GOOD ~ I | || e
READING
:•£ Til E
GUIDE _.-,- -“
gc /JUSTICE/EQUflUTT HEW .TO THETTNE^
at your
Drugstore largest accredited negro newspaper west of and north of Kansas cut —member of the associated negro press
.... ..
EU^ Phon?: weE. "fn Nebra,l“' Omaha, Nebraska, Saturday, December's, 1941 OUR 14th YEAR-No. 38 City Edition, 5c Copy
Rev. T.A. Sears Ousted From Mo. Charge
NEGRO CAR
PENTERS GO
TO WORK ON
TULSA PLANT
Tulsa, Okla.,—Nineteen Negro
carpenters are now working at
1.25 an hour on the construction
of the Douglas Aircraft bomber
plant here as a direct result of
nearly a year’s fight in their be
half by the Tulsa branch of the
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People. At
torney Amos T. Hall, president of
the branch, took the initiative in
the fight.
Before they could get the jobs,
the carpenters had to form a sep
arate union because they were
barred from membership ir. ihe
United Brotherhood of Carpen
ters and Joiners, Local 943, AF of
L., on account of their race. They
were granted a charter for local
816 in January of this year and
admitted to all rights and privil
eges of members of the general
body.
But they still had to meet the
racial prejudices in the companys
employment policy. On August
13 the carpenters applied for
work at the plant and were told
to return on August 18. When
they appeared on that date, D. D.
Layton, employment manager,
told them their union cards were
not good. Later the same day
when they reappeared with their
charter, Layton said that because
of the difference in initiation fees
between the white and colored lo
cals, toe members of Local 816
could not be put to work.
But toe regional organizer of
toe union ruled that the reason
was not a valid one, and com
plaints were made to the construc
tion company and to the Presid
ent’s Committee on Fair Employ
ment Practice. After an investi
gation by the FEPC, the comp
any hired the men who started to
work last week. Mr. Hall, local
NAACP branch president, also an
nounced that Negroes are being
trained to do all types of work in
the bomber plant and at the Spar
tan Aircraft company also located
here. Spartan stated that it has
no objection to hiring Negroes if
they are qualified.
ACCLAIM NEW
PASTOR
PUBLIC APPLAUDS
NEW METHODS
At a recent business session
called to consider the wishes and
program of its new administration
St, John AME. Church enthusias
tically applauded an innovation in
its financial and religious pro
gram.
To say that this idea was not
extraordinary, but rather new in
church procedure for Omaha nay
be regarded a proper characteris
ation of plans and methods hand
ed the official staff of St. John
Church by the new pastor, the
Rev. E. F. Ridley. The minister
has stressed the idea that while
the general public pays the debt
of any community welfare pro
gram, those who have charge
should be cautious in proposing
taxation on the public.
Says the Rev. Mr. Ridley: “So
far as St. John Church is concern
ed, under my administration, the
community will be notified when
the time comes to campaign for
any service required in develop
ing religious activities of our I
church.”
Acting at a church conference1
last week, trustees completed ar
rangements for moving the Rev.
Mr. Ridley’s extensive library
from his former church at Pho
enix, Arizona.
The new pastor of St. John AM
E. Church is a native of Macon,
Georgia and is the son of the Rev.
and Mrs. N. A. Ridley of that city.
The elder Rev. Ridley is an AME.
minister also. The Rev. E. F. Rid
ley is a graduate of Morris Brown
College, one of the units of the
youth — Are You Ready?
More and more Negro youth are
being employed in defense indus
tries in Pennsylvania. This em
ployment is largely being made
possible through the efforts of the
National Youth Administration to
give Negro youth work experience
in machine and metal work. Pic
tured here is a Negro youth oper
ating a metal lathe in the recent
ly opened NYA Resident Defense
Center at South Park, near Pitts
N
burgh, Pa. According to Isaac C.
Sutton, State Youth Administra
tor, plans are being made tc in
crease the opportunities being af
forded Negro youth.
Atlanta University system. He
has successfully pastored AME.
Churches in Georgia, Utah, Wyo
ming and Arizona.
STRONG LEGISLATION
NEEDED TO BACK UP
EXCELLENT WORK OF FAIR
EMPLOYMENT PRACTICES
COMMITTEE, SAYS WRITER
Washington, D. C.—The forth
right method of tackling the prob
lem of discrimination against Ne
groes and other minirity groups
in defense industry, shown by the
Fair Employment Practices Com
mittee says Bert Talcott, magaz
ine writer, offer ample proof of
the necessity for “broadening the
scope of its work and implement
ing its program by strong legisla
tive measures.”
Talcott gives an excellent bird’s
eye view of the FEPC in action
at the public hearings held in Cal
ifornia last month in the Novem
ber 18 issue of the New Masses
magazine.
"The great interest in the hear
ings”, he said, ‘was apparent from
the large number of witnesses rep
resenting interested organizations.
They included representatives of
He AME Church, National Ur l
League, National Negro Congress,
National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People, Em
ployment Office for American In
dians, Japanese-American Citiz
en’s League and spokehmen for
Latin American groups.
Defense employers, Talcott t aid,
can well afford to heed Commit
LIKES NEW SONG
Lionel Hampton, popular band
leader and Russell McDavid, Kan
sas City Composer, studying the
orchestration of “We've Waited
Long Enough”, McDavid’s new hit
tune which will be recorded on
Decca records on December 9.
FILE APPLICATIONS
DEFENSE TRAINEES
Washington, Dec. 1 (ANP) —
Young men who have finished an
accredited national defense train
ing course and want a job in the
craft specialized in have an oppor
tunity for employment if they take
immediate steps and file applicat
ion in the nearest first or second
class post office in their home
town.
Because of the increasing shor
tage of skilled mechanics in a
score of categories ,the U. S. Navy
yards and other war and navy de
partments are now accepting de
fense training graduates, regard
less of race, creed or color, for
helpers’ jobs in practically all of
the skilled crafts. These jobs pay
from $4.72 to $6.08 a day with
time and a half for overtime and
double time for Sundays.
Civil service application blanks
are now available at all first and
second class postoffices in the
United States and defense trainee
graduates can have their names
placed in the eligible register by
obtaining and filling out these
tee Chairman Mark Etheridge who
declared at the opening of the
hearings that “We cannot afford
to play Hitler’s game of indulging
in racism and prejudices while
we are attempting to destroy
him."
BRITISH EMBASSSY ASSURES
U. S. NEGROES OF INTEREST
IN JIM CROW COMPLAINTS
New York—The American pub
lic may soon know whether Eng
land intends to act against racial
discrimination in British agencies
operating in this country .accord
ing to a letter from the British
Embassy at Washington, D. C.,
received by the NAACP, Novem
ber 21.
The letter was written for Lord
Halifax. England’s ambassador to
America, at the request of Prime
Minister Winston Churchill.
Stating that the NAACP’s let
ter to Mr. Churchill sent Septem
ber 26, “is still receiving careful
attention,” the Embassy acknow
ledged for the Prime Minister the
receipt of the NAACP cablegram
asking for the courtesy of a reply.
Interest in the charges of dis
crimination against the British a
gencies is high and the NAACP
told the British Embassy that spec
ific information about the results
of the Prime minister’s “careful
consideration” will be appreciated.
blanks and sending them into the
specific navy yard along with a
certificate from their defense train
ing school or teacher. Thousands1
of jobs are now available.
This information was obtained
from the office of Dr. Robert L.
Weaver, chief of the Negro em
ployment and training branch of
OPM, which his been expediting
the employment of Negro trainees'
in these posts.
Typical of this new practice it
was pointed out, is the action of
the Norfolk Navy yard, at Ports
mouth, Va., in accepting defense
training graduates. .Negro and
white.. as helpers in the follow
ing crafts; blacksmi thing, boiler
making ; electrician; machinists;
molder; pipefitter; rigger; sheet
metal and woodworker. More
than 4,000 vacancies will be filled
in these categories at the Norfolk
yard within the next 12 months,
and defense trainee graduates
who file training certificates with
their application blanks will be
given credit for six months exper
ience in their crafts and hired at
daily wages ranging from $4.72 to
$5.12.
More than 6,000 Negroes are
now employed in skilled, semi-skill
ed and classified labor jobs in the
Norfolk yards and it is estimated
that more than 250 will be hired
monthly for the next 12 months.
Thousands of helpers’ jobs simil
ar to those now being filled at the
I Norfolk Navy yard are also open
| in other navy yards throughout
the country. These openings have
been posted on bulletin boards of
first and second class postoffices
in all cities and towns and applic
ations blanks can be obtained at
these offices.
Defense trainee graduates and
organizations interested in finding
employment for such graduates,
should obtain these application
blanks, fill them out, attach a cer
tificate form from the defense
training school and forward them
immediately to the labor board
at the navy yard in which the ap
plicant desires employment. These
trainees will then be called to
work when their names are reach
ed on the civil service register.
Speed is essential for these jobs
and the quicker applications are
filed, the quicker the jobs will be
open.
Georgia Warden Convicted
Body of Wilber force Professor Found In L. A. YMCA
EX-WARDEN CONVICTED i
IN DEATH OF PRISONER
Trenton, Ga., Dec. 3—The
“sweat box” death of a Negro
prisoner is going to cost form
er Warden C. A. Jacobson of
Rising Fawn Prison Camp, 3
years of his life in the penit
entiary unless a Dade county
verdict is set aside or modifi
ed. A superior court jury con
victed Jacobson Tuesday of
involuntary manslaughter in
the death of Prisoner Lewis
Gordon.
ABOLITION HOLIDAY SOUGHT
BY NATION WIDE COMMIT'EE
Philadelphia. Dec. 2 (ANP( —
In commemoration of the signing
of the 13th amendment, a nation
wide movement has started here,
seeking proclamation of Feb. 1, as
a national holiday for the 12,000,
000 Negroes of the country.
According to Major Richard R.
Wright, president of Citizens and
Southern Bank and Trust comp
any here, a committee of 50 pers
ons from all parts of the United
States has drawn up a proposal
for presentation to congress soon, j
I
SAYS NEGROES MUST FIGHT
R.R. SEGREGATION;
MITCHELL AGREES HE ONLY
STARTED BATTLE
Chicago, Dec. 3 (ANP) —“The
order of the Interstate Commerce
Commission directing the Rock
Island Railroad and the Pullman
Co., to cease discriminating be
tween white and Negro passengers
between Memphis and Hot Springs
Ark., and which last wek was de
clared effective as of Dec. 24, 1941
is just the first step in the battle
of Negroes for fair and esuitable
treatmen in the matter if railroad
accommodations”, said Congress
man Arthur Mitchell here this
week.
“There have been many who
have tried to pick flaws in this de
cision but those who do so are ig
norant if they expect one decision
to tear down all the bonds of se
gregaton which have been built up
through the years. We must
wage a never ending fight. We
have the basis on which to fight
i nthis supreme court decision
which is just now at this late date
being actually laid down by the
Interstate Commerce Comm3sion
as an actual order.
“The ICC tried to stall, it ap
peared”, he continued. “I had to
ask that their decision be hand
ed down an put into actual effect.
The commission apparently had
sought to open the case again, hav
ing written me, the Pullman Co.,
and the Rock Island RR asking if
we wished to reopen the case and
give additional testimony. To the
credit of those two companies At
torney Wallace T. Hughes of the
Rock Island and L. M. Greenlaw
general counsel for the Pullman
Co., wrote the commission refus
ing to reopen the case and saying
that they felt the supreme court
decision was final.
suppose a Negro asaea me Ill
inois Central for a Pullman berth
to Hot Springs after Dec. 24 Mr.
Mitchell was asked.
“They would sell him”, Mr. Mit
chell replied, “or have a suit on
their hands and the person could
collect. I still have my civil suit
in the court. It will come up with
in six months and I am going to
win it”. Mr. Mitchell’s civil suit
which accompanied his suit again
st the Interstate Commerce Com
mission asks for $50,000 damages.
“We have not fought enough
for our rights”, Mitchell said.
“This is the first order regarding
equality of service ever issued by
the Interstate Commerce Comm
ission. The way is open now to
force every railroad to grant pro
per service. Negroes who travel
should see to it that they get the
same accommodations granted
whites.”
diiiiii:i!iiiiiiiiiiiii!iii[iii[iiininiHiiiiii!iHiii!nniiiiiiiiH!iiDiitiiiiiiiiuii!»uui»'iiiiiiiiiiDiir i
[good manners
DR. CHARLOTTE HAWKINS
BROWN
President of Palmer Memorial
Institute, Sedalia, N. C., whose
book on etiquette; “The Correct
Thing”, has just been published.
Dr. Brown has for 40 years con
ducted what is described as “a
finishing school on the New Eng
land \pattem”. Many of the child
ren of the foremost families get
their early training there and the
new volume is the result of her
unique experiences.
(ANP)
JOE LOUIS SUED FOR $10,000
LEGAL FEE
Chicago, Dec. 1 (ANP)—A suit
to collect $10,500 in fees and ex
penses from the recent divorce
action between Joe Louis Barrow
and his wife, Marva Trotter Bar
row, was filed last Monday by
Atty. Bindley C. Cyrus against
Joe Louis. The divorce bill was
dismuissed when the couple be
came reconciled last Aug. 19th.
The attorney represented Marva
in the divorce proceedings.
The bill sets forth that Atty.
Cyrus was hired by the couple on
October 9, 1940, in connection
with the suit and a property set
tlement. Mrs. Barrow’s suit was
filed last July 3, and the couple
reunited during the hearing of her
motion for temporary alimony.
The petition asks $10,000 for feas
and $500 for expenses incurred
and advanced by the attorney dur
inging the handling of the case. A
jury rferee was requested by the
attorney to decide the case.
HARLEM ECONOMIC PROB
LEMS TO BE DISCUSSED BY
NEGRO EDUCATION GROUP
New York, Dec. 2 (ANP) —The
13 year old Negro Education club
here has announced its 1941-42
program of activities, listing as
chief interest, the equalization of
■alaries for Negro teachers, ac
cording to Mabel Carney, profea
sor of education at Columbia uni
versity’s Teachers college.
The purpose of the organization
is to advance the interests of Ne
gro life and education throughout
the United States, to promote fel
lowships, acquaintances and a
spirit de corps among its mem
bers, which are both white and
colored; and to devolp a greater
knowledge, understanding and ap
preciation of Negroes and their
achievements and needs on the
part of white students and faculty
Teachers college. Accomplish
ment of these purposes is to be
attempted through a series of pro
grams and activities designed to
show the part Negroes play in the
more adequate fulfillment of Am
erican democracy and national
life.
RMISSING SEVEN WEEKS
LOS ANGELES, Dec 1, (ANP)
The body of Robert Coleman, 26
year old professor of a Ph. D. de
gree and professor of mathemtics
and physics at Wilberforce univ
ersity, was finally found in a
YMCA room here last Monday, a
victim of poisoning. Discovery
of the body culminated a seven
week search that began on Oct.
7, when he was reported missing
from his Wilberforce classes.
At the local YMCA, Coleman
had registered under an assumed
name of Donald Ellis of New
York City. His disappearance
from Wilberforce lias baffled pol
ice officials throughout Ohio and
and am intensive search had been
carried on by the police all over
the middle west to ascertain his
whereabouts. Although his van
ishing act from the Wilberforce
campus created a great mystery,
discovery of his body on the Pac
ific coast some 2,000 miles away
from the spot where he was last
seen leads to even greater specu
lation.
Last Monday, information was
given out by the Los Angeles
morgue that a body answering the
description of Robert Coleman
was being held here. Coleman’s
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Cole,
man, Sr., in Cleveland had given
the Cleveland Detective bureau
several pictures of their son which
were to be sent to Los Angeles po
lice department for identification.
Disclosure was made of how the
unidentified body of a fatal heart
attack victim was traced clear a-J
cross the nation to the Coleman'
home in Cleveland. It seems that
a man had registered at the YMC
A. here last week and the follow
ing morning after his registration
he was found lying dead in his
room. Upon examination of con
tents of his pockets, a letter was
found addressed to a white lad in
Virginia, who had been one of
Coleman’s school chums at Wes
tern Reserve university. Contact
with this lad lead to further con
tact with the parents of Coleman
in Cleveland.
Before discovery of the boay
was made, the elderly Coleman
had hired a special investigator
to comb the state in an effort to
locate the deceased son. Circul
SEARS REMOVED FROM
CHURCH AT INDEPENDENCE,
MO., BY BISHOP WILLIAMS
Special from Bishop Noah W.
Williams, Presiding Officer of
The 5th Episcopal District of the
AME. Church, Dec. 3, 1941
It is now necessary that I re
move the Reverend T. A. Sears
from the pastorate of Independ
ence, Missouri for the following
reasons:
First, the Rev. Sears joined my
conference at Portland, Oregon.,
coming as he said, from the ME.
Church. When I got to the Neb
raska conference two years ago,
a number of men from St. John’s
Church in Omaha, came and ask
ed to appoint him to St. John’s
Church in Omaha. I told them I
did not know him, but they insist
ed on my appointing him. I had
told the Rev. Francis McClure, I
would appoint him (McClure), but
when he told me he had lived in
Omaha and thought it best that I
not appoint him, (McClure!). I
yielded to their request and ap
pointed Sears as their pastor. He
did good work the most .of .the
first two years, but broke down
completely at the close of his
(Sears) second year, and spent
most of the nearly one thousand
dollars that was held by Rev.
Rucker as special treasurer and
Sears reported only about three
hundred and fifteen dollars for
everything at the past conference.
I had no moral right to appoint
him at all, but did appoint him to
our church at Independence, Mo.
Second, he has neglected the
church at Independence from the
very beginning and on last Sunday
went to a church that is pastored
by a man who is now paroled
from prison for an unnatural
crime with boys, so I am told.
Therefore, I am removing him
from the pastorate of our church
at Independence, Missouri.
NOAH W. WILLIAMS,
—Presiding Bishop.
ars were sent out to various coll
eges describing the missing boy.
Dr. Coleman was reported to
have left Wilberforce because of
dissatisfaction over teaching on
his old salary scale after having
been promised an increase when
he received his Ph. D. degree. The
advanced degree was obtained aft
er a year of absence from the uni
versity’s faculty, during which
time he studied at Columbia uni
versity under a Julius Rosenwald
scholarship.
Returning to Wilberforce to
teach mathematics and physics,
he did so with the understanding
that his salary would be compar
able with the salary of the adv
anced degree. However, it was
hinted in letters to his parents
that the raise was not forthcom
ing.
The valedictoiian of his Central
high school graduating class at the
age of 15, he received his bachelor
of arts degree from Western Re
serve university at 19, and went
on to Columbia, where he received
his master of arts degree at 20.
His parents were unaware of
his disappearance from the cam
pus until they read a story in a
Cleveland newspaper.
After an autopsy of the body,
which disclosed poison, the re
mains are to be shipped to Cleve
land for burial.
CONSUMERS’ PLEDGE FOR TOTAL DEFENSE
Krai (CDTTSUMIIR’S PILIIDB!
fa FOE ®1M 4
As a consumer, in the totai defense of democracy, I will do my part to
make my home, my community, my country ready, efficient,and strong
I will buy carefully
I will take good care ofthe things I hare
I will waste nothing
Shown above is a facsimile of
the Consumer Pledge for Total De
' fense bearing the signature of
Marian Anderson, the internation
j ally known contralto,
i The pledge was drafted by Miss
Harriet Elliott, Associate Admins
| trator of the Office of Price Ad
ministration, in charge of the Div
i ision of Consumer Services, to rep
resent the role that the consumer
can play in the current War A
gainst Waste campaign to con
serve strategic defense materials
and vital consumer goods.
Miss Anderson was among the
first group of American women to
sign the pledge. Upon signing,
I Miss Anderson said •
I “I am glad to sign this pledge
and I hope every American signs
it and immediately begins to do
his part; by buying goods care
fully, by taking good care of tnc
things he has, and by wasting
nothing. I realize it is a big or
der. It is a great task. Tt will
require much sacrifice. But it
will help to defeat Hitler. I a in
sure that the Negro people are go
ing to do their part.”
The Consumer Division of OP A
with the cooperation of other pub
lic and private agencies is attempt
ing to have every American sign
this pledge.
The National Council of Negro
Women, Inc., representing 800,000
women, was among the first or
ganizations to sign.