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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 1942)
LARGESTACCREDITED NEGRO NEWSPAPER^WEST^OF^CHICAGOANDNORTH OF KANSAS CITY —MEMBER OF THE ASSOCIATED NEGRO PRESS Uncter Act of March 8, 1874—Business Pkne-^WE. ^lf3’ Nebraska Saturday, Dec. 19, 1942 Our 15th Year, No. 45 City Edition, 5c Copy Union Services To Start Jan. 3rd AT ST. JOHN AME. CHURCH The Annual Union Services will begin at St. John AME. Church cn Sunday evening, January 3, 1943 at 7:30 p. m. All churches of the city ■are cordially invited and urged to participate in these services- The participating ministers are hoping the unon services shall bring about a great spiritual awakening in the city. The devotional services are to begin each Sunday evening at 7 o’clock. The Rev. E. F. Ridley, pastor of St. John Church will pre side and the Rev. clarence C. Rey nolds and choir of Clair Chapel Church will have charge of the ser vices January 3, 1943. BATTLING SENEGALESE JOIN ALLIED ARMY IN AFRICA- ameft-born negro, ebouse ’ RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR AID From the land of Battling Siki— French West Africa—the United Nations’ armies stood reinforced this week by tens of thousands of1 the most feared and effective sold iers of modern warfare, .the dread ed Senegalese. Almost legendary fgures in the first World War, where they were Used as “shock troops” against the Germans, the sharp-shooting .bolo wielding Senegalese arie now align ed with scores of battalions of oth er colonial troops fightng under the banner of the free French. Although the full strength of the Senegalese force has not been an nounced. approximately 50,000 of these troops were believed station -ed at Dakar alone when the align ment of the French West Africa with the United Nations was ann ounced recently. These were chief, ly Senegalese volunteers, directed by French officers and rated with the Moroccans among the best fight ing men in Africa. This Stroke of their supporting the Allies cause was engineered by Felix Eboue, American-born Negro governor of the Chad province. A native of French Guiana on the South American coast, and a bril liant graduate of French school. Ebouse was the first of the colonial administrators to defy the new Vichy Government and announce the determination of Africa to fight for a Free France. His dec (Continued on pagegqgP4) 3usy With the War Effort, Too Eddie Cantor's chief cook and bottle washer on his NBC program, Hattie McDaniel, a one ot Hollywood's busiest stars when it comes to entertaining the boys in the service. A member ot the AWVS, the “Oscar’ winner is tilling In every spare moment staging shows toi Negro troops sta tioned in California. HATTIE McDANIEI EDDIE ANDERSON Lillian Randolph, the "Creat Cilder sleeve's” maid on the weekly NBC Sunday series ot the same name. Is another ot Holly wood Radio City plfyers busy enter taining soldiers sta tioned in ana around Los Ango las. Despite her ra dio and screen ac tivities. the colored performer also finds time to have week ly dinners at her home for lonesome Negro troops. , fddle (Rochester) Anderson, heckler ot lack Benny over NBC every Sunday, has been Instru mental in Interest ing several ot the motion picture stars in producing 45 minute 16 mm. tilms to be sent to bur soldiers on for eign soil. These semi-short subjects are to be written especially for such release and will in clude most ot the nrominent radio and film names in Hol lywood. r 1 LILLIAN RANDOLPH GET READY FOR NEW POINT RATIONING SYSTEM IN JANUARY Oet ready for the new point rat ioning system after the first of the year OPA announced that War Ra tion Book No. 2 containing coup ons of graduated values will go to every American soon after January 1. Meats are expected to be one of the first to go under the poili.f ra tioning system, with other commod ities to follow as requirements of the armed forces grow. • •• OPA NEW POINT SYSTEM INITIATED IN N. Y. CITY A program of education in the new OPA point rationing system was initiated in New York City this week by Miss Frances H. Williams, Senior Consumer Relations Officer of the Department of Information, Office of Price Administration. Between December 8-14, Miss Wil liams conferred with officials of the National Urban League, the Na tional Association for the Advance ment of Colored People .the Depart ment of Church Social Relations, Women's Division of the Methodist Church, and the National Boards of the YMCA and YWCA. These groups discussed their participation in an education camp paign designed to inform Negro Or ganizations and groups of the func tioning of the point rationing sys tem. Similar conferences will be held later in various key cities Of the country. Early in 1943 all consumers will receive War Ration Book Two for the purchase of goods to be ration ed under the pint system. Point-rationing is a method of regulating the sale of a group of similar commodities which can be substituted for one another in act ual use. To cite an example, three products of which there is no short age—oatmeal, cornflakes and grits, are related commodities which can be substituted for each other in daily diets. Point rationing will not replace straight coupon rationing on sugar gasoline ,and coffee, since these are standarized dommoditvs ,Usually of one quality, with no widely used substituted affording an alternate choice Cnder the point rationing system consumers will be able to buy any of the commodities in a group of similar commodities with the smc ration coupons. Everyone will be entitled tc use a certain number of points each month cut of War Ra tion Book Two .to buy the comm odities in the group. Purchases may 1* made in any store but the new tav'nn book must be used. Each commodity in the group of similar types, like cereals, will be assigned a “point value’’ by the Government. A low point value will be given to the commodity which is most plentiful as compar ed with the usual supply and de mand fo rit- If commodities afe chosen having a low-point value, the shopper will get more for her DR. HAWKINS TO HEAD NAACP LOCAL Dr. A. L. Hawkins, prominent doctor of our cjty, was elected Pres, of the local branch of the NAACP. Sunday, Dec. 13th at Zion Baptist Church. Arthur B. McCaw is the re tiring President. W. L. Myers, was reelected as Treasurer. Mrs- John Albert Will iams. Secy, Mrs. H. Bush, 1st Vice Pres., Rev. F. C. Williams, 2nd Vice Pres. ration than if the points were used on high-point commodities. Point rationing gives consumers all the freedom of choice possible in wartime- They can choose those commodities in the group which they prefer and which they can af ford. And they can spend their points any way they like. Point rationing will assure con sumers a fair share of the commod ities in the rationed group. Like other rationing programs, it will prevent persons from “chisleing” on their neighbors fair share. Rationing is necessary in order to supply our fighting rorces with the things they need ...to assure everyone of his fair share of essen tial goods which have become scarce because o fthe war—and to help win the war! FAILS TO MENTION HE WAS FIRST AMERICAN TO LAND IN AFRICAN Napoleon Edward Taylor, 31 year old Negro private of Baltimore, Maryland, who was the first mem ber of the American Expeditionary Force to land in Africa, failed to even mention that distinction in, his first letter from there to his family, received last week, it was learned Friday. “Enjoying the best of health and these beautiful hot days in Africa. Surprised?”, was the only reference he made to the landing. “We were worried,” Mrs. Mamie Johnson and Mrs. Fanny Underwood his aunt and grandmother who rec eived the letter said, “because it was the first mail we have had from Napoleon since early August. When we were told yesterday that he led the Americans ashore in Liberia, June 17 ,we naturally were trriUei and proud of our boy. Napoleon is a modest boy.” “He just couldn't wait until he joined up. Although he was engag ed to be married, he enlisted first in January, and married the next month. He received his training at Camp Meade, and was thrilled a bout being in the service.” Private Taylor won his distinc tion in Africa because he was the first man in line aboard the first of a series of canvass-topped lighters which carried several detachments of Negro troops across the most treacherous sandbar on the West African coast and landed them on the Liberian shore, according to re ports. Major C. S. Ward, for whom Pri vate Taylor is orderly, urged him to memorize a one sentence greet ing to Liberians as he landed. As soon as he landed, Taylor did ex actly that. He proclaimed: ‘‘Liberian—we are here to join hands and fight together until this world is free of tyrannical dicta torships. ”# HAMPTON GRAD IN ‘‘LOOK” PHOTOS Hampton Institute. Va.,—Readers of Look magazine for December 1 learned this week that the young lady photographed in that issue, demonstrating the food values of brewer’s yeast at Cornell Univers ity. is Miss Barbara Bond of Day tona Beach. Fla., a graduate of Hampton Institute. AEF Racial Friction reduced - ■ Mrs. Roosevlt DEAN' DIXON, NEGRO SYM PHONIC CONDUCTOR GUEST SPEAKER AT “ARTS TO RUSSIA WEEK” DINNER Dean Dixon, famous Negro sym phonic conductor told an ‘‘Arts to Russia Week” dinner in honor of Charles Chaplin, Thursday, Dec. 3, at the Hotel Pennsylvania, in New York, that America can thank Rus sia for “a plan which is annihilat ing the Nazis.” The dinner was sponsored by the Arts Committee for Russian War Relief and was attended by over 1000 persons prominent in the art. stage music, dance, radio and lit « erary worldos, gathered to honor Chaplin who according to the spon soring committee, is a symbol of the artist fighting ‘‘to keep culture and arts in a world of free peoples.” Dixon, one of the leading speak ers at the dinner, said: ‘‘When we find that in some coun tries our artists say: “We can’t com - pose—we can't write—conditions are in such a flux on all sides of us”, ,. .and yet, in between duty as a fire-warden and in between bomb ings, Shotakovich is able to com pose one of our greatest works, his Seventh Symphony, what does it mean? ‘‘It is not an exceptional thing. The Russians are not different from us. It is something that starts way down deep; it is something you can not pin down. But when we realizo that here is a country in which art ists let no wars, barbarians’ bombs, or destruction .interrupt their art, we find the makings of a great peo ple. “Here is a country that is being beseiged,” he continued, “a countiy where barbarians are trying to an nihilate everything, and yet they give Us great art. This is some thing to be very thankful for. .and we musicians are indeed thankful.” Dixon told the diners that he stood before them in a two-fold cap acity_..that of a musician and that of a member of a minority group. “From the standpoint of a repres entative of a minority group ” he said, “I look to Russia as a great, a marvelous country. Why? They are showing us brotherhood, a hu , man spirit such as we of other coun tries have been reaching out for in ail civilization. Russia is showing us how millions of peoples of dif ferent cultures can live and pros per and create great art together. This is a plan to annihilate the Nazi philosophy which we can thank Russia for.” Dixon paid tribute to the purpose of the dinner, saying, ‘H is a great thing to be doing." “The help we give to Russia will be returned to us in many forms,” he said “It will be returned to us in great art. great science, great philosophy and certainly in ireedoin from Nazi i arbarianism T.et us car ry on this w'ork of aid to Russia. <-holeheartedly ind enthusiastically. LINCOLN U. PROFESSOR ON ST. LOUS TOWN HALL Mr. Ernest Kalbala. instructor of Sociology at Lincoln University was guest speaker for the “Town Hall' of the St. Louis YMCA. Dpcembei 4. 5, 6. speaking on the “Africa To day, Our Second Front”. He made several guest appear ances including a 15 minute inter view over station WIL. and talks of the various phases of Africa's place in the present war pictures before “Town Hall” groups. Mr. Kalibala, a native of Africa, has been teaching at Lincoln since .- ---.—— ( 1940. ‘‘FOUR FREEDOMS VICTORY BOND RALLY” DEC. 14 JAN’. 16 Durham, N C..—Completion of plans for the ‘‘Four Freedoms Vic tory Bond Rally,” to be conducted from December 14 to January 16 by members of the Naional Negro Life Insurance Association have been an nounced by Asa T. Spaulding, presi dent of the organization. The campaign is being projected in anticipation of the holiday Sea son when thousands of thrifty cit izens will transform their Christ mas savings into cash and thous ands of others will receive their an nual bonuses from the industrial and commercial concerns by which they are employed. ‘‘In determining to hold this five weeks campaign we were prompted by two objectives,” declared Presi dent Spaulding. ‘We want to make America, including Negro America, War Bond-conscious and through that War-conscious, and we want to teach our people the value of thrift After the war the United States will need thrifty citizens in all/ walks of life and as there is no better method for saving than thru ! VV'ar Bonds and Stamps the Nation- ‘ al Negro Life Insurance Associat ion membership decided to conduct this campaign as one of its contri- ■ butions to the War effort.” LUCKY STRIKE MAKERS WITHDRAW ANTI-NEGRO BRAND NAME New York, N. Y.—The sale of a pipe tobacco obnoxiously labeled.. “Nigger Hair” was discontinued I this week following formal protest made by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to George Washington Hill Jr., Vice President of the American. Tobacco Company, 111 Fifth Ave., Tht American Tobacco Compa ny I which distributed the tobacco in a number of North Western states including Oregon, Washington and Wsiconsin is also the distributor of Lucky Strike Cigarettes. The sec tions in which the pipe tobacco is sold are areas sparsely populated by Negroes. Answering the protest George W. Whitesides, counsel to the Tobacco Company .said: “I may inform you that immediately upon the receipt of the communication calling our attention to the objection to the use of a certain brand name that was originated back in 1878 and subse quently acquired by the American Tobacco Co-, the brand name was immediately discontinued, as in deed was another brand-name which it was discovered had the sam?i basis of objection. Neither of these, brands is largely or widely distrib uted. The American Tobacco Com pany will not continue the use of any such name as to reflect upon the Negro race and we are pleased to advise you of our prompt action in this matter.” LEND-LEASE AID TO ETHIOPIA Declaring that “the defense of E thiopia is vital to the defense of the United States," President Roose velt has ordered lend-lease aid ex tended to the Government of Eth iopia, the White House announced. HEADS WAR TRAINING COURSE Hampton Institute, Va„—Jeffer son D. Davis has been appointed supervisor of the war training courses (formerly known as Nation I al Defense courses) at Hampton In stitute. it was announced. V ♦ ? NAACP SAYS THAT IT DOES NOT DOUBT HER STATEMENT “But from all indications they shall keep eternal vigilance on this matter’’ Gen. Davis Criticized Washington, D. C.—In a confer ence at the White House on Decem lst to discuss the recnt reports of the treatment of Negro soldiers a broad, Mrs. Eleanor Roosevlt ex presed to Walter White, the Exe cutive Secretary of the NAACP her ofenj fiction that Brigadier-General Benjamin O. Davis had done well in his efforts toward lessening the tension between Negro and white soldiers in the American Expedit ionary Forces stationed in the Brit ish Isles- Mrs. Roosevelt said that, friction created by prejudiced Sou thern whites had been somewhat eased. In answer Mr. "White stat ed that while the NAACP did not disagere with Mrs. Roosevelt con cerning .the value of eGneral Davis’ investigation, there could however be no slackening on the part of iho Association in the protest against the establishment of the- Souhern Jim CrOwism abroad. The attacks made and propaganda spread by white officers in England, Australia and other parts of the world, to which Negroes have been sent and the United States, must be regarded as one of the gravest of all prob lems and one which the NAACP will continue to fight. Commenting on General Davis’ report the December 5th issue of The Nation said, ‘‘Perhaps General Davis did not get around as much as he should have or perhaps he did not consider it wise to make an issue of the matter at this time. An ugly and dangerous situation does exist and it impairs the effic iency of the troops and depresses the morale of the entire Negro pop ulation, already near the breaking point.” In recent months controversy conoerning the introduction of Am erican prejudice has also run high in the English press. A letter from a soldier which ap peared in the fall issue of the Eng lish magazine The New Deader stated: “A talk was given to us yes terday by our detachment officer. During the talk he explained that he had to bring to our notice the contents of a letter written by the Bridgadier. The leter said that in the absence of any ruling from a higher authority it had been decid ed to circularize a suggested set •f rules which would assist the troops in their relationship with any Negro soldiers. It was under standable that Higher Authority had not rushed to any decision on the subject requiring so much tact but it had been possible to get a line on probable decisions by study ing various comments contained in correspondence and reports from conferences- These were set down as a list of suggestions. There was no hint that they were to be taken as orders... except in the firct case which forbade members of the ATS. to associate with colored troops. I do not remember all the details or their sequence but some have stuck and the effect on the whole of this letter was to cause a certain amount of bewilderment and scorn among those who heard it. I nother words. English troops were asked that their natural friendliness toward visitors be ton ed down in the case of Negroes. j Leaves to Join | Her Husband MRS. N. B. BREWER WILL BE GREATLY MISSED IN THE RELIGIOUS AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES HERE MRS. GRAY BREWER, who was recently married to Rev. N. B Brewer, left the City Wednesday, Dec. 16 for her new home in Coffey ville, Kansas, 708 E. 5th St. Mrs. Brewer, a prominent and ac tive member of Cleaves Temple Church, is the first of our group in the state to receive a Leadership Training Diploma from The Inter national Council of Religious Educ-[ ation. She has taught Leadership j Training Classes in the Paseo School of Leadership Training of the Kansas-jMisSouri Conferences | at intervals for a number of years, and has taught Adult Education, classes here for 7 years. She has supervised and taught in Vocation | Church schools here also. iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii ; The letter stated quite definitely that Negro troops should not be al lowed in the canteens, entertain ment and dances organized for H. M. forces.” The British War Commentary has this to say: ‘‘The attitude of the population toward American troops confirms the peace-time experience's In the villages and towns Black troops have been received with sympathy by the people, shopkeep ers often declaring that they pre fer them to the white Amencan troops because they are kinder and more polite.” 1943 SPINGARN MED AL NOMIN ATIONS OPEN New York, N. Y.Nominations are now open for the 1943 Spingarn Medalist the NAACP announced this week. Any one may submit rhe name of a person considered to be worthy of recognition and send it tc the National Off.ce of (he NAACP. at 69 Fifth A/e-rne. The Spingarn Medal Award was n s-itutea in 1914 rj;- the late J. E. Suingarn. then chairman of ihe Board of Direct Its Of the N AACP \\h - gave annually- until his death in 1939 a gold medal “to be award ed for the highest and noblest a Lhievement by an American Negro during the preceding year or years. A fund sufficient to continue the award was set up by his will. The Spingarn Medal Award Committee which will meet in January includ es: Dr. John Haynes Holmes, Dr. Mordecai W. Johnson, Mrs. Mary McLeOd Bethune, Dr. Buell, W. Gal lagher, Supreme Court Justice Frank Murphy, Dr. William Allen Neilson and three additional mem bers to be elected at the December 14th NAACP Board meeting. The 1942 recipient of the medal was A. Philip Randolph, president of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Encourage your white neighbors to subscribe: to THE OMAHA GUIDE and learn what the dark-; er one tenth of the American population is think-: ing and doing. ^ *|A ^ ^ ^ ^ A A A 4AAAAA444A A A * *^^^ * * ^ jXTU\A. Harmoniously they work together to feed our Nation and Allies EXPERT BUTCHERS, NEGRO AND WHITE, work together in this department of Swift and Co., preparing hams and bacon for use throughout the United Nations. More than 2,000 Negroes are( em ployed at the huge packing plant in the Stockyards area. Swift Firm Is One Of Major Employers Since nobody doubts that an armv travels on its stomach, meat pack 'ng takes a place beside the manu facture of guns and shells as an es sential war industry. Chicago as world center of the meat packing business, therefore contributes not only to the welfare of the Army but also sends life-sustaining meat and meat by-produc.ts to the civilian populations of the various United Nations. Negroes have been employed in DEVELOPING CHILD CARE PROGRAM MONEY GRANTS Grants of money to help carry out state plans for developing child care programs for children of work ing mothers in three states, New Jersey, Missouri and Arkansas, were announced by Manpower Chr man Paul V. McNutt, for the Officj of Defense Health and Welfare Cer vices, of which he is Director. Mr. McNutt also approved the stato plans. The grants are: Arkansas $4,290, New Jersey $2700, Missouri $3875. The money comes from the ?400,0c0 allotted to the ODHWS by the Pres dent for coordination and develop ment of wartime child care servic es. These grants are available to state departments of education Or welfare for the employment of sal aries and travel expenditures for a state supervisor and one or more as -sistants in each state, whose dut ies will be to aid in providing day care facilities to comm unites in which a large number of women with children are employed or are soon to be employed. AIRFORCE RECRUITS NEGRO WOMEN MECHANICS Fort Worth, Texas— Following the announced Army Air Force pol icy to mobilize all available civil ian man pow’er and “keep ’em fly ing” the Tarrant Feld Sub Depot here announced this week its first class of Negro women mechanics. Eight women ranging in age from 17 to 30 all from the Fort Worth area have been recruited through the United States Employment Ser vice and are receiving their initial instruction from Lt. E. P. Baeh tell. Additional women are to be hired as quickly as possible to form a school unit which will be sent to Duncan Field, San Antonio, Texas, for advance training. Every “mechanic learner" as the recruits are called is paid $75 a month dur ing the 3 months training period following which they will receive the salary for the Civil Service po sition to which they are assign? d. ‘‘Mechanic learners” receive in structions which qualifies them to become sheet metal workers, lathe operators, electrical inspectors, pat tern makers, engine mechanics the whole field of aeroplane mech anical work. It is the civilian crews of mechanics who will in the future be neeponsible for all major repair and maintenance work on Army Air Corps planes in Contin ental United States. The Army Air Force mechanics whose places they take will thus be released for over-seas duty in com bat areas. According to Capt. Gil bert. commanding officer, the init ial group of colored “mechanic learn era” at Tarrant Sub-Depot are of “very high calibre’, each having at least, a high school education and several are college trained. J the large plants in the Chicago area since meat packing became a major industry. Today, and for a good many years past, they are found in both the skilled /md semi-skilled categories as well as at the unskill ed jobs. WORK IN SPECIAL LINES One of the major employers of Negro labor is Swift and Co., one of the larger meat packers*out in the famed stockyards district. This past July, out of a roster of approx imately 5,400 manual workers, there were 2,039 Negroes at the Swift plant. This is considerably more than were employed there at the corresponding time in 1941. it is true of Negroes as it is of other races and nationalities working there that the total number fluct uates with the seasonal demands of the industry and the type of volume being handled. Although they' are at work ir, most departments the majority of the Swift and Co., Negro person nel are in the cattle, sheep and hog dressing sections and their subsid iary departments, soap, table ready meats, smoked meats, pork trim ming, curing cellars, refinery de partments, cold storage and the by product departments. Obviously, with more than 2.000 Negro workers, many have made outstanding records and have been in the company employ for many years. One of the oldest is Joseph Shor es who last ospring started his for ty-third year at the plant. He has been a Swift and Co. worker since April 1900. leaving for a short time in 1904 but returning the following year. Starting as a teamster, Shor es, now 64 has been a chauffeur since 1939. ’ HE'S A SHIPPING CLERK Another old employee is AJ Wall who started work in 1902, quit 16 years later and then returned per. u anently in 1919. Beginning in the machine shop, he is now a lathe hand. Andrew Cantrell, hired in 1906, is now a florman and backer while Walter Sheridan, on the pay roll for 35 years, has been a store room clerk for much of this period. J. W. Crocker began work with the company in 1918. He quit after a short period of time and re-en tered the service Oct. 5, 1920. Start ing as a laborer Crocker has now worked himself up to the position of department shipping and dis crepancy clerk. Ernest Crooke has had continu ous service with the company since early in 1917. He began as a lab orer in beef dressing and has now | reached a point where he is adapt t ed to most of the skilled work on | the dressing floor. An assistant foreman in the soap factory, James Johnson has worked continuously for Swift since 1913 after being hired first in 1908 and afterward leaving. Robert Hack ley, taken on in 1918, is an evapor ator man and Phil Weightman, with the plant 12 years during the rush season in 1941 acted as an instruc tor and all-around butcher in tho hog dressing department. As is customary in most Chicago i plants, Negroes are integrated thru out instead of being separated into special units- Thus far, Swift exe cutives say they have encountei-edi no particular problems of racial friction and believe that while at work there may be less friction at the company than is to be found in the community outside of employ-* ment activities. Many Negroes are union members with several serving on various committies of their labor organis ations and occupying official posi tions in the adminstration of union affairs.
