOND, Va. (ANP). The
movie editor of the Richmond
News Leader hailed “Home of
the Brave” as one of the top
moving pictures produced this
year and predicted it might win
an Academy award. The paper
in its regular column of criticism
said:
“Look carefully at ‘Home of
the Brave.’ Unless we miss our
guess, it’s the Academy award
picture of the year. An extra
ordinary film, it should be seen
by every man, woman and child
in America.
“Its story is the story of hu
manity and it cannot be rele
gated to the category of Holly
wood’s effort to explain racial
prejudice . .You will be shaken
by ‘Home of the Brave’ but you
will also know the satisfaction
which comes from having seen a
really great drama.”
Assert Recent Strike Aimed At
Depriving Negroes Of Jobs
ST. LOUIS.—Two porters for
the Missouri Pacific railroad
filed a five-million-dollar damage
suit this week against four rail
road unions on the ground that
they are attempting to interfere
with the job rights of Negro rail
road workers.
The plaintiffs, William King
and Miles Harness, asked the St.
Louis circuit court to enjoin the
railroad, the unions and their of
ficers from continuing the al
leged discrimination.
The damages were sought on
behalf of the plaintiffs and other
Negroes employed by MOP.
The unions named, the four
operating brotherhoods, have
been on strike against MOP since
Sept. 9.
King and Harness asserted that
one of the objects of the 11-state
walkout was “driving Negro
workers out of employment with
the railroad and obtaining their
jobs lor white men.”
Circuit Judge James F. Nangle
issued an order, returnable at 1
p. m. Tuesday, instructing eight
union officers, the railroad and
MOPAC Trustee Guy Thompson,
to show cause why a temporary
injunction should not be issued.
The suit charged that union
officers are “conspiring to exert
economic pressure” on MOPAC
to force discharge of Negroes
employed as brakemen. It asked
that the union chiefs be enjoined
' from maintaining a strike
“which will effece elimination of
Negroes from operation of trains.”
The railroad has employed a
number of Negroes for many
years under the title of train
porter-baggagemen. These men
have performed the work of
brakemen but because of the re
strictions of brotherhood mem
bership, have not been permitted
to join the union that covers
their occupation. The white
brotherhood claims that these
jobs belong to them, opening and
(Continued on Page 2)
Liiicolnites
Train For
Polio Care
Oct. 13-20, the Lincoln-Lan
caster chapter of the Infantile
Paralysis Foundation conducted
a training class at Bryan Me
morial hospital to prepare local
helpers for the infantile paralysis
emehgency volunteer service.
The program is under the direc
tion of E. Clinton Belknap, Ne
braska representative of the Na
tional foundation, and Mrs.
George Steinmeyer, instructor.
Mrs. Carrie E. King, 2238 “R"
street, and Mrs. Zelma Ricks,
2237 “T” street, were among
those taking the training. During
the past week, Mrs. King re
ceived her second call for service
in the polio ward at Lincoln
| General hospital. Mrs. Ricks is
also reported to be on the call
list.
Although other Negro member
of the community have finished
the course in previous years, they
were never called upon to give
aid until this year. Mrs. King’s
service in the children’s ward
at Lincoln General set a prece
dent that marks the quiet lifting
of previous policies which did
not permit employment of vol
unteer or professional Negro
nurses.
Mrs. King reports that volun
teer-patient and -parent rela
tionships were characterized by
a spirit of friendliness and help
fulness. She hopes to gain enough
experience during the winter to
be of real service when the late
summer epidemics come.
Mrs. King is well known for
her active work in the PTA at
Elliott and at Whittier school
where she is co-chairman of the
social committee. She is the
mother of two sons, Lloyd and
Theodore.
Your Chest Dollar
HelpsvSupport
The Urban League
At last week’s end, the Commu
nity Chest drive for $270,203 was
97 percent complete and sched
uled to be at its goal before this
reaches your door. But if the cam
paign has closed and you still
would like to make a contribution,
the two dozen agencies that share
in the fund, will still be bene
fited.
Among the organizations which
are agencies of the Chest is the
Lincoln Urban League, an affiliate
of the National Urban League.
While it must raise some $2,800
of its budget, they depend on the
Chest contribution or 4 cents out
»f every dollar. When you gave,
i did you give enough?
Marva Louis
On Stand At
Howard Probe
CHICAGO. (ANP). Poised and
smartly-tailored Marva Louis
Barrow, ex-wife of Joe Louis, last
week took the witness stand in
the coroner’s inquest into the slay
ing of policy baron Winston Ho
ward. Howard was fatally shot by
Charles Cole, a business partner,
in the Pershing hotel lounge Sept.
30.
However, the divorced wife of
the retired heavyweight * cham
pion, threw little light on the
shooting affray. She told Coroner
A1 Bradie she could give no reason
why the “occurence took place."
Mrs. Barrow was excused from
the stand at this point.
Earlier, in private questioning,
she had denied rumors that she
had invested $25,000 with Howard,
Coroner Brodie revealed. Howard
and Cole were partners in the
Pershing hotel corporation, opera
tors of the Pershing hotel. It has
been alleged that a movement by
Howard to oust Cole led to the
quarrel that resulted in the fatal
shooting.
On the advice of his attorney,
Euclid L. Taylor, Cole declined to
i testify at the inquest.