Nebraska Newspapers

    % Hg
' ! Largest :
1 Negro Paper I ^er
in Nebraska I ^_____ Copy
* /JUSTICE/ EQUALITY HEW TO ThcUNE^
Entered as Second Class Matter at Postoffice, Omaha. Nebraska- OMAHA, NEBRASKA SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 1938 VOL. XII, No. 1
DR. BETHUNE CAPTIVATES AUDIENCE
Youth Council Gets Northside Center
Long School 1$
Selected As the
$■». Right Location
The Youth Division of the Oma
ha Council of the National Negro
Congress has been successful in
getting the city recreational au
thorities to name Long school >'.as
one of the places at which a re
creation center shall be conducted
this summer according to Mr. \\ m.
Meyers, city recreational director.
Meeting at the home of Mi. S.
Edward Gilbert, Sunday, April 3,
the Council listened to an inspiring
talk by Dr. T. E. Sullenger, in
which he told of the eleven wards
in which deliquency is the highest
in Omaha. He further showed by
means of a chart that Long school
was located in the heart of a high
rleliquent area and from such in
formation the Council decided to
ask that I ong school be named as
one of the centers of recreation,
based on the theory that for a cen
ter to be effective, it should be lo
cated in the center of the deliqu( nt
are*, thereby enabling the influ
ence,'f such a pro; t to radiate
out.
Mi John Elliot, a student at
Omaha university, was named,
chairman of the committee com
posed of Misses Tamer O’Neal,
Mable Longmeyor and Mr. Roy,
Gordon, with Mr. Gilbert, execu
tive secretary of fh'* Omaha Coun
cil of the Natio :al Negro Congress
serving as advisor.
The committe seeking influen
tial support, contacted Mrs, C. R.
Ross of the city Welfare Hoard,
who after hearing their proposi
tion, backed wi h certified farts,
agreed with the committee that
I,,ng school was the ideal In ration,
and immediately took the r re
quests to the proper authorities,
resulting in 1 ong school being
named as one of ain 1 Centers widen
drall bo opened to the public Sat
urday April 16, at 10 o'clock a. m.
Week Of Services At
Claire Chapel M E.
Beginning Monday night, April
is, continuing through to Friday,
April 22, there will be a series of
sermons delivered by tbe pastors
of various churches of the city.
Monday might, AprU 18, Rev. F.
p. oJnes of Mt. Moriah Baptist
church and choir; Tuesday night,
April 19, Rev. M. K. Curry of Zion
Baptist church and choir; Wednes
day might, April 20. Rev. G. E.
Stevenson of Pilgrim Baptist
church and choir; Thursday night,
April 21, Rev. Sanford of Bethel
A ME church and choir, and Friday
night, April 22, Rev. D. W. Bass
of Cleaves Temple church and
choir.
Rev. W. C. Conwell is pastor.
Intense Interest Being
r- r, - t fn Second
nev Festival
With Spring coming on us wo
find intense interest being mani
fested in the coming secoml annual
May Day Festival to be held May i
22nd. the place to be announced af
ter Easter. ,
TV following churches are giv
ing 100 per rent to make the sec
ond annual display of youth talent
in song the most colorful event
ever to be witnessed here: St.
John AME, Zion, Salem. Baptist,
Christ Temple, Second Baptisf,
Cterinda, lowh, Bethel Baptist,
MT Moriah. Metropolitan Spiritual,
Bethel AME. Pleasant Green
Baptist, and the Seventh Day Ad
ventist.
The Committee will meet Mon
day. A.pril 18th at the North Side
VWCA at 7:00 p. m. to complete
final arrangements.
All sponsors and directors of
junior choirs are urged to attend.
Mr. S. Edward Gilbert, general
ehpirman, and Miss Ethel .Tones,
d irector.
--o
Mr. and Mrs. .T. Shaw, accompan
ied by Mr. Robert Horselv, motor
ed here ?rr*m Detroit to visit the
parents of Mr. Shaw, Mr. and Mrs
Oliver Shaw.
p
“Seven Last Words”
Closes Easter Music
Season At Hillside
Earlygoers to Hillside Picsby
teiian church on Easter Sunday
at 4:30 o’clock, where a chorus of
1 40 voices, and an orchestra will
present, “The Seven Last Words”
! by PuBois, will possibly be the
; only ones who will be seated, ow
ing to the fact that more than 150
patrons have already been procured
through a courtesy ticket. There
I fore music lovers who have no
courtesy tickets, should be at the
church not later then 4 o’clock.
'The altar will he draped with white
linen upon which will be seen 37
lily white candles which will be
lighted sometime during the ser
vice.
The introductory soprano will he
sung by Mrs. Frank Smead. The
first word, “Father Forgive Them”
will be sung by Mr. H. L. Preston,
Mr. Riehaid Miller and chorus.
The secor.il word, “Verily today
Shalt, Thou Be Wi h Me In Para
dise,” will be sung by Mr. Preston
and Mr. Miller. The third word,
l“Woman Behold Thy Son,” will he
: hv Mr Pear'. Gibson, Mr.
Miller and chorus, The fourth word,
e. baritone solo, “God, My Father,
Why Hast Thou Forsaken Me?”
will be sung by Mr. Preston and
chorus. The sixth word, “I Thirst"
will bo sum? by Mr. Preston and
chorus, he sixth word, “Father In
to Thy Hands I Commend My:
Soul.” will be sung by Mr. Miller
and chorus. The seventh word," It j
I- Finished,” will be sum? by Mrs. |
Irene Morton, Mr. Miller and cho
rus.
Mr. Miller is the tenor soloist at
the Dundee Presbyterian church,
Mrs. Smead from the North Chris
tian church, Mrs. Gibson from St.
John A ME, Mrs. Morton part time
soloist of Hillside Presbyterian,
and Mr. Preston, soloist of Hill
side. Miss Ethel Webb, pianist of
Die church, will be assisted by
Miss Edro.se Willis, who will play
he first piano. Mr. Fred Demster,
cellist, of the Omaha university
orchestra, Mr. William Lewis, bass
violinist, Mr. John Jteagan. violin
ist, will constitute the orchestra.
Rev. John S. Williams, pastor of
..lie Hilllside church will direct the
service,. ID
-O
Zion Junior Choir
Presents Operetta
An operetta, “The Ghost of1
Lolly Pop Days,” will be presented
at the Zion Baptist church, Mon- 1
fay, evening, May 2, at 8 p. m. un
ler the direction of Miss Estella
Robertson, who is known for her,
success in present ng operettas, i
plays, etc.
his will be one of the most inter-'
esting events of the season of our
best young people of the city. We
hope to have the church packed to j
its capacity.
Colored Chamber of Commerce ,
Backs City Clean Up Campaign
f
City Clean Up week campaign
of the Junior Chamber of Com
merce was unanimously endorsed
by the Colored Chamber of Com
merce Thursday evening in its re
gular meeting held at the North
side YWCA.
The following challenge is made
to each family in Omaha: Buy a
box o-r barrel] for empty tin cans;
empty ycur ashes on your own
property; take pride in the place
where ou live; the neighbors will
clean up if you do; each yard
should be kept neat; refrain from
dumping rubbish into streets or
alleys^ have yo uthought of your
health?
Only cleanliness will give you
health; much sickness is caused
by uncleanliness; everyone should
take prind in a clean yard; surely
ou will be willing to help; any
yard can he made beautiful; no
person admires an unclean yard or
home; don’t put it off, do it to
dy; you won’t miss what little
time it will take; reward is yours
for a few minutes effort each
week; do your share to help make
a more beautiful community.
The Chamber invites every or
ganization to send representatives
to a cal! meeting Thursday even
ing April 14th, matters of imnort
ances, to be held at the Northside
“Y” at 7:30 p, m.
Etta Moten Takes
Leave From Radio
Chicago, April 10 —Etta Mo
ten, famed concert and radio artist,
will take a five-day leave from her
current broadcast, “Cabin at the
Crosstoads,” heard over NBC's
red and blue no;works every week
day morning, it was announced
hero today by the Chicago Concert
Bureau. Miss Moten, who was just
recently signed to the Quaker Oats
program on a 13-week contract,
purposely omitted April 5 to 11
chapter, in Petersburg, Va., on
April 7 for Virginia State College,
and in Philadelphia on Aprilll.
Her broadcasts will be resumed
on April 13th.
According to the NBC officials,
Miss Moten has recieved more fan
mail than other participant on the
program, and she expresses a deep
gratitude for this tremendous sup
port from the radio audience she
has been so sincerely endeavoring
to please.
from the agreement so that she
might fill concert engagements*
effected prior to the radio contr-!
act.
She will sing in Washington, D.
C., on April 5 for the local AKA
Society Suggests Sending Senator
Bilbo, Of M ssissippi, to Africa
Evanston, II., April 16—A sug
gestion that Senator Theodore Bd
l o, of 'Mississippi, who slandered
the Negro race vi iously in his
fight against the anti-lynching
bill, be sent to Liberia, instead of
attempting to send all American
Negroes »o that country was made
by the Society for Correction of
Civil War Information^ with head
quarters here. Bilbo’s solution of
the race problem, advanced dur
ing his Senate speeches, was to
send Negroes back to Africa.
In its bulletin for March the so
ciety quotes Jefferson Davis, head
of the Confederacy, as saying that
the labor of Negroes had convert
ed “hundreds of thousands of
square miles of wilderness into
cultivated lands with prosperous
people.” And that “the labor of
Aftri an slaves was and is indis
nensible to the production of the
South in cotton, rice, sugar, and
tobacco which had swollen to an
amount which formed nearly three
fourths of the exports of the whole
United States and had become ah
solutely necessary for the wants
of civilized man.”
The society's bulletin points out
that on the testimony of Jefferson
Davis himself, the Negro wras a
vi ly valuable force in building up
the United States. It implies that
Senator Bilbo is not half so valu
able, and states:
‘‘If, therefore, Senator Bilbo
feels that the United States is
not big enough to hold him
and the Negro citizens, since
we owe so much of what Am
erica is to the labor of the Ne
groes, it would be more
fitting and less of a drain on
tlVe public purse, if Senator
Bilbo were to ask for an ap
propriation to colonize himself
in Liberia instead of the 12,
000.000 Negro citizens of the
United States to whose race
Jefferson Davi,s bears witness
we are indebted tor much of
America’s greatness, and that
greatness gained by their un
requited toil.”
Mrs W. B, Gibson
Succumbs; Hold
Funeral Friday
Funeral services for Mrs. Wini
fred Brewer Gibson, omiy daugh
ter of Rev. and Mrs. Jonathan C.
Brewer, will be held in the chapel
of the Charles S. Jackson, funeral
home, Friday morning at 11 o’clock
Re'. Peck of Great«»r Bethel A.
M. E. chureh, will officiate.
Mrs. Gibson, who had been ill
for some time, died Monday aft
ernoon, March 28 .She was strick
en in Omaha, Nebr., and came
f] om there to Chicago.
Mi’s. Gibson was a graduate of
Hyde Park high school and was
ctmployed for eight years on the
St. Louis Argus’ staff in St. Louis,
.VTo. She had also worked at the
Omaha Guide and the Chicago
Bee.
She is survived b her mother,
father aw! a brother.
-—o
ARMOURS PLANT STOPPED
FOR 30 MINUTES; GANGS
RAISED; MEN CUT
The Armours Packing Compan
y’s refusal to raise the gang in its
plant on Wednesday, April Oth, up
to the required man power nec
essary to man the out put against
the chain which had been set up,
resulted in a complete shut down
of the three kills when-officials of
the poweiful CIO gave orders to
top production unless the gang be
raised to the required quota.
It is reported that the grievance
committee of the CIO locals waited
n the management on Tuesday the
fifth and asked that the three
uen whom the gang superintendent
had laid off be put back to work,
'hey were told that the matter
would be looked into. The follow
ing morning the gang went to
work as usual but found that the
gang was still short of the three
men dispite the promise to rectify
the condition and at the same time
they had raised the out-pot. The
grievance committees of 'he five
CIO locals then had a caucus with
the national CIO Regional Direc
tor, Mr. Frank Alsup and out of
this meeting came an urimatum to
th< plant officials, that unless the
geng lx- raised to the required
quota fhe plant would be shut
down at 1:20 p. m. At 1:20 no act
tier had been taken by the plant
officials, orders were given and
every man in the throe kills, hog,
sheep, and cattle stopped, thereby
paralizing the t-rrti'-e nlant. Upon
recieving the knowledge that the
Ultimatum had actually been curr
ied out, the plant officials found
time to meet and talk with the CIO
representatives, resulting in the
gang being raised and rhe jubilant
men returned to work. It is report
ed that the company lost $‘*>0.00 for
every minute that the plant was
closed down.
Workers Celebrate
Saturday night April 9th the
five locals held a victory party at
their headquarters on South 25th
street, which proved to l>e one of
the largest demonstrations of pack
ing house workers loyalty to an
organization ever to have been
witnessed in Omaha. Fully 3500
persons packed and jammed every
available spot in the building, so
huge was the crowd tha1 it was
necessary to utilize the outdoor
court to the building, carrying the
many speeches and other form of
entertainment to them by means of
a loud sneaking system. Repre
sentatives were ;n attendance from
all over Iowa and Nebraska.
Among the non members who
carried greetings from their
respective organizations were:
Solem C. Bell, chairman of the
National Waiters Union, Bernard
E. Squires, Ext Se'ty of the Urban
l eague and S. Falward Gilbert, Ext
Secty of the Omaha Council of the
National Negro Congrasi.
Hairdressers Hold
Meeting In Omaha
A number of Negro beauty oper
\ ators attended the Trans-Missis
sippi hairdressers convention a
the Fontenelle hotel on March 20,
21st au.l 22nd, Much enthusiasm
was shown among those present.
The attendance on Sunday alone
exceeded 800. Hair stylists from
Oklahoma assisted Omaha’s own
Francois, who has the shop in the
Aquilla, ini introducing the most
unusual and exotic styles in coiff
ure tluat have been presented m
some time.
The most efficient Francois join
ed the rest of thee beauty world
in the prediction that the hiiir
must go "up”, which is a death
How to the recently popular ‘ page
boy.” A crew of demonstrators |
from New' York to the coast were
on bfind to show the latest ini
beauty accessors.
Among the Negroes present were
Mosdanies Klise Turner of the
Grow Gloss Beauty Shoppe, Chr
stinc Althouse, of the fAlthouse
Beauty School, Katherine* Wilson
of the California Beauty School,
Martha Mayo of the Mayo Beauty
Shoppe, and Miss Versie Winston
of the ^orthside Beauty School.
—-o
Squatter Takes
F. R. At llis Word
Cambridge, Mass., April 16
(CNA—Nathaniel Brewer, 49, one
| legged VVI’A timekeeper, his wife
and their eight children moved into
j a Home Owners’ Loan Corporation
I house February 2, without authori
zation.
Refusing to concede Brewer the
status of tenant, white officials of
the HOLC found themselves in a
dilemna. They could not institute
eviction proceedings and have c<»n
teted 'themselves with procesuHon
for trespassing.
Brewer protested:
“1’vo heard the President in
his Fireside chats.. He says
everybody is entitled to food
and shelter. Now I'm going to
sec if he is giving me the run- j
around.”
visits friends
Miss Sylvia Ware, 2008 North j
Twerity-seventh street, left Mon-'
day morning, April 11, by plane,’
for Kansas City, Kas, to join her
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur
Ware.
She and her sister, Miss Bernice
Ware, motored to Sedalia, Mo., to
visit her aunt, Mrs. Gertrude Red
mond.
Senate Committee To
Probe Civil Service;
Include Jim Crow
Washington, April 10—Various
i types of discriminatio nin the fed
eral civil service, including dis
crimination against Negroes, will
be investigated by a committee of
five senators under a resolution in
troduced by Senator Allen J. El
lender of Louisiana and passed by
the Senate last week .
Senator Ellender, one- of the bit
terest opponents of the anti-lynch
ing bill, has long been interested in
reforming certain evils which he
chaiges are rampant in the civil
service. He claiips that the main
proposal ftf his resolutio-n is "to
investigate the discrimination that
has been oeeuring in the various
government departments under
civil service, with .reference to
promotion-, transfers, displinaiy
measures, etc."
It is a well known fact that
Negroes are discriminated against
in civil ser' ice, not omly in the se
curing of appointments after they
have passed the examination, hut,
in the few places to which they
are appointed, they are are great
ly restricted as to promotions ami
transfers, and are held strictly to ,
disciplinary meaures. The postal
service, although it has many Ne
groes in it, is notorious for its dis
criminatory treatment.
The NAAfT wrote Senator El
lender concerning the investigation,1
asking permission to appear he
fore the commi'tee and submit re
cords showing "abuses regarding
Negroes qualified for civil service
appointment.” Senator Ellender
has not espiecialy noted the Ne
groes in his resolution or in h's
correspondence, but the language
of the resolution is so broad that,
cases of Negroc discrimination can
be easily included.
I ho NAA( I has sent out an
appeal to its branches and to the
public generally to send to its na*
1 ional office, 6<i Fifth avenue, New:
York City, the latent correct in
formation on any civil service dis-l
crimination against Negroes in
aroug localities. The NAACP em
nhasizes that this information mu t
lie accurate and factual with names
.dates, addresses, and with docu
mentary evidence such as letters,
ratings, etc. It will he useless to
semi mere complaints without
facts. The Association emphasizes
also that this invetigation does
not concern state or city civil ser
vice, but merely with the federal
civil service having (o do with
rover rare it departments.
The civil service was critized in
the syndicated column “The Wash
ington Merry-Go-Round" written
by Robert S. Allen and Drew
Pearson, as being controlled, not
by the three civil service commis
sioners ,but by certain key men ami
women who have a tight grip upon
the machinery arul who have re
sisted efforts to reform the proce
dure. The column declares that
James I>. Yaden, chief of the ex
amining division, “holds the power
of life and death over nil appli
cants for jobs.”
Goodwill Spring Musical Creating
Much interest to Chureh Choirs
The Goodwill Spring Mus'cal is I
creating a great deal of interest
among the choirs that are partici
ptincr in the musical on Sunday.
April 24, in the Central high
school auditorium at 2:45 p. m.
The rehearsals have been very]
good, and show promise of a great |
treat for those who love good sing-j
ing. The final rehearsal will be,
Tuesday night after Easter at the,
Hillside Presbyterian church at|
30th and Ohio streets. It is very
i important that all choirs and all
members of choirs be at this final |
rehearsal, so they may know just
what you are to do at the high
school on the day of the musical.
With the fine spirit of coopera
tion shown on the part of the,
ministers and the city-wide uslier(
board, we look forward to a day!
long to be remembered in Omaha.:
The choirs in their vested robes
Will make a picture you should,
see.
The Omaha Concert band, direct
ed bv Mr. George Bryant, will add
much to the music for the day, as
it will take part in the rendition
of some of the numbers, such as
the National Negro Anthem and
the Hallelujah Chorus. .lust pic
ture in your mind 250 or more
people singing these numbers with
this great band accompanying them
It would be use to say lx? on
time, because you are going to be
there before 2:45 if you expect a
seat and to enjoy the beauty and
sacredness of the processional.
You will be greeted by the city
wide usher board with its service
with a smile .
You cannot afford to leave be
fore the close of the service be
cause of the beauty and impres
sion you will get from the last
numbers.
Perhaps the number, “Dark Wa
ter,” is creating more nation-wide
interest, than any one composition
in recent years, as it will be used
as a contest number over in May
by many white churches and choirs
over the United States.
Now this is a fine time to ask
some of your friends, both in and
out of the city to come as your
guest.
• -
1 Y. A. Leader
In High Praise Of
Local Projects
—
by S. Edward Gilbert
I _ ___'
DR. M. M. BETHUNE
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, na
tional director of the Division of
Negro Affairs of the National
Youth Administration, after a
busy day in which she made an
inspection lour of local NYA pro
jects, attended a conference of the
Council of Social Agencies, spoke
at u lunheon in her honor, given
by the NYA and Urban League,
appeared in nn interview over the
radio, was in attendance at a din
ner meeting at the Urban League
Community Center, where she
made a brief, but inspiring talk,
relating by way of constructive
criticism that there was a great
need in the state of Nebraska, for
the appointing of some gualified
Negro man or woman who could
and would serve as a’ Liaison be
ween the state NYA officials and
the Negro, climaxed her stay in
Omaha by delivering a magnani
mous address that captivated the
huge audience that packed the spa
cious auditorium of Zion Baptist
Church Tuesday night.
IJV. liethune in the course of her
powerful address urged Brown
America, to have confidence in
themselves, their own business
and their own professional men
and women. She interrogated the
audience with the questions; Are
you making the best of your opp
ortunities or are you standing as
it were with your hands folded
waiting for someone to bring sal
vation to you? Are you urging boys
anti girls in your group to continue
school in order that they may he
prepared when the opportunity pre
sents itself; are you sending your
boy or girl to school and at the
same time crying aloud that you
don’t want one of your group to
teach them ? She admonished youth
to take 'he stand that I will study
and prepare myself and perhaps
my chance will come; giving as an
example; her lifes experience, in
which she has forged herself up
frum the cotton- fields of the deep
South to the formal recognition
among the fifty most distinquished
American women. Resulting in her
today being the first Negro woman
ever to occupy a key federal posi
(Continued on Page 5).
Prarie View College
Band R&ted One Of
The Country’s Finest
Prairie View, Tex., April 16
(NP)— Emerging from compara
tive obscurity to one of the finest
college bands in the country in two
years, Prairie View’s 66 piece stu
dent hand, under the direction of
Captain Will Henry Bennett, is
the show of the college on gala oc
casions.
In addition to the band, P. V.
now has a 30 piece symphony or
chestra which will soon be ready
for concert engagements. Another
unit under the direction of Bennett
is the P. V. Collegians Swing band,
which has gained fame throughout
the Southland in Collegiate circles.
Included in the eolegiate band
are some girls. P. V. being one of
the few colleges, as far as known,
to carry girl members. The two
young wemen who sing in the or
c’hestPr are Poverty Glenn and
Betty Merrell.
Captain Bennett was trailed in
orchestral and hand wor1 u ’der
Captain Frank Drye of ’’’uVcgou
| and Kemper Harreld of Mo eh
j He secured profession ’ «*xn- iie">’e
I in swing h-nds in *■' Fn-t nod is
called ft'- ,,'rhf> T ” “>‘e Swing
' King” i: musical circles.