WHO’S I
—BY RUTH TAYLOR—
When I was very little, I tried to tell a story to
my Virginia grandmother one day, and to emphasize
my point I said, as the grown-ups did, "But THEY
say it’s so.” I can just see the way she laughed and
shook her head and said, “Now, now, child. And
LARGEST ACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER WESP OF CHICAGO AND NORTH OF KANSAS CTIT MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS Nowaday., with all the rumom and conversat
. . — " ■ 11 "_1 - - - ___ _--- —--—_-%
Entered as Second-class Matter at The Post office, Omaha, Nebraska, Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, April 26, 1941 OUR 14th YEAR, Number 6, City Edition, 5c Copy
Under Act of March 8, 1874—Business Phone: WE. 1517_. , , .. ,, , —-- - ----- -- --
OMAHA YOUTH TO HEAR CHICAGO JOB PROBLEM EXPERT !
Negro Bus Drivers
and Mechanics Win
Protest Settlement
VICTORIOUS NEGRO BUS <
ASSN TO HOLD BIG PVRADE
The United Negro Bus Assoc
iation, 132 W. 138th St., New York
City representing hundred!? of Ne
gro and white organizations who
have fought together for the past
four weeks for Negro bus drivers
and mechanics will hold a gigantic
victory parade in Harlem, New
York City, on Saturday, April 26,
at 1 o’clock.
For four weeks the United Ne
gro Bus Assn, composed of three
deletgates each from the Harlem
Labor Union, the National Negro
Congress and Greater N. Y. Co-1
ordinating Committee whose nam
es are A. Clayton Powell, Jr-, Ar
nold Johnson, Harrison Jackson,
Roger Straughn, Dr. Cyril P. 01
livierre, Hope Stevens, A. J. John
son, Audley Moore and Naomi
Kornacker have waged a historic
battle for Negro bus drivers and
mechanics in the Fifth Ave. Coach
’ Co. and N. Y. City Omnibus Cor
poration.
This battle came to a close when
an agreement was signed between
the duly authorized representat
ives of the Transport Workers Un
ion, the bus corporation and the
United Negro Bus Assn, on Fri
day, April 18.
To celebrate this victory Harl
em has declared a legal holiday for
Saturday, April 26. All places of
business will suspend operations
between the hours of 2 and 5 and
all Harlem will march—churches,
political clubs, trade unions, soc
ial groups, and workers will con
vene at 110 St- and Lenox A”e.,
at 1 o’clock. Preceeded by bands
the picketeers under the leader
ship of marshals John Parris, Joe
Ford and Walter Roarks the par
ade will march through the heart
of Harlem to 148 Street and Brad
hurst Ave., at Colonial Park. At
this spot there will be an open air
mass meeting at 4 o'clock, at
which time officials of the bus cor
poration and Michael Quill of the
Transport Workers Union, repres
entatives of United Negro Bus
Strike Assn, will address the peo
ple of Harlem in their victory mass
meeting
The agreement which was drawn
up by Counsellors Harrison Jack
son and Hope Stevens calls for im
mediate employment as the need
arises of 70 Negroes in the main
tenance division, of 100 Negroes
in the bus drivers’ division. No
member of any other race can be
employed until this 170 has been
employed. After that there will
be an employment of one Negro
for each white until 17 percent of
the working group is Negro—this
means over 500 of the 3,000 odd
employees of the bus company
will eventually be Negro workers.
The co-chairman of the lrive—
Roger Straughn, Hope Stevens,
Dr. A. Clayton Powell, Jr., issue
the following statement:
“This is not the end, but merely
the beginning in the historic strug
gle of the Negro people of the
twentieth century to assert their
rights to dwell in the heart of this
democracy of ours, rather than on
the fringe. Our slogan as we
march forward together is—let’s
make our land safe for democracy
We are calling upon all lovers of
democracy, white and black, to see
that all members of this democ
racy, even though they are i min
ority, shall be free.”
IMPROPER LEFT TURN
In policec ourt Wednesday, Geo.
Lerman, 2809 Seward Street, was
fined $1.00 only by Judge Wheeler
for making an improper left turn
COLORED SCOTTISH RITE
MASONS TO MEET
Philadelphia, April 24 (ANPC
The United Supreme Council A.
A. S. R. will hald its oiamond jub
ilee sessions in Philadelphia May
10-13, Representatives from 44
consistories, all in northern and
western states, will be in attend
ance. All meetings will be held
in the Prince Hall cathedral at
Fitzwater and Mole Streets.
The Scottish Rite among col
ored Masons had its origin in 1320
in Philadelphia. The present Un
ited Supreme council came into be
ing in 1881 as the result of a con
solidation of three supreme coun
cils in the northern states.
Lr. Sumner A. Furniss, a well
known physician of Indianapolis,
is the sovereign grand command
er of the order, and George W.
Crawford, prominent lawyer of
New Haven, Cann., is the lieuten
ant grand commander.
SOUTH CAROLINA CO’MITTEE
FAVORS SALARY RISE FOR
NEGRO TEACHERS
Columbia, S. C., April 23 (ANP)
Those Negro teachers who hold
college degrees will be given a
salary increase of $10 per month
if the recommendations of the
committee recently appointed to
make a survey of salary differenc
es among colored and white tea
chers, length of school terms,
transportation facilities and the
result of its study was submitted
Tuesday in a report to the general
assembly.
The committee s report reveal
ed that the average salary of the
white teacher is $988 annually,
while the Negro teacher receives
only $391. The number of school
buses for white children is 1,644
and for the Negro children, eight.
The average length of the white
term is 175 days and the Negro
term is 147 days.
“From a study of these figures
the committee has reached the con
elusion that there are inequalities
in the expenditure of funds for ed
ucation in this state. The nature
and extent of this discrimination
is more difficult to ascertain
“the committee report concludes
SEE NEBRASKA THIS YEAR!'.!
Fellow Nebraskans! Make up
your mind to see Nebraska this
year. Plan at least one pleasant
week-end seeing your home state.
You’ll find a pleasing variety of
beautiful scenery, interesting state
parks, convenient recreation
grounds and many points of his
torical interest. You’ll find splen
did places to fish and camp. Your
whole family will be thrilled to see
what this state has to offer- The
new Nebraska Tour-O-Graph fold
ers describes and pictures in full
colors all of Nebraska's points of
interest. Write to the Nebraska
Advertising Commission. State
House, Lincoln, Nebraska, for
, your free copy. Plan to see your
own state. Plan to know Nebr
aska better!
MOUND OVER TO DISTRICT
COURT ON CHARGES OF
ASSAULT WITH INTENT TO
DO GREAT BODILY HARM
William Edward, 36, of 2012 12
North 23rd Street, was bound over
to district court on Thursday, on
charges of cutting with intent to
wound, and assault with intent to
do great bodily harm.
He was accused by Ruth Union
1814 North 26th Street, of cutting
her throat on April 14, following
an argument.
MAXINE SULLIVAN SEEKS
KIRBY DIVORCE
THE SUBJECT
—OF—
EMPLOYMENT
First of Five Articles on tlie
subject of Employment,
by H. J. PINKETT
According to the State Audit
or’s report the Metropolitan Util
ities District during 1940 has 694
regular employees. Of that num
ber 12 were Negroes, all of whom
were classified as unskilled lab
orers. A few of them, however,
were doing clerical work, but re
ceiving the pay of unskilled work
ers.
The total paid in salaries by the
Metropolitan Utilities District in
1940 for wages, was $1,179,493.30
The Negro workers received of
this sum 12,240.00, whereas they
should have received 69,381.95,
their proportionate share.
The colored population of Om
aha is l-17th of the total populat
ion. And based upon these figur
es they should have l-17th of th®
regular employees given to them
by the Utilities District. If this
were done the number of employ
ees of the colored group would be
40 instead of 12 as at present.
The unfairness and injustice of
this glaringly apparent on the
face of the figures and ought to
be corrected by the Directors of
the Utilities District.
Every Colored man,, woman and
child in the community contribut
es through the use of products of
the Utilities District such as wat
er and gas as are furnished by the
company, and as citizens and con
tributors to the enterprise they
should share in the employment
which it furnishes, and any dis
crimination against them in the
matter of employment by a govern
meat agency is grossly unfai • and
denies to the colored people the
light to share equally with other
Citizens in the fruits and benefits
that flow from Government.
They might very well begin to
eliminate this unjust situation by
employing a number of clerks and
mechanics and meter readers from
the colored group.
It may be that this matter lias
not been presented to the Direc
tors of the Metropolitan Utilities
District with sufficient clarity so
as to induce them to provide the
employment herein referrol to.
All the directors are men of abil
ity ar.d experience in impoM.mt
ways in business, professional and
community life, and it may well
bo expected that when they shall
have examined the question pres
ented her, they will accord a full
measure of justice by way of em
ployment to the colored populat
ion. —H. J. Pinkett.
GRAND OLD MAN
Dr- A. L- Lewis, chairman of the
board of directors, Afro-Americ
an Life Insurance Company of
Jacksonville, Fla., which he help
ed found 40 years uro, reviewed
the accomplishments o f colored
Floridians just recently on the
“Wings Over Jordan’’ radio pro
a TELLS JUDGE HUBBY
' SURPRISED IN HOTEL ROOM
WITH ‘OTHER WOMAN’
NEW YORK, April 24 (ANP1—
Maxine Sullivan, she of the Scot
tish ballads, and John Kirby, he
of the kingdom of swing and the
Duffy’s Tavern radio program,
having struck a flat note in their
marital harmonizing, took the mat
ter to court last week when the
fragile-voiced Maxine told Offic
ial Referee Richard P. Lydon in
i supreme court that their song
I had ended and that she wanted a
divorce. The step put an end to
gossip that had been mouthed fa
bout since late last year that the
two celebrates were not hiting it
off so well.
Of course, as Maxine tells it,
hubby John had indulged in a bit
of extra-curricula marital work in
November and was surprised by
two of her friends, Charles Clark
and Mrs. Georgia Spencer, while
in the process. The ‘‘other wom
an” was not identified.
Seems that on the night of Nov.
ember 22 Clark, at the request of
Miss Sullivan who wanted him to
“check on” John’s alleged indis
cretions, accompanied by Mrs
Spencer observed Kirby leave th$
Beachcomber, Broadway nitery a
bout 2 A. M.. He was greeted by
the “other woman” and together
they went to the nearby garage
for his car. The witnesses order
ed a cab and trailed Kirby’s car
to the Braddock hotel where the
couple is said to have registered.
Clark and Mrs. Spencer say they
bided their time for about half an
hour then entered the hotel. Clark
approached the desk and asked for
Mr. Kirby so that he might tell
him where he had parked his car.
The clerk denied that Mr. Kirby
was there but the elevator oper
ator, overhearing the conversation
interrupted: “Oh yes, John is up
stairs in room 8 with a cute little
chick.”
The two witnesses then went to
the room number mentioned and
induced Kirby to open up. What
they say they saw was Kirby in
his shorts and the “other woman”
in bed but with presence of mind
to cover her face to conceal her
identity. The mission was com
pleted When Clark and Mrs. Spen
cer detailed their information to
Miss Sullivan at her home in the
Roger Morris apartments that
same morning.
When the subject was broached
to John by Maxine there was a
huffing and a puffing that result
ed in an irreconcilable split with
John moving away from the apart
ment. After eight months of this
the handwriting on the wall was
clearer and so Miss Sullivan took
the initiative to dissolve the mar
riage.
They were married in March
1938, and have no children. Mrs.
Kirby asks no alimony, and there
appears to be no defense of the
action. It is expected that the
final decree will be handed down
in about three months.
gram.
Dr. Lewis, treasurer-emeritus of
the National Negro Business
League, has also served as super
intendent of Mt. Olive AME. Sun
day School at Jacksonville, for
more than 55 years. (ANP*
hattie McDaniels visits
DENVER
Hattie McDaniels, noted screen
artist, accompanied by her hus
band, Lloyd Crawford, recently
spent a few days in Denver, where
she was born and reared- During
her short stay she was given the
keys to the city, visited by the Gov
ernor of the State, and was the
guest of honor at a reception-lun
cheon given for her by 40 girls of
the State Industrial Department
at one of the most exclusive and
HEADS NATIONAL NEGRO
INSURANCE WEEK COMM.
a__——
P. A. Young, Agency aupo.'vis
or of the Universal Life Insurance
Company, who heads the commit
tee in charge of the National Ne
gro Insurance week celebration
sponsored by the National Negro
Insurance association, to be held
May <1-10. (ANP)
swankiest places in Denver, the
Tea Room of the Blue Parrot Inn.
Hattie McDaniels, who for three
weeks had been honeymooning in
New York, was on her way home
to Hollywood.
NEW ICE CREAM PARLOR
ANI) CAFE TO OPEN DOORS
SATURDAY MORN’
Free Coffee, Donuts To Be Served
The policy of the People’s Pure
Food Cafe and Ice Cream parlor
2116 North 24th St., is to make
work for our people and to give
to the young people wholesome
recreation—thereby creating the
spirit of race pride and self helj)
for all.
We will feature the best of
foods. Chicken, steaks, barbecue,
short orders, sandwiches of all
kinds Special picnic luncheons.
We will feature delivery and
curb service.
Open house Saturday from 10
5 p m. Free coffee and dough
nuts.
This Week In Religion
and Thought
BY ROBT. L. MOODY .
Really Good Luck—
Last week I received a chain
letter from a person in the far
south. I was advised to pass it
on because one obedient person
had won one thousand dollars but
an indifferent person lost all that
he had. ,
It is very interesting to see how
simple some of our people are a
bout good luck. We are inc’ined
to either of two extremes. Some
will not believe anything without
proof. But there ate others who
are gullible and will believe every
thing that they are told. The
time has come when we must have
faith but it must be established
upon sound principles.
My informant calls the project
the “Good Luck of Flanders”. I
did not follow instructions but I
did write the person and recom
mend that she and all others
should “have faith in God”.
However there is one good les
son to be learned from the chain
letter idea .If everyone would be
interested in spreading the good
news of salvation to four of their
friends and so on, many souls
would be warned of the judgement
to come. After all, the only oad
luck is to be eternally lost and the
good luck is to have eternal life
through Jesus Christ, Our Lord,
for He is “the hope of His peopld”
GIRLS’ HOBBY FAIR COMING
FEATURE OF BOYS AND
GIRLS WEEK
The annual Girls’ Hobby Fair
will be held again at the YW0 4.
on Saturday, May 3, for all girls
between the ages of ten and eigh
teen under the joint sponsorsnip
of the Omaha Youth Guidance
1 Lawrence M. Nelson, staff guid
ance specialist of the Social Re
search Associates of Chicago, will
address the Omaha Youth at a job
clinic, Tuesday April 29, in the
City Auditorium, 16th and Howard
Streets, on the future field of em
ployment for young men and wo
men of Omaha.
The Omaha Youth Guidance
Council, who is sponsoring this
second annual all-day career con
ference, is bringing an outstand
ing authority in occupational in
formation and guidance to answer
many questons in the minds of O
maha youth about job3 and Job op
portunities. Mr. Nelson is an as
sistant to Dr- S^A- Hamrin, Prof
essor of Education and Director
of Summer School at Northwes
tern University, and is a graduate
of the Illinois State Normal Uni
versity. He spdpt several yean
in Illinois public schools as teach
er and principal. Through his
many present contacts with 3chool
administrators and through his
work with young people, he is well
prepared to provide guidance in
formation. Mr. Nelson, who is
very popular to youth audiences,
is joint author with Dr. Hamrin
of the instruction manual “Occu
pational Outlines". He recently
lectured at the North Western
University Guidance Conference,
Evanston high Bchool career con
ference and many school assem
lies, programs and commence
ments. The morning session will
begin at 10 A- M. and a free lunch
will be served at noon- The pro
gram for the afternoon will in
clude a free movie and several in
dividual round table discussions
held simultaneously in various
sections of the auditorium on dif
ferent job fields such as: power
machine opportunities, office work
institutional work, service fields,
clerking and selling, military oc
cupations, etc., until 8:00 p. m.
The young men and women of 0
maha will be given the opportun
ity to learn first-hand information
from those skilled or acquainted
with those occupations in which
they are interested. j
The chairman of the Projects
Committee, Miss Blanche Kleiman
expects a record crowd of young
people from the N. Y. A., the
Youth Organization of Churches,
social agencies, schools, and from
every youth group in Omaha. Miss
Kleiman has obtained the full co
operation of many service groups
and like agencies, educational lea
ders, civic organizations, and job
and private agencies in planning
this interesting and enjoyable pro
gram for 500 or more young rpo*
pie.
Miss Mary E- Sawtelle, Director
of the Omaha office of the Nebr
aska State Employment Service,
is chairman of the Omaha Youth
Guidance Council, sponsors of the
job clinic. The Council is a clear
ing house for community youth
problems and individual represent
atives from almost every youth *
serving agency.
Serving on the Porject Commit
tee are: Mrs. L. C. Crawford, Girl
Reserves Secretary of the YWCA,
and Mr. R. R. Brown, Executive
Secretary of the Omaha Urban
League Community Center.
Council and the YWCA.
Hobby classifications are :cook
ing, needlework, collections, coop
erative hobbies, handicrafts, art,
natural history, creative leisure
activities, photography and gard
ening.
Two classes will be set up, for
girls ten to fourteen, and for girls
fourteen to eighteen.
Entry blanks for exhibiting hob
bies must be obtained at the YW
CA., no later than Thursday, April
24. Exhibits must be at the Y-,
by 6 o’clock on Friday, May 2, and
must not have been displayed last
year. Girls may enter as many
exhibits as they wish, provided
that each one is labelled with the
name, address, and phone number
of the owner.
The purpose of the hobby show
is to stimulate interest in leisure
I onal tidbits of confidential infor
mation that are broadcast from
one person to another, it would be
a (?ood plan if we sat back and
asked ourselves the question,,
“Who are ‘they’?”—If we look be
yond the speaker to the source.
‘ They” say Hitler is invincible.
“They” say Stalin in a shrewd
bargainer. "They” say Hitler
will never cross the ocean. “They
say Japan will never fight us.
Rumor is like a grass fire start
ing from a spark dropped careless
ly, and blazing a devastating track
across miles of unsuspecting
countryside. Herr Goebbels, that
sinister, sardonic left hand of Hit
ler, is a past master in the art of
starting rumors and has boasted
with great pride of how he has
done more damage with his rum
ors than have all the armies.
Now when we are arming our
shores for national defense, when
we are building ships and making
arms, let us not forget this need
ful defense measure. Let us set
a watch up on our tongues and a
listening post at our ears. When
we hear a rash statement, let us
say to ourselves, "Who’s ’they?’
What is the (source? Whom does
it profit to have this story told?”
And then let us set a guard upon
our tongues, so that we pass no
rumors, no facts, that we do not
know to be true. This is the first
law of defense and on© which can
and should be carried out by ev
ery citizen in our democracy.
SIDNEY HILLMAN ADDRESS
ES NEGRO BUSINESS CONF
ERENCE IN WASHINGTON
Washington, D- C., April 18 —
On last Friday night at 8:30 p.
m. at the Mount Carmel Baptist
Church, in Washington, D. C. Sid
ney Hillman, Associate Director
General, OPM., in making his ad
dress before The First Annual Con
ferenee on The Negro in Business,
called upon the interest of those
Negro business leaders as he said
in part: “As business men, as
leaders in your communities, as
members of one of this nation's
largest and most loyal minority
groups, your interest in this vital
subject is obvious. America is
arming to defend democracy. And
we cannot defend democracy a
broad unless we extend and pres
erve democracy at home. We
can do this only if we practice de
mocracy daily—by creating a truly
democratic way of life in our
schools, in our industrial plants, in
j the communities in which we live..
FOUND CARRYING GUN, SAYS
HE’S JOE LOUIS PROTECTOR;
FREED
Chicago, April 24 (ANP) —Al
though Joe Louis was no where a
round when William Russell, 30
year old sportsman, was found
carrying a concealed weapon, his
plea that he was a bodyguard fcr
the world’s heaveyweight champ
ion caused him to be freed. Rus
sell, arrested in the International
amphitheatre while carrying a re
volver, was told by the Judge that
he might be ‘exceeding his duties”
by carrying the weapon when ne
was not accompanying Louis.
time activities and to direct atten
tion to the great fun that lies in
hobbies- The fair has been plann
ed to coincide with hobby day cf
National Boys and Girls Week,
wliich will be observed throughout
the nation from April 26 to May 3.
Members of the committee plan
ning the Girls’ Hobby Fair are:
Mrs. A. J. Campbell, general chair
man, Mrs. Charlotte Crawford,
Miss Blanche Kleiman, Mr Sty
our Smith, Miss Goldie Carter,
Mrs. R. M. Marrs, Mrs- Wendell
Brown, Mrs. Jeanette Kendricks,
Miss Isabel F. Whitelock and Miss
Barbara Stuart.
Judges and hostesses will be an
nounced in the near future.
SPEEDING COSTS $5 AND
COSTS—
Ted Allen, 2705 Hamilton, was
fined $5.00 and costs in police
court Wednesday on a charge of
speeding.
FINED $10 AND COSTS
Wilson Jenkins, 958 North 27th
Avenue, was fined $10.00 and costs
in police court Friday on a charge
of reckless driving. A charge of
speeding was dismissed.