^ ^- <£■ ^ ^. "Largest Accredited Negro Newspaper West of Chicago and North of KC• ^ ^ ^
Entered as 2nd class matter at Post-oftice, Omaha, Nebr., Under Act of Tonnanr fi 104^ fllir 17tll Vpfl.r_No 48
March 8, 1874. Publishing Offices at 2420 Grant Street, Omaha, Nebr oatUTQay, January b, ltf*0OUT If til leaf JNO. SB
uLily-White” Insurance Clause Protested In Nebraska
Gov’t Take Over Jewel Bldg.
-<
“If Sick”—Call Her..
Missionary Elsie Laster
Assistant tothe Pastor of the
Church of the Living God, 1906
North 24th St
The Lord is using Sister Laster in
many ways in helping the public
If sick, call her. JA-4003
To Install Officers of
NAACP for 1945.
A meeting of the NAACP will be
held at the Zion Baptist church. Sun
day afternoon January 14, for the
purpose of installing officers for the
year 1945- Be sure to attend and if
you are not a member of this your
own organization, Join up!
RACE RAILROADERS TO SUE
UNIONS CHARGING BIAS
Washington. DC, (CNS) Accord
ing to Attorney Charles H. Houston,
suits are being filed against twenty
southern railroads on the basis of the
recent Supreme Court statements
The suit too will involve the Broth
erhood of Locomotive Firemen and
Enginemen which is being charged
with keeping Negroes in subsidiary
and non-promotable positions
SNAVELY RELEASED
OFFICIALLY FROM
CORNELL U..
Ithaca. New York (C) Carl
Snavely, coach of Cornell’s Big Red
team and discoverer of Paul Robeson
Jr-, the year's new find, is being re
leased from his contract with Corn
ell, so as to be head of the Univers
ity of North Carolina’s athletic act
ivities
Snavely, who has been with the Big
Reds since ’36. was granted the re
lease by board of physical education
and athletics.
BROTHERHOOD REVISES
AGREEMENT WITH MISSOURI
PACIFIC RAILROAD
New York. NY., Dec. 29— The A*
greement Committee of the Brother
hood of Sleeping Car Porters compos
ed of E. J- Bradley, lrd Internation
al Vice President; T- D- McNeal,
International Field Organizer and
Walter Allen. President of the Mis
souri Pacific Train Porters local
concluded the revision of the exist
ing agreement, the middle of Decem
ber, with the Missouri-Pacific Rail
road Company following the inter
vention of the National Mediation
Board. A constructive and far reach
ing set of rules were won by the Or
ganization together with all of the
financial benefits that the other op
erating employes have secured in
their recent wage negotiations stated
A. Philip Randolph, International
President at the International Head
quarters of the Brotherhood of
Sleeping Car Porters
1 The United States Government,!
took over the Jewel) Building at 24th
and Grant Streets for the USO
All tenants, except the apartments
on Grant street and the Tuxedo Bar
her Shop, have been ordered to va
cate
Sometime ago- Congress appropri
ated $14,000-00 for this USO expan
sion fund and building.
Dynamite..
—BY GEO■ 11. DAVENPORT
Ciicago, 111 (For
PPNS) Another
year rolls by
what are your
problems ? Some
people are enjoy
ing the best holi
day season in their
lives Millions
•are experiencing
the worst in their
careers- War is
everything Sherm
an said it was, yet
we never learn- Some Americans
thought Japan would never attack us.
and if she did, two weeks would be
the limit of Pacific war. How
wrong were the propohels who knew
and had planned everything- Today
we are not only f ig'hyng,'tw< weeks,
but three years and no end in sight
We sure had a dandy foreign intel
ligence service. Japan hinted that
Pearl Harpor would be attacked, but
the brave great white fathers never
would believe a darker race would
dare strike at the great U- S- and
Great Britain Another mistake in
foreign knowledge- Sec. Knox will
never be questioned on the matter.
Sec- Hull will be too old when the
war is over, maybe dead. Although
we have been fighting three years,
the enemy is still able to take it
Last New Year we were in Italy
This New Year, we are still in Italy.
We have strikes- we have bickered,
we have everything but unison. The
most inconsistent thing about war is,
“the men who do the most fighting
to save one’s country, gets least pay ”
Although U- S- soldiers are the best
paid soldiers in the world, they are
treated like stepchildren by our gov
rnmnet in coclarison to the workers
in the war plants. Who ever heard
of a soldier getting from ninety cents
to two dollars ao hour who ever
heard of a ioldier otriking because he
didn’t get paid for overtime- Sold
iere' wives and families are left to
exist on limited pay allotments,
while factory workers who are safe
from war and shellfire will strike at
the least provocation. Let the sold
ier strike and he will be srot. War,
civilization, religion and politics- as
run by our big men and women, are
so rotten that it a wonder that a wai
isn't started every time one ends
Just as soon as an election is over,
our geniuses remark, “The Atlantic
Charter was only a memory.” Some
more political oratory to thank 24
million people with- At time, this
writer thinks his race is silly and
thoughtless, and the race is But
when you make couparison as to op
portunities and environhents. the
white people are a thousand times
sillier. Negroes never would spend
[ FORMER OMAHA BOY FLOWN FROM INDIA
To Be At Ailing Mother’s Bedside
—. ! '
Mother Takes First Step in Two Weeks Upon
Seeing Son; Sgt. Hill Says Boys on Fighting
Fronts Told Him To Tell Folks Back Home to
Write More Often.
- i
Sgt Edwillis Hill, a former Oma
han- flew home from India to be at
the bedside of his mother. Mrs. Janie
Hayden, 3027 Burdette- She wel
comed her son by walking to him- It
was the first she had walked in two
weeks
Mrs- Hill, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs- Henry Thompson, joined Sgt.
Hill at Detroit.
Sgt- Hill has served with the U
S. army for four years, almost a
year before Pearl Harbor- He was
the first Omaha boy to arrive in In
dia. Among some of his stops are
Cairo, Egypt. Brazil, Australia,
French Morrocco. and British New
Guinea- While in Cairo, Egypt, Sgt
Hill formed the acquaintance of
Ahmed Chawky. Public ’ Custodian
for Italian Assets (pictured above)
and they became very close friends
Sgt- Hill was the first soldier to
fly home on an emergency furlough
from India in a B-29 superfortress, j
Overseas eight months and assigned
to fusing bombs for super-raiders, j
Sgt- Hill was given furlough just in
time for transportation to be ar
ranged on the B-29.
Since Sgt. and Mrs- Hill have
been in Omaha they have been enter
tained by many relatives and friends
and they want to thank their friends
for their hospitality.
Sgt- Hill urges those who have
husbands or boy friends overseas
to please write them. That was a
special request from the boys- Fre
quently the men are moving around'
or are on detached duty and, can’t
answer letters right away, but don't
let that stop “YOU”. The boys of
ten feel very low and a letter from
home is really appreciated- Keep up
the moral of our boys. WRITE.
Sgt. Hill extends holiday greet
ings to boys in 1901 rd Ord- Amnl.
Avn-, somewhere in India.
Davis to Again
Head Elks
IROUOIS LODGE No. 92
HOLDS ELECTION
The following officers were elect- |
ed for year when the lodge met this j
week
Attorney Charles F- Davis, Exalt
ed Ruler; Harold Roache, Esteemed
Leading Knight; Mr. Bond- Lection
Knight; Carl Bone, Loyal Knight.
After election was held the Grand
Exalted Ruler, J. Finley Wilson was
entertained jointly by the Daughters
of Cherokee Temple and Iroquois
Lodge No- 92
all of that time fighting, this war
would have been over long ago- But
our white brothers, so lull of religion
are at each others throats every 20
years- This time they are awaken
ing the sleeping racial giants (China
and India). “What fools you mor
tals be?" Twenty years from now
they w-ill have 100 million yellow
and brown men on their ntcks- Sec
of State- Hull, allowed gasoline and
GRAND EXALTED RULER OF
ELKS IN THE CITY
Dr- J. Finley Wilson, Grand Ex
alted Ruler of the IBPOE. of W
arrived in the city Wednesday- Jan
uary 3rd- While here he will be the
house guest of the Exalted Ruler of
the local Lodge, No- 92, Atty- Char
les F. Davis- 976 North 25th St
The Grand Exalted Ruler was the
guest of Iroquois Lodge No- 92 and
attended the regular meeting on
Wednesday, January, 3, at 8 pm.
scrap iron to be sold to Japan to
fight China-see what happened
Russia was kicked about by all na
tions except this country, before this
war started, now England- Fsance,
Italy and United States will have to
bow to Russia before this war is ov
er. This year will be a sad year, re
gardless of those who will be tem
porarily happy
Randolph Says Negroes
MustWatch The
Department of Justice
New York- NY- Dec- 29th-Ac- J
cording to Walter Winchell, Tom i
ONE MAN ARMY
KILLS 200 GERMANS
I
Somewhere in Italy (PPNS) -
From the far-flung fields of battle
where our men are fighting and dy
ing to subdue the evil aggression of
mad dictators, come many stories of
daring and outstanding feats of hero
ism by American soldiers, who are
offering their lives for our security.
The feats of some will be immortal
in the hearts of the American people
because of the etxraordinary daring
and accomplishments- Slch will be
the rating of S-Sgt Ruben Rivers,
who has been dubbed- "the one mar
army" by members of his 26th Div
ision, commanded by Major General
Willard S. Paul- A tank Command
er, Rivers plunged his tank into tht
thick of the enemies’ rank and wher
the smoke of battle had cleared 20(
Germans had fallen befor his withei
-ing tank fire
S-Sgt- Rivers is a native of Te
cumseh- Oklahoma and his mother,
Mrs- Lillian Rivers can justly be
proud of the effective manner in
which her son is helping bring this
bloody conflict to an early victory.
Sgt- Rivers has been awarded the
Silver Star for his valorous action
FIFTH AVENUE WINDOW
DISPLAY FEATURES
COLORED CUPIDS
New York—A letter of appreciat
ion has been sent to Franklin Simon
Company, by the NAACP for its
Christmas window display in its store
at 38th Street and Fifth Avenue,
which included colored child angels a
long with children of other racial
groups. The NAACP letter sad
“We have heard numerous favorable
comments from both white and color
ed members and friends of his As
sociation who are unanimous in the
opinion that Franklin Simon has tak
en a bold step in furthering the sptt
it of mutual respect which should ex
ist between all groups in a democracy
at war, especially a war whose goal
is the wiping out of racial bigotry-"
WRESTLER OX TELEVISION
New York (CNS) William Parker
one of the few Negro wrestlers- will
wrestle for television January 2nd at
the St. Nicholas Arena- Shy and
modest, Parker is 40 and keeps fit as
a barge captain on the Erie canal
INFANTILE
PARALYSIS
IM. 14-M
Clark, Assistant Attorney General
from “poll tax texas” is likely to sue
ceed Francis Biddle. Attorney Gen
eral. “If this should happen it
would nothing short of a calamity to
the Negro in particular, and civil
liberties for minorities and labor in
general. There is not a single in
stance on record where he has vigor
ously prosecuted the violation of the
civil rights of Negroes
In Memphis, Tennessee Free
Speech case when the meeting was
calld off by notorious Boss Crump
at which the writer was to speak,
despite many protests against this
outrageous facist action to the De
partment of Justice- this same Tom
Clark closed the case indicating in
substance that there was no evidence
that the right of free speech had been
denied anyone.
A a matter of fact Francis Biddle
himself has not done all that he could
have to make the Civil Liberties Sec
tion under Victor Rotnem effective
for the protection of the rights of
minority American citizens,” states
A- Philip Randolph, National Direc
tor- March On Washintgon Move
ment
Lincoln—The restriction of appli
cants for insurance to “white” pers
ons by the Travelers Health Associa
tion of Omaha, Nebraska- has been
protested to Governor Dwight Gris
wold by the NAACP
Edward R. Dudley, assistant spec
ial counsel who received a copy . of
the application from a man who had
been solicited in the state of New
York, pointed out to Governor Gris
wold that this application contained
the phrase “any white person" and on
the application blank "I am a white
person.”
Mr- Dudley pointed out that the
civil rights laws in the state of Ne
braska “create a public policy against
discrimination based upon race.” and
asked that the matter be referred to
the State Superintendent of Insur
ance.
Attorney John Adams Jr.
of Omaha.
PROMOTED TO
1st LIEUT.
Among the many Omaha stalwarts,
who have made such a splendid con
tribution to the armed forces of the
American army. John Adams, Jr-, is
among the ranking. Mr. Adams left
a paying law practice at the Omaha
Bar and voluntarily enlisted as a pri
vate in the service- As a private- he
enrolled in the Officers Training
School atj Fort Benning, Georgia and
was from there graduated as 2nd Lt
February 28th, 1944. On maneuvers,
attorney Adams won many of the
distinguished honor medals and wears
them with pride. He bears a very
high rating in the use and handling
of all arms used in the infantry- Af
ter graduating from the Officers
Training School at Fort Benning,
Mr. Adams was stationed at Fort Hu
-achuca, Arizona, as Personnel Of
ficer- His service at this post, won
for him further distinction and on
August 24, 1944, he was promoted
from 2nd Lt. to 1st Lt- and served
thereafter at Fort Huachuca as Trial
Judge Advocate,- Not withstanding
the fact, 1st Lt. Adams’ commission
as 1st Lt- was awarded in August
1944 and that it had been published
in the Omaha papers and over local
broadcasts here, he himself did not
learn of the fact till in December of
1944. It happened in this way. Lt
Adams was serving in the 92d Div
ision- This was then and is now, one
of the crack divisions of the army.
The 92d was ordered overseas and Lt
Adams was expected to board ship
for the same entourment. A diffic
ult army task arose at the home base
and Mr. Adams was detailed- He re
mained at Fort Huachuca- His Com
mission went overseas. On Decem
ber 7. 1944 the Lieutenant was order
ed from Fort Huachuca in Arizona,
to Fort Ord, in California- Lieut.
Adams was hurried by plane with a
three hour stop, to bid adue to his
wife and children, his mother and
father. It was while visiting home,
he met his surprise- When the fam
ily and friends of Omaha, congratu
lated him on the promotion, he ex
pressed surprise to learn that he had
been 1st Lt. since last August and
that his advanced pay was awaiting
him. Army authorities, of the Com
mand. in the European Theatre of
War, where the Lieutenant was to
have received his commission, redir
ected it to Mr. Adams’ new detail.
He received it last week at Fort Ord,
California
First Lieutenant John Adams- Jr.,
is the husyand of Mrs- Constance
Adams of Omaha and the father of
Edith Ann and John, Jr„ the 3rd
They foth attend Lothrop school
here. He is the son of The Rev. and
Mrs- John Adams, Sr.. 2622 North
24th St-, Omaha, Nebraska
FIND INDIANS HAVE BEEN
TREATED BADLY.
Washington. DC-, (C) After a 10
month investigation of the conditions
of the American Indian, the House
Indian Affairs Committee has found
that the white man has done very
poorly by the red man. Said the
Committee “In their present status,
the American Indian as a group, are
not ready to be turned loose and the
government of the U. S. has not as
yet discharged its obligation to the
Indian to the point that where the
Indian Office can be abolished, and
the various necessary services to the
Indian discontinued
“Disappointing progress” during
150 years of government supervision
has resulted from a program design
ed to make the Indian a better Indian
instead of a better American.
Five W acs Held Pending
Charges of Disobedience
Camp Breckenridge, Ky.. (PPNS)
Reports from the camp hospital here
this week revealed that the five Ne
gro WACs who were seized last
week by white MPs and placed in the
guard house, have been released from
imprisonmnt but ar awaiting final
action pending on the outcome of in
vestigations by army officers. The
girls are charged with refusing to
obey orders of a superior officer
According to WACs statement, they
failed to comply with orders by a
Lieutenant because they were direct
ed to work in a bartack in which
there wa no heat of any nature
Those charged with the G4th Art
icle of War are: Pvt. Ruth Sanders;
Pvt Davetta Butler; Pvt- Geneva
Pipkin; Pfc. Edith Young; and Pfc
Eleanor Brown. Otner sources wno
reportedly investigated tne barracks
agree toat unfit working conditions
prevailed.
Keokuk, la. GirICommands W. A. C.s.
COMMANDS FORT HUACHUCA IVACS
LT• CONSUELO BLAND is now the commanding officer of Fort Hu
achuca’s IVAC Section• SCU Uhl,2- Lt. Bland’s home is in Keokuk, Itrwa.
She succeeds Captain Irma !• Cayton, who was transferred to Fort I.cuds*
Washington■
HOME-FRONT FIGHT
Mankind from the dawn of time has had to wage a continuous warfare for
survival Throughout the countless years the earth has circled the sun there
has been bound closely to human experience the vita! need of alertness to
danger whether the threat be occasioned by animal ferocity- human
greed or the insensate aggression of a terrible disease.
Infantile paralysis just last summer struck America the hardest blow thts
nation has sustaited in the history of the disease in 2& years- However,
through the public's fore-thought in contributing dimes and dollars to the
fight against infantile paralynsis- a great program of epidemic aid was put
into motion immediately
North Carolina, New York, Kentucky, Virginia, Pennsylvania—to thcs»
and other stricken states The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis
sent doctors- nurses, physical therapy technicians- as well as respirators, sup
plies and financial aid
Because of the alertness of that organization and its Chapters, the best of
medical care was rendered every victim, regardless of age, race, creed or
color. Your dimes and dollars helped make that possible. It is a good
thought to bear in mind during the 1945 March of Dimes- January 14-31,
held in Celebration of the President’s Birthday
PLAIN TALK by Dan Gardner
WE BUY, BUT DON’T SELL, AND DON’T MAKE OUR MONEY
DO A GOOD JOB IN GETTING WHAT IT SHOULD RECEIVE
Tied onto the fact that we buy but don’t seH as a race is tHfc dislieart*
ening fact that we don’t buy in the right places in sufficient volume and have
no major source of education along that line. Since we don’t produce, and
consequently, are on the tall end of the economic procession, it would appear
that we should be able to make our buying power a kind of instrument for
pressure to bring about some change in the employment situation as concerns
us, especially in communities where our buying power keeps non-resident
merchants in high-priced cars, downtown offices, country homes, yachts and
top train sets.
But the fact is, we don’t. Instead, ce break our collective neck rush
ing into every store owned by a white person in our communities and out of
them, spend at least 90% of our earnings with them for goods of varying
quality ad sniff contemptuously at the struggling Negro trying to make
some headway with a small business next door to the white man we decide to
make and keep prosperous. Once in a while, as in Harlem, Chicago, Cleve
land, and several other big cities with large Negro populations, we act up
and scare the white merchant or business man into hiring one or two Ne
groes as “fronts", dummy managers, floormen, etc., but even w'ith that, he
(the white merchant) knows he’s still far ahead and that we are still playing
a dismal game of cabch up
CENTERING THE BLAME
Part of the blame for this situation rests squarely on the shoulders of
some of our great race rights organizations—namely, the National Associa
tion for the Advancement of Colored Peofle, and the National Urban lea
gue. These two organizations by their very names and nature should long a
go have taken the lead in teachisg our great masses the strength of their
purchasing power and educating them to demand things concrete and worth
while that will establish us on a firm and sound pasis in our attempt to com
pete economically with other racial groups. It is to be recognized, of
course, that the great issues and causes with which the NAACP and th»
Urban League have been concerned over the decades are of profound impor
tance in their far-reaching intentions, but what we want is something we can
put our hands on NOW.
It would seem that the NAACP by its very title would have long ag>»
s«t up a propaganda agency or bureau to help promote and inspire Negro
owned businesses and enterprises- An association for “The Advancement of
Colored People” could hardly be such unless it Recognized our economic sta
tus and acted accordingly. But to pass up the chance to help educate the
thousands of misguided Negroes who snub a Negro business for a white
concern, even though the Negro offers the same merchandise and at the same
prices, in favor of some future hope for complete integration of the races in
the American melting pot—including the blackest of Negroes—doesn’t give
much hope or relief from what we suffer.
FIGURES ON NEGRO CONSUMPTION.
David J. Sullivan, head of the Negro Market organization, in an ad
dress delivered Dec. 5, 1944 to the New York Chapter of the American Mar
keting Association at the Hotel Sheraton on Broadway, gave the following
figures of the Negro consumer, prefacing his remarks with the U. S- De
partment of Commerce statement in 1920 that Nego purchasing power was
“TWO AND A HALF BILLION MORE” for that year:
Actually, according to Mr. Sullivan, 10,464,131 Negroes in 1920 had -
gross income of $3,055,400,000. In 1925 it was $.3,113,800 ;000. In 1929 it
was $4,166,300,000 and in 1935 $3,343,140,000. Sullivan said that his organiz
| tion found that in 1940 when this country was mobilizing for war- Negro
: gross income was $4-678.540.000 and in 1913, with war-born prosperity Ne
:gro income was $10,290,000,000. Thus, according to Mr Sullivan the
NEGRO MARKET IS BIGGER IN SIZE THAN THE ENTIRE DO
MINION OF CANADA BY APPROXIMATELY 45%. according to the
estimated Negro population of 13.190,543 in 1943. The U. S- Negro popu
lation was blessed with over $1,250 million more income in 1943
WE GET JOBS TO REPAY WHITES
x, J ani inclined, as are all well-thinking persons. tto laud, the efforts of
the NAACP and the Urban League to the fullest in their efforts to back
permanent Fair Employment Practice (FEPC) legislation by law- This
creates more jobs for Negroes, opens more avenues of opportunity. But to
hat avail is all this effort, time and money spent if there is no one to teach
the Negro by example to hold on to some of what he earns instead of giving
it all bark to the man he got it from?
Negro income is leaving Negro communities in huge chunks, most or
all of it, destined never to be returned, because no organization or’ pressure
grolp has been formed to force white business men and merchants to invest
in Negro community projects- thus leaving part of their take where it was
made.
In other words, the average white merchant is in a position to pack up
on a moment s notice and move out, take everything with him except th • sid ■
walk and the poor, deluded Negro can't put his hands on a thin". It’s like -
confidence man working on the street corner—whe the cops come along all
ne has to do is stick his cards and handkerchief in his pocket, pvll his derhv
down over his ears and run to the next corenr to await more fools.
IT lth the Power and influence Negroes have given the NAACP inrt
the Urban League over the years, it would be very easy for th •«„ or(Ta„
at.ons to set up in each city and community where they have branches pres
sure organizations that would do nothing else but teach and instruct he Peo
ple in sound business principles based on race pride. ^
SGT■ EDW1I.US HILL
MRS. HILL
AHMED CHAWKY