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Entered as 2nd class matter at Post-oftice. Omaha, Nebr., Under Act of « a. j -r _ 1 o inje irr,, T7- ,n
March 8. i8~4. Publishing otticc, a. Grant s.,eet, Onaha. Ncbr Saturday, January 13,1945 Our 17th Year -No. 49
Negro Sailor Charges Rank Discrimination
Dynamite..
by GEO. H. DAVENPORT
“THREE HUNDRED AND
FIFTY THOUSAND.
350 thousand is a lot of people, 350
thousand is a lot of money, 350 thou
sand is a olt of anything- The state
of Delaware has
only 266-505 peo
ple in .the entire
state-. Nevada has
only 110,247 peo
ple- Vermont has
only 359,231, Wyo
ming 250-742. . ..
There are just a
few cities in the
entire United. Stat
es which have a
round that many
people, a small
number have more. Columbus, Ohio
306-067; Kansas City, Mo-, 399,178;
Atlanta- Ga., 302,288 ; Indianapolis,
Ind-, 386,972; Seattle- Wash-, 368,302
Louisville, Ky.- 319,077; Denver, Col
orado. 322,412. The above named cit
ies are big cities, not only in name,
but in fact- There are other cities
with less populatiin but not less in
importance in brackets listed below:
Memphis, 292.942—Dallas, 294,734 —
San Antonio. 253,854—St. Paul, 287,
736—Tcfle^o, 282-349—Providence,
253,504—OMAHA, 223,844— Dayton
210-718—Oklahoma City, 204.424- So
much for numbers- There are larg
er cities and lots smaller with each
city having great importance, as a
spoke in tht wheel of progress. We
have given you an idea about what
we are driving at. In' Chicago we
have an approvimate Negro populat
ion of 350,000. We have not one
single bank, three medium insurance
companies, a few smaller ones- no
big business of any kind. The most
important institutions we have that
are recognized by the Chicago Assoc
iation of Commerce are the Urban
League and the YMCA- Both insti
tuptions governed by white people
and ecs fith Negroes fronting. The
NAACP (Chicago Branch) is next
in line, ut lots of things slip their ear
and eyesight. We have a Negro
Chamer of Commerce which does
not function. Some of our supposed
to be pig shots are positively afraid
to organize their own- They would
rather lick the poots of white people
and Jews in another setup which
promises nothing but hot air. 350
thousand people, its biggest business
is the undertaking business- 350 thou
sand people with more churches than
business (store fronts, garages, base
ments and alleys). The only churcb
that has been built recently from the
ground up, was erected by Rev. Lucy
Smith. The rest are scattered am
ong buildings described above. We
liave in Chicago, one United States
Congressman, one State Senator, one
Municipal Judge, one County Com
missioner, four State Representativ
es and a few other rrjinor appointees.
Chicago, with its 350,000 Negroes,
went Democratic in the last election
Still with all of this unharnessed
power, with more people than there
are in hundreds of American cities, j
the Chicago Negro is still a crying,
crawling, praying, cringing, begging, j
.sightless, thoughtless group
—
COUPONS WORTH 500
GALLONS OP GAS TAKEN
Gasoline coupons for five hundred
gallons were reported stolen last
Sunday from the Sinclair Filling sta
tion, 20th and Leavenworth streets.
The manager said coins were taken
from the pay phone and candy mach
ine.
Two Negroes Take
Seats in Congress
POWELL, DAWSON SWORN IN
WASHINGTON—The historic 79(
th Congress of the United States, be
fore a packed gallery which had less
than 30 Negro spectators in it, saw
two Negroes take the oath of office
when Congressman William L. Daw
son (D) of Illinois and Adam Clay
ton Powell Jr-, (D) of New York
were sworn in.
The oath was taken by the entire
body of 374 congressmen present at
the same time
Powell, the first Negro congress
man from the state of New York,
was escorted to the legislative chamb
ers by Dawson, who is beginning his
second term. Their offices are next
to each other in the Old House Of
fice building. The two Negro con
gressmen sat together during the pre
liminary organization of the house
during which time Representative
Sam Rayburn (D) of Texas was re
elected speaker.
Later, during the session Powell
salt much of his time talking with
Rep. Vito Marcantonio (ALP) of
New York, who was seen introducing
him to a number of the men who will
be their colleagues during this session
of Congress.
Rumors that Powell would be seat
ed beside Rep- John Rankin (D) of
Mississippi, failed to materialize dur
ing this opening session. Rankin oc
cupied five different seats during the
session- No one was assigned to any
particular seat.
Powell, by choice, was seated, on
the Democratic side of the house al
though elected on the Democratic
Republican and American I.abor Par
ty tickets
From New York for the swearing
in ceremony and to pay their respects
to the new congressman came Hazel
Scott, of movie and night club fame
whose name has been linked romantic
ally with that of Powell; Joseph E.
Ford- Democratic leader of the 12th
assembly district (South') ; Guy R.
Brewer, Democratic leader of the
12th assembly district ( North 1 ; Acv1
Lennon, secretary to Ford; the Rev.
David Lincorice, assistant pastor of
the Abyssinian Baptist Church of
which Powell is pastor; Elizabeth C
Bullock, a Democratic district captain
and Dr. Adam C- Powell Sr- father
of the congressman.
Seen in the galleries were Mrs.
Mary McLeod Bethune, president of
the National Council of Negro Wo
men: Mrs. Mamie Mason Higgins
assistant to Mrs. Bethune: Mrs- Re
gina Chandler and Mrs. Venice
Spraggs
Powell had an opportunity to make
his maiden speech in Congress in ans
> wer to Rankin when the Mississippi
congressman made the first order of
business. After organization of the
House and other preliminaries were
out cf the way, a resolution amending
the rules of the house so as to make
the old Dies committee on unAmeri
can activitc a regular standing com
mittee of the House.
Opposition to the measure seemed
so strong, however, that Powell made
no move on his first day toward car
rying out his campaign pledge to
answer Rankin whenever he shouted
off with his anti-Negro and other re
actionary spiels. The Rankin amend
ment was passed 270 to 186.
Former Policeman
Found Dead at Home
Mr. George Henry Thomas. 60,
retired police officer, was found last
Thursday evening, January 4th, fat
ally overcome by gas in his home at
2310 Charles Street. Police said
fumes were escaping from four open
gas jets on the kitchen stove.
Mr. Thomas had been a resident of
Omaha for fifty years- In 1915 he
was appointed a policeman and made
a courageous police officer and an
enviable record for himself- He
possessed a winning personality and
was liked by all who knew him. He
retired from the police department
on a pension in June-of 1935
Mr- Thomas is survived by his
wife, Mrs. Ella Thomas, two sons,
George and Clarence of Omaha.
The body lay in state at the Thomas
Funeral Home- 2022 Lake Street un
til the funeral hour. Funeral serv
| ices were held Tuesday afternoon
from Mt- Moriah Baptist Church
with Rev- David St. Clair officiat
ing
Burial at Forest Lawn cemetery.
Current Event Group
TO BE FORMED AT
URBAN LEAGUE
ATTENTION: High School, col
lege and Progressive Thinking young
men- If you are interested in Inter
national. Nation. State, Local Ques
tions on current events and Post-war
problems, You are invited to attend
a meeting Wednesday, January 17,
and 31 at 8:30 pm. at the Urban Lea
gue Center in order to form a dis
cussion group. If enough are inter
ested, meetings will be held the first,
third, and the fifth Wednesdays of
each month. Mr- M- M Deverr
eaux, Jr-, will be in charge
"3 Sharps, 1 Flat To Present Musical Program
The "Three Sharps and a Flat”-C
,-novelty youth quartette, consisting of j
Anna Mae Butler, soprano, Jean '
Jones and Evelyn Butler, altoes and i
Charles Washington, baritone and I
pianist, are being featured in a mus
ical program of spiritual, sacred and
secular numbers at the Urban Lea
gue Community Center, 2213 Lake
Street, Thursday evening, January
18th at 7:30 o’clock.
During the Christmas week they
>
gave programs at several Nebraska
institutions, including the State Peni
tentiary and Veteran’s hospi’al in
Lincoln, Masonic Home tor the Aired
| in Plattsmouth and the Florence Old
I Folks Home in Omaha, besides ap
pearing at the Omaha Chamber of
Commerce and the First Methodist
Church, (white)- They have sang
'xrfore many other local organization
nid churches
One music critic called their pro
gram, “unique and interesting.” He
said, “They posses nice qualities of
voice and blend them harmoniously
together. Especially well do they do
“Somebody’s Knocking at your door"
“O 1 Morn of Beauty” and “Shine on
Harvest Moon.”
The will b- assisted by other loca'
Negrc youth. It will be a program
well worth attending.
U. S. Navy /7Chow * is Good
U. s. NAVY “CHOW" is good,
judging from the inroads made on a
tray in the mess hall of the U- S
Naval Training School (WR) Bronx
NY., by new “boots." Left to right,
Melba Roberts, 325 N. 13th St.,
Springield, 111- and Jessie Richard
son, 4327 Vincennes Ave.. Chicago,
are positive it is- Navy often accus
ed of being hotbed of racial preju
dice, isn’t allowing it at Bronx school
where Negro WAVES are undergo
ing six week's “boot” training- Note
white and colored dining togethei
and apparently having a good time at
it.
(U-S. Navy Photo Released Through
Continental Features-)
ENGINEERS MASTER GIANT TASK.
Dedicate Bridge To 2 Dead
Negro Heroes In France
by Rudolph Dunbar• A .VP War q
Correspondent
PARIS—Dedication of the rebuilt
Darental bridge (largest in France)
to two dead Negro soldiers, present
ation of the Legion of Merit and
Certificate of Merit to two heroic
Tan Yanks- and a tribute to the re
markable engineering feat of the Sec
ond Battalion of the 392nd Engineer
Regiment (General Service), marked
the unusual ceremony staged recent
ly in Reuen, France.
There’s an interesting story behind
this colorful ceremony. It all start
ed when retreating Germans placed
40 tons of TNT under the main col
umns of the bridge and blew up 9
of its arches. This is where Negro
soldiers, members of the 392nd Engin
eer Regiment- entered the story- The
second battalion of the 392nd moved
in and in 8 days cleared the debris
In reconstructing the bridge, the tan
Yanks had to dig nine feet to reach
a solid foundation. Working 24 hr.
shifts and hindered by rain- the en
gineers felled the trees to get timber
required for the massive structure of
the giant bridge. Nevertheless, they
completed the bridge much to the a
stonishment of the British and the
French.
SEEK OUT
DESERVING GTS *
When it came time to reopen the
bridge and pay due honor to the Ne
gro engineers who had made possible
the reopening, Army officers decided
I this was the occasion for giving
praise to outstanding colored heroes
of the ground forces.
The was the time to dedicate the
bridge to twro fallen fighting men
and to present awards to deserving
GI’s.
Pfc- I. D. Dickerson of Pikeville,
NC-, was killed by an anti-personal
mine at Carcnton while clearing a
mine field- and Pfc. Albert Amos of
Cave City, Kv.- was the victim of an
anti-personal bomb while on guard
duty in Britany. To these two brave
tan Yanks who proved their mettle
during moments of danger, the
bridge was dedicated.
SAl'ES BURNING SOLDIER
The awards went to MiSgt- EI
dred M. Currie of Nashville, Tcnn-.
and to Pvt• At June of Rodessa, La.
Sergeant Currie• awarded the Legion
of Merit teas credited with training
some of the most inexperienced men
to work on the Army's administrative
staff.
Private June received the Certific
ate of Merit for saving a soldier
from a fiery death• The victim• his
clothes ignited by an exploded gaso
line tank, was overpowered by Pri
vate June and rolled on the ground
until the flames were extinguished..
The ceretnony was one of the great
est tributes paid to Negro soldiers
It began with .a luncheon at .the
Grani Hotel De La Posle ichcrc Maj
Gen• C. B. Moore, chief engineer.
U- S. Army, ETO, was principal
speaker. High ranking Allied offic
ers were present.
The party drove from the hotel to
the bridge where the remainder of
the ceremony was carried out- Af
ter the bridge was dedicated to the
two soldiers by General Moore- a
200-tcn locomotive- decorated with
flags of the Allied nations, made a
test run over the bridge. A large
crowd stood in the rain to witness
this impressive sight.
GUARD OF HONOR.
The presentation of colors and
award of decorations followed- The
guard of honor was made up of «
detachment of the second battalion,
with its regimental band under the
direction of 1st Lt. Edwin H- Rus
ker of Michigan.
Father J. A. Moylan
j Assaulted by Thieves
Who Flee Out Window
The Rev. Joseph A. Moylan of the
St- Benedict's parish, told police two
---
men entered his office, 2217 North
25th street, last Saturday night when
he was asleep at his desk and assault
ed him.
He said one attempted to strike
him with an iron bar- He said he
called for help and the men dived
headlong hrough the windows and
fled, taking his table model radio an
overcoat and $5
“DR. CARVER WEEK”
Designated in N. Y. State
—by Solomon Harper—
New York (CNS) January seven
th to fourteenth has been designated
a s GEORGE WASHINGTON
CARVER WEEK by Governor Tho
mas E- Dewey, whose action came af
ter three years of activity in New
York State by various organizations,
and publications to put New York
State into the movement to secure
the honors Dr. Carver deserved- A
mong the organizations interested in
the matter were the Board of Edu
cation of the City of New York, the
New York Tuskegee Club- the Fed
eration of Architects, Engineers,
Chemists and Technicians, this writer
John B. Kennedy, the radio comment
ator- Council Powell introduced a
resolution in the city council to des
ignate McCombs Place as Carver
Park.
AWARDED PURPLE HEART
(PPNS) For bravery under fire
and wounds received in the battle of
Savo Island, Cook Second Class
Reginald ulius of New York. N Y.
has been awarded the Purple Heart
and is shown being congratulated by
Inaval officers aboard the UUS Ara
vat- somewhere in the Pacific- Read
ing from left to right are: Chaplain
C H. Schackelford, USNR; Lieut
enant Samuel S. Platt- US NR, Act
ing Commanding Officer of the Ara
vat: Lt- Harold L- Simmers, USNR.
and Ensign Leon G- Fuller, USNR.
MRS, BETHUNE PICKS*
Mrs. Roosevelt
Top Woman
Of the Year
Selects 15 Other Women
1 As Outstanding for ’44
i
WASHINGTON, DC.—Mrs. Mary
McLeod Bcthune, who herself has
been named innumerable times on
rosters of the outstanding women of
America, has selected a list of 16
women as the outstanding contribut
ors to interracial unity during the
year 1944- Her selevtions were made
she said in a press conference this
week, because she was perturbed by
the absolute neglect of women in the
polls of newspapers and periodicals,
both white and colored
She declared that the National
Council of Negro Women of which
she is president- is in better position
than the average person or organiz
ation to make such selections because
of the concentration of its efforts on
the services and activities of women.
Her list includes: Mrs- Eleanor
Roosevelt as the Woman of the Year
for her “varied activities in the field
of human relations, her courage, her
energy, and her deep concern for na
tional and international unity which
have given inspiration to women all
over the world-’’
Mrs. Anna Arnold Hedgeman, ex
ecutive secretary of the National
Council for a Permanent FEPC, for
her dynamic leadership in the strug
gle to secure passage of the bill for
a permanent Fair Employment Prac^
tice Commission with enforcement
powers.
Mrs. Mary S- Ingraham, president
of the National Board of the Young
Women's Christian Associations of
the United States- for her courageous
leadership in the development of
sound interracial practice within the
YWCA
Mrs. Mabel K. Staupers, executive
secretary of the National Association
of Colored Graduate Nurses, for her
persistent efforts to secure the full
utilization of the services of the Ne
gro nurse in the armed forces
Mrs. Alice T. McLean, founder of
and president of the American Wom
en’s Voluntary Services, for her con
tribution to the morale of the men
and women in the armed forces
through her visits to the war theatr
es and the expansion on a national
basis of the exceedingly effective pro
gram of the AWVS
Mrs. Daisy Lampkin, field secret
ary of the NAACP-, for her part in
building in 1944 the largest member
ship enrollment in the history of the
NAACP-. and for her effective fight
for equality of opportunity for all
minorities.
Mrs. Katherine Shryver, executive
secretary of the National Committee
to Abolish the Poll Tax. for her
statesmanlike leadership in the legis
lature and educational campaign to
abolish the poll tax.
Mrs. Dorothy Thompson, column
ist, for her brilliant analysis and pre
sentation of major issues in the pol
itical campaign for 1944
Mrs. Lavonia H- Brown, founder
Lt- General of the Women’s Army
for National Defense (WANDS),
for her creative leadership in devel
oping the program of the WANDS.
Miss Lillian Smith, editor of the
“South Today,” for her fearless pre
sentation of the effects on huijjan be
havior of the mores of the South
through the authorship of “Strange
Fruit.”
Mrs. Bettye Murphy Phillips, news
paperwoman for qualifying for cer
tification by the War Department as
the first Negro woman war corres
pondent.
Miss Lena Horne, singer and mo
tion picture star, for her resolute
stand on refusing to appear on radio,
screen or stage in stereotyped Negro
roles
Mrs- Dorothy J. Bellanca, inter
national vice president of the Amal
gamated Clothing Workers of Amer
ica (CIO)- for her effective assist
ance in the mobilization of women in
dustrial workers for citizenship res 1
ponsibility with emphasis on registr
ation and participation in local and
national elections in 1944.
Mrs. Thomasina W. Johnson, leg
islative representative of the Nation
al Non Partisan Council on Public
Affairs of the Alpha Kappa Alpha
Sorority- for her succes>ful efforts
toward the inclusion and integration
of Negro women in the Waves.
Mrs. Pauline Redmond Coggs, ex
ecutive secretary of the Washington
Urban League, for her forthright
fight for housing facilities for Ne
groes and racial tolerance in the Dis
trict of Columbia
Mrs. Jeanetta Welch Brown, exec
utive secretary of the National Coun
cil of Negro Women, for initiating ,
coordinating committee composed of
Labor. Catholic. Protestant and Jew
ish national women’s organizations
for the elimination of race hatred and
segregation; and for developing the
program for launching of the first
Liberty ship named in honor of a Nt
gro women, the SS Harriet Tubman,
now an active cargo vessel of war
Mrs- Bethune emphasized that th's
In Full Swing at
Texas Naval-base
by Gladys P. Graham
EXCLUSIVE New York (Calvin
News Service. A sailor stationed at
Corpus Christi, Texas- largest am
phibious naval air station in the
world where approximately UOO Ne
gro seamen are stationed, made one
of the most esnsational disclosures
on segregation and rank race preju
dice that has come to the attention of
this paper in sometime
The informer said that the bar
racks are roach-infested, dirty- and
crowded beyond human endurance
"Ol the 23 chow halls," he declared,
“there is only one reserved for Ne
gro personnel. Recreation for us
consists of 10 pool tables- one beer
garden and the movies. At the mov
ies, they have cut a small door in the
back which accomodates only a small
portion of the men at one time. To
go into the decent Negro residential
reel ion, it was necessary to get a
“restricted pass; otherwise the men
at liberty would be picked up by
shore patrol and taken back to the
navy base and their privileges cur
tailed.”
According to the sailor- at least
30 ptreent of the men who come to
the base are grads of the Aviation
Machinists Mate School of Memphis
Tcnn., and hold certificates from the
Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. This
makes them “eligible to repair all
types of modern naval aircraft”- In
stead, the work they are given “is
equal to common labor,” With tears
in his eyes- the sailor declared “that
the President’s order to bury the old
Jim Crow policy in the army had no
effect where he was stationed; and
that he and the other thousands of
Negro seamen who suffered, were
praying to God that something would
be done to investigate the situation
so that they, too- would be treated
with the same respect and decency
shown, their white mates fighting for
the cause of democracy
list is a symbol of the accomplish
ments of women throughout the na
tion in the war year 1944. She paid
tribute to the women leaders of
great religious movements, to the
women in industrial plants, to the
women in the armed forces, and to
the women who carry increased bur
dens as wives, daughters and mother*
all over the nation. The National
Council of Negro Women, she said,
urges local communities to aid in
finding those “brave loyal women be
hind the scenes who quietly and un
assumingly have earned recognition."
HOSPITALS ACROSS THE
COUNTRY TO PUT NEGROES
ON STAFFS.
New York (C) Hospitals in New
York and the country over are report
ed to be studying the interracial plan
as instigated by Sydenham Hospital.
In their first anual report, the trus
tees of Sydenham, the country's only
private interracial hospital, stated
that 3 other New York voluntary hos
pitals have added Negro doctors to '
their medical staff and six have hir
ed race nurses. .
“Several others”, trustees said, are
known to be seriously considering the
acceptance of Negroes Tor interne
ships and other staff positions- In
additon. Sydeham has received inquir
-ies from hospitals in Alabama, Geo
rgia, California, Massachusetts, Tex
as and Pennsylvania as they seem to
be interested in setting up similar
plans in their hospital.
30.000 NEGROES PLAN POST
ARMY SCHOOLING
Washington,—More than 30 thou
sand of the 700 thousand enlisted
Negro soldiers in he Army intend to
return to full-time school or college
after the war.
The War Department, reporting
the results of a survey Sunday said
that 7 percent of all Negro troops
have definite plans to start a business
of their own after the war- Four
percent intend to operate farms
GIVES ALLOWANCE
TO MARCH OF DIMES
Philippa Schuyler, 13-ycar-old
concert pianist, appeals for sup
port of the March of Dimes in
Celebration of the President’s
birthday. Miss Schuyler contrib
uted one month’s allowance to the
March of Dimes. She is the daugh
ter of Mr. and Mrs. George
Schuyler of New York City. Her
father is the well-known author,
columnist, and lecturer.