/ JUSTICE/EQUALITY 1EW ,T0 THEUNE^
LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WEST, OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CITY —MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS
Entered as Second-class Matter at The Post office, Omaha, Nebraska. Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, December 28, 1940 OUR 13th YEAR— No. 41,—City EditicUr—Copy 5c
Under Act of March 8, 1874—Business Phone: WE. 1817_______■___ ___ * _
HELLO IA Happy New Year To You All
folks l -fa_19 4-1_LShe Omaha fiuide ★
Bishop Wright In Stirring Address To White Churchmen
One Day
At A Time
(by Charles Stelzle)
Many of us are troubled because we are uncertain of what
may happen to us during the coming year and we declare that
we’d give anythirtg to know what the new year will bring to us.
Suppose you could have your wish.
Suppose you knew everything that was going to happen to1
you tomorrow, what a fearfully stupid day it would be. And
think of a year of such dajys.
Suppose you knew all the charms of your friends—wouldn’t
they suddenly take a drop in your interest? It is because you
discover new things about them every day that holds them to
you.
suppose you resolve never to engage in any occupation un
til you knew all its laws and principles of operation—you’d, never
make a start, because nobody knows all about them. And no one
ever wiU. < » 'iiiMIS 1
As you look back upon your life, you will see that most of
your errors were due to the fact that new conditions had devel
oped that you did not know about. You had to learn about them
and you could make your discoveries only through experience.
An'd many of us learn through the mistakes we have made. Ex
perience is one of life’s great teachers.
The world moves so fast that none of us can keep ahead of
it. There is always so much more to be learrted, even by the wis
est of us.
This is what makes life a great adventure. A life that holds
no surprises would be a very dull experience.
And so, let’s face the new year with confidence.
Anyway—here’s a message that will give new hope and cour
age for every day throughout the year:
The World Is Wide
In Time and Tide,
And—God is Guide
Then do not hurry.
That man is blest
Who does his best,
And—leaves the rest—
Then do not worry.
Negro Garyites Win First Point In
Fight Against Housing Project
Manager Appointed But City Stil
Incensed Over Refusal to Heed U
S- Officials and Change Objection
al Designs; Boycott Sought
Against ‘Shanty Town’ .. ••
GARY, Ind., Dec. (ANP) Lead
ing citizens of Gary, incensed over
the design and accomodations of
fered at the new Delaney Housing
project and the refusal of the all
white Gary Housing authority to
make the changes asked by the U.
S. Housing authority which has
appropriated funds for this pur
pose, won their first point last
week when a Negro was appointed
manager.
However, colored citizens plan
to boycott the low cost homes,
named after the late Rev. Frank
S. Delaney, founder of Stewart
housei unless the local authorities
change their attitude and trans_
form the units into homes instead
of “levy camp buildings” as they
are now described. The project is
popularly called “Shanty Town.”
Several mass meetings have been
held and many white citizens are
aiding in the fight.
The new manager i3 William
Lane, who has been an athletic
coach and teacher in the Gary
school system foi^ 20 years. A,
white man was originally sched
uled for the post, but when pro
testg mounted the local housing
authority decided to employ a Ne
gro but give him the tile of “cus
todian” instead of manager.
When this brought in even great
er protests, Mr. Lane was appoint
ed.
Leading the fight is the Gary
Ministerial aliance, the Rev. J.
Claude Allen, president, and the
(continued on pageJSf^)
BELATED PRESIDENTIAL
CAMPAIGN ARGUMENT
FATAL TO A. TUNSPALL
BOUND OVER ON FIRST
DEGREE MURDER CHARGE
Forest Gillum
A belated presidential campaign
argument early Christmas morn
ing in a North 24th street lunch
room, resulted in the fatal stabb
ing of Abner Tunspall, 35, of
1320 1-2 North 24th St., according
to a police report.
Tunspall, a Roosevelt admirer,
got into a dispute, according to
witnesses, with Forest Gillum, 56,
of P13 North 20th St., a Willkie
supporter. Suddenly, according
to versions given police, Gillum
drew a pocket knife from his poc
ket and cut Tunspall’s throat. The
man died on the way to a hospit
al. Gillum is held by the police.
Several men in the Jesse’s lunch
room, 1426 North 24th St., who
witnessed the affray, are being
held as witnesses.
GETS DRAFT QUERY; MAN IS
FOUND DEAD
Monday John Wesley Woodruff
34, of 3021 U- Street, received a
questionnaire from draft board
No. 4, Tuesday morning he was
found dead, police said, by his own
hand.
Woodruff shot himself about 5
a. m. in the head with shotgun as
he lay in bed with his nephew, Lu
ther Wbodruff 5 with whom he
f
slept at the home of the lad’s fa
ther, Edgar Woodruff
Draft board officials said Wood
ruff wouldn't have been called frr
service before February. A men
tion of a dependent made it un
likely that he would be called at
all, they said.
Besides the brother, he is sur
vived by a sister, Mrs. Ophelia
Wilson, 3421 Evans Street. The
body is at the Myers Funeral
Home
NEGROES TO BE ADMITTED
TO ARMY AND NAVY UNION
New- York, Dec. 24 (ANP) -The
“Army and Navy Union,’’ with
headquarters at 1845 Broadway,
for the first time in its half cen
tury of existence, are making a
campaign to enroll Negroes in its
membership.
The Army and Navy union was
organized in 1888 an dis now com
posed of veterans of foreign and
domestic wars, ex-service men and
peace time service men now in the
armed forces of the U. S.
Its primary interests are con
>—-I”' -
eerned With protecting service.
men’s status on civil service lists
and provides welfare for the sick
and needy.
CHICAGOANS
PROTEST
DRAFT DIF
FERENCES
Chicago, Dec 24 (ANP) Major
Campbell Johnsont assistant to Na
tional Draft Director Clarence A.
Dykstra and Col. W. H. Draper jr.
liason officer between the selective
draft csytem and the war depart
ment, received a graphic picture
of what is in the mass Negro
mind, to take back to their super
ior officers in Washington last
Tuesday when they met with «
citizen’s committee composed of
local ex-service men, colored mem
bers of draft boards, local news
paper men and prominent citizens
of the south side community.
The conference had geen called,
at the suggestion of Curtis S- Still
well, chairman of selective draft
board No. 8 in Chicago, and other
prominent members of Giles Leg
ion post here. Representatives of
colored communities throughout
the state were present as were thi
too state selective draft officials
including Major Paul Armstrong,
state director and all of the region
al selective officials.
The purpose behind the meeting
had been the desire to learn why
selective draft officials, according
to rumor, did not intend to call any
Negro draftees in the first con
signment to be called in this dis
trict early in the new pear. Re
ports said that the first 20,000
would be composed entirely of
white boys who would go to Fort
Sheridan where there was neither
room nor facilities for colored
trainees. Major Armstrong, who
made the opening statement in
W'hich he gave a general descrip
tion of the draft machinery, saul
he jegarded the conference so im
portant that he had tried to secure
Judge Hastie from the War depart
ment, in order that Chicago’s col
ored citizens might have an ade
quate picture of the whole draft
situation.
Question after question was fir
ed ut Major Campbell Johnson and
at Col. Draper as members of tne
conference sought to learn why
since Negroes are being asked to
serve in the defense of American
democracy, they could not be per
mitted to serve in any branch of
the armed services on equality
with any other citizen.
Aid. Benjamin Grant objee;ed
to separate army units for Negro
es. He said that if Chinese, Poles
Hungarians and other racial
groups are accepted into regular
legiments, he saw no reason why
Negro citizens should not be ac
corded the same privilege. Col.
Diaper sought to declare that the
separation of Negroes from %vhit
Oi in military organizations was
not discrimination. Atty. Wen 1
ell E. Green drew the United Stat
•s constitution upon him to provQ
that the basic law of the land call
cd for equality.
Alo. Earl B. Dickerson suggest
ed that since old line army units
were traditionally prejudiced, that
a start might be made with the
newer air service and that Negro
es nvght be inducted into white
squadrons with little difficulty.
Major Johnson explained in de_
tail the methods to be followed *n
Uie.draft organization and in set
acting draftees. Col. Draper prom
ised to take back to Washington
a report to the war department cf
he objections which had been rais
ed- A committee of which Thom
as B. Mayo and Rev. A. J. Carey
were members was formed to pre
pare a report of the sentiment of
th meeting for transmission to
Cel. Draper.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF
NATIONAL ASS’N OF NEGRO
MUSICIANS TO HOLD MID
WINTER MEETING IN
PITTSBURGH
Pittsburgh, Dec. 22 (ANP) Out
standing among the innovations
planned by the National Associat
ion of Negro Musicians for the
coming year is the establif hment
of a national Negro symphony or
chestra, and the forming of a Na_
tional Negro opera company- The
association is also considering
founding a sustaining scholarship
fund, and artists’ bureau for book |
ing highly recommended and com
petent talent, and will try to help
Negro composers not yet recogn
ized.
These plans will be discussed at
the annual mid-winted board meet
ing of the association to be held
here Dec. 27-29. The National
Association of Negro Musicians is
an organization supported by peo
ple of cultural ideals and) music
groups oil high standard, ail of
whom care deeply enough for the
fine art of music and for musical
culture throughout the country to
lend their influence to one of the
most powerful forces for spiritual
and cultural development.
me association maintains local
branches in a number of the larger
cities of the eountry( and it con
tinues its drives for membership
composed of the beat known and
nationally accepted artists as well
»s those prisons whose interest in
music is limited to a sincere ap
preciation of the art and a wish to
foeter the recognition of Negro
musicians and their compositions.
CLUB WOMEN LAY EARLY
PLANS FOR NEXT SUMMERS
BIENNIAL MEETING
Kansas City, Kan., Dec. 21 (AN
P1—In a letter sent out this week
to the club women and girls of the
National Association at Cjolored
Women, Mrs. Susie V. Bouldin,
chairman of the association’s arts
and crafts department ,told of
plans for next year’s exhibition, to
be held in connection with the N
ACW. biennial convention, set for
July 1941 ,in Oklahoma City.
Several new) trophies she said,
will be added to those already
planned, to be awarded to winners
of prize artg and crafts exhibits.
Mrs. Jennie B. Moton widow of
9
the former president of Tuskegee
institute is NACW. president, and
Mrs. Sallie W. Stewart is execut
ive secretary.
MAN SUFFERS LEG, BODY
AND HEAD BRUISES WHEN
STRUCK BY CAR
Cornelius Strydei^ 45, 3928 Far
nam street, suffered a compound
fracture of the left leg, and body
and head bruises, when he was
struck by a car driven by Shasta
Washington, 2310 North twenty
seventh avenue. The accident oc
curred at Twenty-seventh and
‘TELLS THEM
THEY FEAR
TO APPLY
PRECEPTS OF
CHRISTIANITY
• ••
ATLANTIC CITY, Dec. 24 (A
NP)—In an address, remarkable
for its sincerity and frankness, de
livered at the recent session here
of the Federal Council of Churches
Bishop R. R. Wright, Jr., AME.
Church prelate of the 13th Epis
copal district, declared that ‘‘fear”
in some form of other is the
strange influence that prompts
preachers and other liberals tb
preach justice and democracy, but
practice intolerance( He said:
“In the study of social change
fear has played a great part ever
nince the beginning of social life.
When I was a boy in the midst of
the great period of applying mo
dern invention to industrial life,
workers were organized to fight
the changes that were coming in
because of fear that the extension
of the steam engine, the linotype
and the other labor saving devices
would throw them out of work
and reduce them to poverty. We
had a great war in this country
because people feared that the
change of slavery to freedom
meant the destruction of the South
of southern industry.
‘ The church hag often been in
duced to fight intellectual prog
rams because of the fear that
learning would alienate/ religion.
We look back upon these fears of
ten with a tolerant smile for we
see that they were all unfounded,
but today we have the some fears,
capitalism fears and socialism
fears Tha white poople fear to
give the black people either dem
ocracy or Christianity.
White men In this meeting will
talk about brotherhood, will shake
hands with Negroes, and have fine
fellowship but some of them will
be afraid to recognize these Neg
roes after they have left this
place. This hotel will give you ev
ery courtesy this week but it fears
to adopt a general policy of dec
ency toward colored people. Prea_
chei^g will preach for democracy,
justice, but they fear to practice
it in the simplest, easiest way so
far as black people are concerned.
They fear the loss of business, loss
of social prestige, loss of church
membership, loss of money, be
cause of fear. Many white liber
al people are willing to moke both
Christianity and democracy a farce*
rather than apply them equally to
black and Wlhite alike.
One day my little girl of seven
came home and informed me that
I was a Negro and that NPgroPs
were the lowest of the races, that
teachers had said so and she show
ed me the book to prove it. Pers
onally, I think the greatest crime
in America is the teaching of
young children such unscientific
propaganda. The Church should
insist that there is one human
ra^g. The onene^ of humanity
is fundamental in our Christian
doctrine and we should ever em
phasize this.
ix cnnuren n-arn early to des
pise other people because of skin
differences and to shut these peo
ple out of the privileges and equal
ities> little progress will be made
in preaching to adults about de
mocracy and Christionity.”
Bishop Wright recently returned
from South Africa, where he gaid
that the element of fear in the at
titude of race is much greater
than here in America. “I can see
a little reason for such fear in So.
America,” said the bishop, ‘‘be
cause the whites there took the
land away from the natives, and
•till are a hopeless minority. But
there is absolutely no excuse for
such idiotic fear on the part of A_
merican whites.”
HURT AVOIDING CAR
According to reports received,
Mr. Simon Hughes of 1836 North
21st Street suffered a lacerated
face, and the losa of a few front
teeth when while trying to avoid
an oncoming car, he stepped back
ward and slipped on the ice.
^——■——|
Lake streets. Stryder was taken
to Nicholas Penn Hospital.
Jt. . 6 ’
