Thursday, February 23, 1950
Rosenthal Advocates Citizen
Diplomacy, Says Contact Key
To Understanding of Peoples
At the closing session, Feb. 12, of the three-day con
ference on How Can America Best Promote World Peace,
held at the University of Nebraska, Dr. Albert H. Rosenthal,
public administration expert and U.S. UNESCO delegate,
set forth “the fundamental soundness” of building peace by
(1) the United States help build
understanding. He proposed that
further on the United Nations and
the UN special agencies (UN
ESCO, UNICEF, World Health
Organization, etc.) and (2) the
development of “citizen diplo
macy”—a process whereby many
people would help decide our
foreign policy.
Dr. Rosenthal urged the for
mation of a national commission
for the United Nations, which,
through branches in states and
cities, would involve the wide
participation of many people and
change the international picture
so that people would communi
cate w'ith people rather than gov
ernments with governments. He
I SAC Says |
By Ted Sorensen, President.
Lincoln Social Action Council
The last meeting of the Social
Action Council, after listening to
the need and plans for Lincoln’s
proposed public housing, unani
mously passed a resolution en
dorsing the project as vital to the
welfare of, all groups within the
city. We were assured that our
councilmen would agreed to it.
After all, several of them had i
professed to be friends of the
“common people,” the working
man, the minority groups; they
claimed insight into the social
needs and welfare of the com
munity. But the entire city was
shocked when these “friends” de
feated by a vote of 5-2 the first
step toward solving Lincoln’s
housing problem.
They did not propose to do any
thing to aid the Negroes now
forced into crowded sub-standard
housing by high rents and re
strictive covenants. They had no
ideas about what would happen
when the temporary facilities of
Huskerville finally wear out.
They suggested nothing construc
tive that could be done about the
slums which mar our city’s health
and progress. Instead they at
tempted to defend their sub
servience to private interests by
(1) statements of faith in the real
estate and building industries to
do job they have never done,
which is to supply low-cost hous
ing; (2) statements of fear of gov
ernment encroachment and lack
of racial segregation; and (3)
finally, statements of complete
untruth, of stories of no per
sonal taxes for the occupants of
these units, no audits of the Hous
ing Authority’s books, and the
salary of its manager. We’d laugh
at all this as a ridiculous spec
tacle but it’s the tragic truth
about a council we elected, and
in w'hom we put our trust, based
on speeches they made at the
Urban League, Y.W.C.A. and else
*wrhere. That truth has been be
trayed.
Have you friends of SAC called
and written your councilmen
what you think of their disregard
of their supporters? And let us
not forget to congratulate Mayor
Miles and Councilman Comstock,
W'ho proved that public servants
in Lincoln can be public serv
ants.
cited the Truman plan, Marshall
plan and our German program as
activities for tolerance and under
standing of the United States by
foreign peoples.
“Building peace is a difficult
and complex job,” he said. “We
cannot expect to find it all neatly
done up in a package labelled
“Peace”. Such labelled thipking
is only an excape.”
The United States spends 18
billion for national defense and
war costs and only .2 billion for
international co-operation. He
proposed a “Manhattan Project
for Peace,” government financed
and independently administered to
keep Americans informed about
national and world developments.
Dr. Kennedy
To Speak Here
Bishop Gerald Kennedy, in his
first visit to Lincoln since leav
ing the city 18 months ago, will
preach at two Methodist churches
here next Sunday.
Bishop Kennedy will speak at
11 a. m. at Trinity church, and
at 7:30 p. m. at St. Paul church.
Watson To Sin"
Othello on NBC
Net March 11
NEW YORK. (ANP). Lawrence
Watson, young Negro baritone
who attracted much attention in
critical music circles recently for
his portrayal of an old Negro
man in the stage play “The Bar
rier,” was signed here last week
to sing the part of “Othello” in the
Verdi operetta on March 11 over
the NBC coast-to-coast hook-up.
This will mark the first time a
Negro has been given the oppor
tunity to sing the part on radio or
stage.
The operetta will be produced
by the Butfalo Opera company
and will have Clifford Harcourt
of the Metropolitan Opera com
pany in the parj of “Iago,” and
June Kelly of the Philadelphia La
Scala Opera company, as “Des
demona.”
“The Barrier” is an opera pre
sented by the Columbia University
Opera work shop. Langston
Hughes wrote its libretto and Mu
rial Rahn was featured in it. Miss
Rahn is a graduate of the Univer
sity of Nebraska school of music.
Mo. Negro Demos
Refuse Money To
Anti-School Man
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (ANP).
Negro democrats last week refused
to support a candidate for the
U. S. Senate because he is re
ported to have blocked legislation
in the state legislature for better
education for Negroes.
They voted against support of
State Sen. Emery W. Allison
whom they claimed blocked a bill
which would have permitted Ne
groes to attend the University of
Missouri.
Allison is attempting to unseat
Sen. Forrest C. Donnell in the fall
elections.
A..c»; Housing Act Most
Important Postwar Law
Charter Given
For Carver
Monument
JOPLIN, Mo. (ANP). The state
of Missouri has granted a charter
to the George Washington Carver
Monument fonudation according
to a recent announcement by Jop
lin lawyers handling the applica
tion of the national group.
S. J. Phillips is listed as presi
dent of the foundation. Its head
quarters are listed as being at
Diamond, Mo., site of the birth
place of the noted Negro scientist,
George Washington Carver. For
mation of the foundation is di
rectly connected with a govern
ment-authorized national Carver
memorial.
Officers of the group said that
a $50,000 deficit on the birthplace
property will have to be cleared
before plans can be carried out
to build the monument. The fed
eral government authorized
$30,000 to purchase the property
in 1943 Legal procedures de
layed action and the final court
settlement of the matter allo
cated $80,000 to those interested
in the property.
According to several sources, no
action may be taken on the me
morial until the resulting $50,000
deficit is eliminated. Toward this
end, the trustees of the Booker T.
Washington birthplace memorial
took the lead in forming the new
foundation.
The newly granted charter
states that the purposes of the
new group are:
1. To work out ways and means
by which $50,000 may be raised.
2. To assist other nonprofit or
ganizations.
3. To help underpriviliged
youth through opportunity schol
arships.
4. To establish community serv
ice clubs.
5. To do research in the field
of agriculture and rural leader
ship.
6. To promote racial under
standing.
Charles H. Walker,
2200 Dudley, Dies
Charles Henry Walker, 64, of
2200 Dudley, died Saturday after
a brief illness. He was a cook
and had worked for several years
with the American Stores, Inc.
He had been retired for three
years.
Born Feb. 11, 1886, at Musca
tine, la., he came to this com
munity about 1911. He lived for
a short time at Cheyenne, Wyo.,
and at the time of his marriage
to Cordelia Mitchell in 1915 he
established his home here.
He was a member of Quinn
Chapel A.ME. church and of
Cornhusker lodge No. 579
I.B.P.O.E. of the World, of which
he was past exalted ruler. He
was a member of the past ex
alted rulers council.
Surviving are his wife, Cor
delia; stepdaughter, Mrs. Mary
Greene of Lincoln; stepson,
Charles Robert Mitchell of Lin
coln; a brother, Leonard of Des
Moines and a sister, Mrs. Eva
Brookins of Chicago; one grand
“The Housing Act is the most important postwar law
passed by Congress,” said Sidney Jones, successful Chicago
attorney, as he addressed the annual dinner meeting of the
Omaha Urban league Feb. 14 on “The Urban League and
the Community— Problems and Opportunities.” Attorney
Jones is president ol the Cooke
County Bar association. From
1939 to 1946 he served as senior
attorney with the Department of
Labor and won many cases for the
government. In 1947 he went into
private practice and won a $500,
000 judgment against a major
railroad in favor of the dining
car waiters. In 1948, while Gen
eral Counsel for Alpha Phi
Alpha fraternity, he filed the
brief in the Henderson case soon
to be heard before the U. S. su
preme court.
Jones said the problems of Ur
ban centers are very similar. He
noted that although the 25,000
Negroes in Omaha represent a
100 percent increase in the last
ten years, only 20 new houses
have been built. One half of the
non-white housing in Omaha is
substandard. But, he added, hous
ing is inadequate in all large cit
ies and explained that real estate
dealers are not offering housing
within the low price range.
Our national population is in
creasing at the rate of a million
a year, accentuating the housing
problem; 810,000 housing units
are authorized under the Housing
Act, but (as we know) it is up
to individual communities to de
cide how much they want. “We
promised veterans that they would
have homes fit for heroes, but
today one-third of the married
veterans live in rented rooms,
trailers or crowded in with other
families and relatives.”
Slum housing, he continued,
pays low taxes, has low upkeep
and high profits. Slum landlords
do not want public housing, but
public rents pay more to cities
tharr do vacant or slum proper
ties.
EMPLOYMENT
There are still 5 million un
employed in the U. S., Mr. Jones
continued. Production exceeds
consumption, - the Commodity
Credit corporation has about $4.5
billion worth of various farm
products on hand, we are even
dying potatoes blue (so people
won’t eat them) to feed stock
while there are hungry in our
cities. Some adjustment is needed
to keep us away from the situa
tion of the ’30s.
, FEPC
He noted the effectiveness of
FEPC in ten states. FEPC, he
stated, will not solve every prob
lem, but it will do a lot of good
for democracy and employment
for all concerned. With FEPC,
there will be an increased de
mand for the services of the Ur
ban League in supplying compe
tent workers to the labor mart.
He noted that on Jan. 24 congress
by-passed FEPC but granted en
try to 320,000 displaced persons
and 5,000 children. Colored citi
zens are not happy over the fact,
he observed, that they will en
joy fewer social, political and
economic rights than the news
comers. FEPC, he said is needed
for full employment.
Attorney Jones also discussed
child, four nieces and two
nephews.
Funeral services were held
Wednesday at 2 p. m. at Quinn
Chapel A.M.E. church with Rev.
J. B. Brooks in charge.
No Screen Test
—Courtesy The Lincoln Journal.
JACKIE ROBINSON.
HOLLYWOOD. (ANP). Jackie
Robinson’s experiences in radio,
television, and newsreels have
given him enough preparation
for his forthcoming picture, “The
Jackie Robinson Story.”
William Heineman, vice presi
dent of Eagle-Lion Films, said
last week, “I’m sure Jackie will
do a competent job. He has
demonstrated that he has poise
and good speaking voice in many
newsreel, television and radio
appearances.”
Heineman said the movie,
which will start shooting Feb. 15,
will have enough story in it to
hold it together. Much of the
film will be devoted to Robinson
as a baseball, football, basket
ball, and track star at UCLA.
“We are steering away from
race problems, although they
can’t be ignored completely,”
Heineman said.
Jackie is expected to complete
his role in two weeks. The role
of his wife will be played by
Ruby Dee, who is appearing in
the new interracial movie, “No
Way Out,” soon to be released by
20th Century-Fox studio.
public health problems and of
fered suggestions for individuals
who are interested in making our
communities and nation better
places to live in for all.
THREE CITED
Attorney Ralph Adams pre
sented the League’s awards of
merit to Amos Pearl, Midwest
Bag Co., Milton E. Johnson, presi
dent, Carver Savings & Loan asso
ciation, and Theresa Littlejohn
South high senior, 1949 Corn
husker Girls State Governor.
YOUNG NEW OFFICER
Whitney Young, recently ap
pointed executive secretary of the
Omaha league, expressed the be
lief that the day will come when
color, race and creed will not be
important, but it will not come
easily. Negroes must have the
respect and accept the obligations
of society, must accept the fact of
hard work; must make his oppor
tunities and gain the academic
and emotional preparedness for
specific jobs, he said.
Alfred C. Kennedy, president
of the Board of director*, pre
sided.
