Nebraska Newspapers

    ! ■ LOCAL & NAT’L NEWS-lOc per copy “AND WORTH IT” ■
/JUSTICE m HEW TO THE LINE \
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PHONE HA.0800
d^UOKANI ST
^^ ^ **.Largest Accredited Negro Newspaper West of Chicago and North of KC
_ _ Entered as 2nd class matter at Post- oft ice. Omaha, Nebr., Under Act of
Saturday, January 12,1946 Our 18th Year—No. 49 ★ 10c Per popy ★ Marcti 8, 1874. Publishing Offices at 2420 Grant Street, Omaha, Nebr.
Jgr .. .. - —■ .... - ■- — ■ - 1 ;; "i:M '! " "" t; — “ 1 — ■ ■ 11
Weekly Feature Launched To Promote Race Harmony
± Every Week, we shall present “Our Guest Column,” a non-profit service of the American Press Associates devoted to furthering
SEdi*&dlbyeEi^dpnJitorris, noted journalist, our new weekly column will feature prominent guest contributors who will review current
developments on the minority group front and suggest local and nationwide action. Coming soon as guest columnists are Pearl S. Buck,
A Philip Randolph George S. Schuyler, Dr. Ira De Reid. Rev. Howard Kestcr, Elmo Roper and other leaders in the fight for equality.
Clemency Granted to
83 Tort Chicago’ Sailors
OUR
GUEST
Colurn,,,,
Edited toy ERNA f "
Lillian Smith, the a
courageous book an
'Strange Fi :t’, told
N :w York recently* C
it ter of racial and it
-.•itera.-ic* America has
i.st abcut where Germany was in
' Mi. wh> :i Hitler came Into pow
er
» -kith’s opinion, if correct
i*, far ;m comforting. We can
not dispute what she says on the
grounds that the pure and vtrtu-*
tuous American people would au
tomatically reject an American
Hitler of an official policy of an
ti-Semitic and anti-Negro bigo
try. The 5,000 odd victims of lyn
ching in all sections of the coun
try and the Negro casualties in
race riots would certainly testify
to the mob spirit in placid, run
of the mill Americans.
Colored citizens .have no illu-1
sions about the farce and pre
tense of a square deal for all. But
unfortunately, a considerable num
ber of America's focal minority
do not take time out from their
own woes to spot the mote in their
own eyes. As fantastic as it seems
from a logical standpoint, a fair
share of anti-semitic prejudice and
bigotry are to be found in the
hearts of 15,000,000 Negroes
Of course its easy to explain
why members of minorities echo
the sterotypes of defamation of
other minorities. But it still can
not be justified. Psychologists tell
us that a man who is kept down
by someone more powerful feels
the need to kick still another per
son in order to bolster his pride
and ego. Thus on the Texas bor
der we find exploited Negro wor
kers blindly helping their cracker
bosses to oppress even further the
illiterate and hapless Mexican im
migrants. Thus also in our big
urban centers we find even intel
ligent and educated Negro pro
fessionals slandering Jews and
Catholics.
Sometimes it seems reasonable
to hope that a new day among
minorities is developing. We got
a glimpse of it during the war
when many a Negro felt a kin
ship and bond of despair with the
persecuted Japankso-Americans.
©nite a few Negroe soldiers bit
terly tesented the racist epithets
that various admirals and gener
als hurled at our yellow-skinned
enemy. Certainly the times are
ripe for a growth of solidarity be
tween Jews, Negroes, Nisei and
other victims of discrimination
The FEPC has found that equal
job opportunities are denied to all
these minorities. If anything, the
problem is getting worse.
A crisis is ahead for America.
Sometimes people react intelli
gently to the needs of the hour
and unite, as in the 30 ties. The
CIO and unization of mass indu
stries was a principal result of
this solidarity. On other accasions
we become panicky and strike out
blindly, clinging to the straw of
individualism and sinking a knife
into the backs of our fellow men
in an effort to keep afloat
These are the two paths ahead.
Let us hope that we Americans
of color analyze the situation at
hand and choose the rational
course. Then no longer will any
of us mouth the Hitler-like doc
trines of anti-semitic, anti-Jap
anese or anti-Catholic bigotry.
NO JOB COLOR LINE, SAYS
AMERICAN AIRLINES
New York—American Airlines
and its subsidiary, American
Overseas Airlines, Inc., have writ
ten the NAACP that they do not
discriminate as to race, creed or
color in the employment of per
sonnel. This statement was in re
sponse to an NAACP letter in
quiring about employment oppor
tunities for war-trained Negro
aviators.
However, American Overseas
Airlines declared that since they
operate to overseas bases only
Union Services
To Be Held at Zion
Sunday Night 8 p.m.;
Rev. E. V. Wade will
ArMraco Audience
Ui es will be held at
t Z\ - ^/Church, 2215 Grant
ay, January 13th
' vices at 7:30 pm,
*0 pm. The speaker
S V Wade, pastor of
la CME Church. Mu.
3 Tfemple Choir.
§ ,_
ILiAp*. 3 Home
1st-SGT. HERMAN M. STEVENS
Will Display War
Souvenirs on Return
First Sgt. Herman M. Stevens,
son of David and Myrtle Stevens,
is expected home Thursday, Jan.
10, and expects to be discharged
soon. Sgt. Stevens is connected
with a Quartermaster Company
and has served overseas for two
years in Belgium, France and
Germany.
He was in charge of 400 men in
his Company which is quite a re
sponsibility for any first sarg
eant. He will have in his posses
sion a large accumulation of sou
veniers, and expects to place them
on display sometime after his ar
rival home.
At the time of his induction, he
was attending Lincoln University
in Jefferson City, Mo- and has
spoken several times of resuming
hi8 education, pending discharge
Sgt. Stevens will be entertained
by close frie-ds and relatives of
the family.
our minumum qualifications for
pilots are higher than those of
domestic lines. They prefer col
lege graduates, not more than 6
ft. 2 in tall, or more than 200 lbs.
in weight The age bracket is 23
28 years.
At least 1500 flying hours are
required, with a minium of 800
hours on fo'ur-engined planes.
The company states that it has
at present its full employment of
pilots and is able to recruit pilots
with experience considerably in
excess of the minimum qualifi
cations shown above. However,
they offer to put any qualified
person on their waiting list.
ATLANTANS PLAN TO BETTER
THEIR COOKS AND MAIDS
Atlanta^ Ga.—-Believing that
whether a job be as maid or cook
it should be done well, a group of
Atlantans are launching a train
ing center to turn out better wor
kers in the low income group- The
aim of the center will be to pro
duce better maid, laundresses and
thirteen other low income groups.
Said Ruby Blackburn, an em
ployer of the Atlanta board of
Education of the movement. Our
people want a fair day’s pay for
a full day’s work. We have been
half paid, it’s true, but we’ve been
half trained and sometimes not
trained at all. We want every job
a good job.
“We’ll even be an employment
bureau, we’ll send out trained,
courteous workers. When they
quit, they will be required to give
notice and they’ll expect notice
in return. We’ll keep our books
balanced, expecting fairness from
the employer and employee’,
Hurry! Hurry!
You will have to hurry if you want one of those
beautiful lots in Bedford Park addition. They are
going like hot-cakes in March. Don’t wait another
day, call the owner, JA-7718 and arrange for your
first small down payment. Get started. Become a
home owner.. .20 years from today you won’t be
sorry. Did you know when you get your lot paid
for, you are right on the road to build your own
home according to your own design, without putting
up another dime. !
The government will furnish the funds for you to
build your home.
YES SIR, we say that you will have to HURRY,
if you want one of those beautiful lots in' Bedford
Park addition. Call JA-7718 and make arrange
ments for your deal.
Where is Bedford Park addition? It is right in
the heart of the most beautiful spot in the city of
Omaha—30th from Wirt to Spencer. Don’t be
sorry, don’t wait another day. Start now to be
come A HOME OWNER,
Owners of Vacant Lots Urged to
Loan Land for Vet Housing
Rastie To Be Named
\irgin Islands Governor
Washington, DC.—President Truman has de
cided to appoint Judge William Henry Hastie, j
Negro dean of Howard University an and out
standing leader of his race, as Governor of the
Virgin Islands, to succeed Charles Harwood of
New York.
The appointment will go to the Senate when
it reconvenes January 14.
» .. -
Bishop David Wm. Short Accepts
Voting Membership in Fraternal
Council of U. S. Ftegro Churches
Most Bishop David William
Short, national president, bishop
and founder of the National David
Spiritual Temple of Christ Church
Union., incorporated, of the Uni
ted States of America, represent
ing the ‘Orthodox Christian Spi
| ritual Inter-racial Faith of All Na*
tions,’ was offered and accepted
a voting membership in the Na
tional Fraternal Council of Negro
Churches in America, which has
headquarters in Wilberforce, O.
This national council was founded
in 1934, for the improvement of
civil, economic, industrial and
general social conditions in Am
erica, particularly as they affect
the Negroes. Bishop R. C Ransom,
Founder; Bishop A. P Shaw,
President; Bishop R R Wright,
Jr-, Executive Sec’y, Rev E W
Perry, Vice-president at large;
Rev J H Moore, Recording Sec’y;
Rev E L Hickman, Assistant Re
| cording Sec’y; Dr. V M Townsend
Treasurer; Rev Dr. J M Bracy,
Statistician; Rev W A Cooper,
Chaplin; Rev. H B Hawkins, Au
ditor; Dr. J L# Horace, Chairman
of Executive Committee; and Dr.
Luther Stewart, Sec’y of Execu
tive Committee. Bishop Short, has
been assigned to the Committee
on Race Relations. Bishop Short
is the very prominent pastor of
David Spiritual Temple of Christ
Church with office and headquar
ters at 1115 West Cherry St.,
Milwaukee 5, Wisconsin
SECRETARY POSITION
OPEN AT URBAN LEAGUE
The Omaha Urban League, 2213
Lake Street, has a job vacancy open
for a girl as Office and Placement
Secretary to Mr. Crooms, Director
of the League. The qualifications
necessary for the job are that the
applicant must have a high school
education; some experience in book
keeping ; and knowledge of short
hand and typing. Call WE-3020
for further information.
NAVY OFFICER PREFERRED
NOT TO LOAD NEGRO TROOPS
New York—The commanding
officer of the US aircraft carrier
Croatan did not refuse to load 123
Negro troops at Le Havre, he
only stated to Army officers that
he ‘preferred not to do so.’
This is the official explanation
offered by the Secretary of the
Navy James V. Forrestal in his
letter to the NAACP and to other
groups and individuals who pro
tested when the incident was made
public.
Secretary Forrestal implied that
the final blame rested with the
Army, saying, the army authori
ties were not obliged to give any
weight to the Commanding Offi
cer’s preferance, but they evident,
ly elected to do so, removing the
Sinatra and Kaye v'
Cited For Racial
Tolerance
The Chicago Defender, national
weekly Negro newspaper, has ci
ted CBS stars Frank Sinatra and
Danny Kaye in the paper’s annual
honor role of Americans who in
1945 have worked to improve race
relations. The award went to Dan
ny Kaye f°r having a Negro mem
ber of his radio program in a re
gular role disassociated from
stock Negro characters; and to
Sinatra for his ‘one-man war’
against intolerance.
Mrs. Versie Winston
Bailey Heads Beauticians
Omaha Unit No. 101 of the Na
tional Beauty Culturists League
held a meeting Sunday afternoon
at the Railroad Mens’ Club, 24th
and Miami Streets
The following beauticians were
elected officers:
President, Mrs. Versie Winston
Bailey; vice-president, Mrs. Viney
Walker; secretary, Flossie Morris
treasurer, Cassie Murrell.
The meeting was well attended
with 25 shops represented. The
election was under the supervision
of the State Organizer, Mrs Chri
stine Althouse.
The next meeting is January
14th. All licensed beauticians are
asked to attend.
123 Negro troops from the Croa
tan’s embarkation schedule.
Secretary Forrestal said that
the Commanding Offocer was fol
dowing what he believed to be the
Army policy of segregation, but
this belief that the Army policy,
whatever it may be, should be
controlling aboard his ship was
an error on the part of the Com
manding Officer. That no such
misunderstanding shall arise in
the future, the attached instruc
tions have been issued to all Navy
ships and stations
The attached order to all ships
and Naval station states clearly:
‘No distinction is made between
individuals wearing the Naval un
iform or the uniform of any of
the armed services of the United
States, because of race or color.’
Land Would Be Tax Ex
Utilities Would Become
Mr. Duward R. Crooms
the Omaha Urban League
list any vacant property t
able for Veteran housing,
announced that property* ]
empt as to the owner duri
used for temporary housir
extend utilities to the bui]
become a permanent impr
Mr. Crooms also announced thad
the services of the League would be
available to service men in securing
housing. He also urges that any
property owner who has available
space to list this with the Urban
League.
In extending the service of the
Urban League, Mr. Crooms said
that he thought that there was a
definite need for housing among the
service men that has not been made
vocal, and that many of the service
men are doubling up’ with relatives
and creating a crowded condition.
He urged all veterans to list their
needs with Urban League.
empt During Loan Period
Permanent Improvement
, Executive Director of
, urged all lnad owners to
hat could be made avail
Mayor Leeman recently
oaned would be tax ex
ng the time it was being
g and that the city would
ding site and this would
ovement to the land.
Open
House
The new Community center fac
ilities located in the Jewell Building
anh sponsored by the YWCA., Ur
ban League, City Recreation De
partment, Youth Centers, Inc., and
the YMCA., will have its formal
opening to the public orr Sunday af
ternoon, January 20th at 3:30 pm.
A program, including musical sel
ections and talks by outsatnding O*
! mahans has been arranged.
G. Bernard Shaw Drops A
Bomb Into Racial Talks
With his traditional outspoken
ess, George Bernard Shaw has
written in less than forty words
what may well prove to be bomb
shell in racial discussions. When
this renowned playwright was
asked for a statement on minority
problems, he sent a postcard on
which he had written: “The color
question is not one of my subjects
but beyond a notion that the next
great civilization may be a black
one I have nothing to say worth
publishing. The heroine of my
most popular tale is a Negress.
Mr Shaw, who is now in his
90th year, has been said, to have
achieved a legendary fame while
still alive, in contrast to most of
the great men who are long dead
before their names acquire a crust
of legend and fable. It is true that
his fame rests as much upon his
ready wit and on his willingness
Bowles Commended for Stand on Job Bias
MULZAC CHARGE DISMISSED, CASE
CLOSED, SAYS COAST GUARD
New York—A charge of mis
conduct against Captain Hugh
Mulzac, of the Liberty Ship Boo
ker T. Washington, was dismissed
after a hearing and the case has
been closed, the NAACP was ad
vised last week by Rear Admiral
L. Spencer of the US Coast
Guard.
An incident was reported from
Marseilles as having taken place
November 23-24 in which Captain
Mulzac was accused of assisting
1 a young German woman to board
j his ship for illegal passage to the
I United States. The NAACr wired
(the Coast Guard December 26, as
soon as the Booker T Washing
ton made port, asking for an in
vestigation of the treatment of
Mulzac. Admiral Spencer wrote:
j The record in the case to which
you refer shows that a charge
of misconduct supported by four
specifications was preferred on
and against Captain Mulzac and
after hearing was dismissed. The
record further shows that enptnin
Mulzac was ably represented by
competent counsel and lucre was
no indication that the Examining
Officer went beyond his duty in
preferring the charge ant. in pro
vi*r’ *-. .fr ♦***»
Washington, D. G.,—Chester
Bowles, OPA administrator, drew
praise last week from the NAACP
for his forthright charge that
government agencies were turn
ing down Negroes and other min
ority group workers, despite many
vacancies and many requests from
agency heads for workers. Bow
les made his statement after he
found that colored OPA workers
being laid off by that agency,
were being turned down elsewhere
because of their color.
We commend you for forthright
stand, wired the NAACP, taken
on question of employment of Ne
groes in government agencies.
Fair Employment Practice Com.
mittee impotency makes imperat
ive heads of all government agen
cies take firm stand for employ
ing all persons qualified regard
less of race, creed, or'color. Your
outspoken criticism of certain a
gencies relative to the question of
employing Negroes sustains hope
of all minorities that they wih re
ceive fair and equitable treatment
in reconversion period.
Phone Us Your
Social Local News
# JA-3215
ask for Miss DeLore Hall
to say what he thinks regardless
of consquences, as on his plays.
He has startled people, delighted
| them or annoyed them, but they
ralize always that there is truth
behind everyone of his barbed re
marks. At his advanced age he
has managed to add to, rather
than subtract from, the tremen
dous powers of penetration that
were his as a young man.
Now he has seen the meergence
of colored people all over the
world; he has noted the gradual
formation of a new race that is
the product of much inter-racial
mixing, despite all the efforts of
bigoted people to stop it. Correct
y, he deduces that this is inevit
able, and he interprets it not as
something to be avoided, but as
something to anticipate.
A few years ago Mr. Shaw
spent part of every week at his
business offices in London, and
part in Ayot Saint Lawrence, a
quiet little village where he could
work uninterruptedly. He has now
given up city life entirely and he
stay3 in the country the week
around, working an a new comedy
to be presented at the resumed
Malvern Festival next year. Some
of his many plays are “Pygma
lion’,, ‘ Major Barbara ”, and“ Cae
sar and Cleopatra’ (all of which
have been filmed as well as “The
Apple Cart’.
NAMED CONSULTANT FOR
WOMEN VETERANS
■ ■ ■ i
Washington, D C, Soundphoto—
Lieut. Col Margaret D Craifhill,
who has been appointed consul
tant for the medical care of wom
en veterans, the first position of
its kind in the Veterans Admini
stration The announcement was
made by Gen. Omar N. Bradley,
Administrator of Veterans At
I '-^g.
i---O
| Honorable Discharge
Eighty-three Negro sailors con
victed in 1944 by court martial in
the Port Chicago mutiny and the
Guam rout cases have been gran,
ted clemency, according to offi
cial word received from the Navy
Department by Lester B. Granger
Executive Secretary, National
Urban League. Information was
given to Mr. Granger in his capa
city as Special Adviser to Secre
tary Forrestal
Forty-seven of the 50 men who
were charged with mutiny grow
ing out the Port Chicago explosion
in July 1944 have already been
released and returned to overseas
duty on probation. Of the three
remaining, two are in the hospi
tal, and a 3rd will not be released
because of bad conduct record. All
36 of the men charged with rout
in the Guam court martials in
December 1944 will be released by
January 15. Sentences for the 83
men ranged from five to twenty
years.
Eligible for Honorable Discharges
All of the men will serve until
their points make them eligible
for regular Navy discharge, Gran
ger stated, and assurance has been
given that at the end of their ser
vice they will be given honorable
discharges if their records are
satisfactory.
The Secretary’s action, Granger
continued, in releasing practically
all of the 86 Negroes court mar
tialed in California and on Guam
closes a unhappy chapter in Navy
history The wise policies the
Navy has adopted, and the stren
uous efforts being taken to make
these policies effective will, in the
future, result in smoother rela
tions between personnel and in
greater Navy morale and efficien
cy.
Granger Report Presented Appeal
The clemency action was taken
by Navy Secretary James Forre
stal as part of procedure releasing
1700 servicemen imprisoned for
various causes. Favorable action
on both cases had been urged by
the NAACP and other civic or
ganizations, and officially in spe
cial reports presented by Mr.
Granger after visiting Port Chi.
cago and Guam. Walter White,
NAACP Secretary, reported tbe
Guam arrests on his return from
a tour of the Pacific. Granger
visited Port Chicago last June and
Guam in October as a part of his
inspection of 67 Naval bases made
upon the Secretarys’ request.
In urging that the Navy relax
the severe sentences impeded in
both cass, it had been pointed out
to the Navy Secretary that above
the enlisted mens’ guilt of the
actual charges preferred against
them, there waa a background of
unsatifactory personnel conditions
which contributed to poor morale
among Negro service men, and
was a prime factor in promoting
their offenses.
The Port Chicago case Degan
July 17, 1944, when the explosion
of an ammunition vessel wiped out
300 Negro enlisted men who were
loading it, together with five of
their white commissioned officers.
Shortly afterwards, a company of
these Port Chicago personnel were
transferred to Mare Island where
they were assigned to identical
duty- The explosion-shocked Ne
groes, many 20 years or younger,
protested against allegedly unsafe
working conditions and refused
to load the vessels. The majority
subsequently went back to work,
but 50 continued to refuse and
were arrested and court martialed
on charges of mutiny.
In the Guam case 36 Negroes
were convicted and sentenced on
charges of rout and illegal posses
sion of government property. The
men had been involved in a series
of fights With white marine
guards and one of their number
had been shot and killed by a
white sailor. In desparation they
finally seized naval arms and
trucks to invade the Marine guard
barracks in revenge for the attack
committed against their own bar
racks.
NAACP Reports Men
Restored To Duty
New York—Word has reached
the NAACP that the 50 sailors
involved in the Port Chicago, Cal
ifornia, explosion and subsequent
ly convicted of mutiny have been
restored to duty on probation.
Major H C Sparks, executive
officer at the US Naval Discipli
nary Barracks at Terminal Island,
California, wrote:
‘Please be informed that these
men have been restored to duty
on probation and are now presu
mably oversea.’
The 50 colored sailors were
| tried during September, 1944, by
a Navy court in San Francisco.
| They were charged with refusing
! to continue loading ammunition
following an explosion at Port
Chicago in which more than 300
of their comrades were blown to
bits.
Thurgood Marshall, NAACP
special counsel, attended the trial
as an observer and declared that
I in his opinion the men w®^ being
tried because of their color and
race. /Following their conviction
and sentences to long prison
terms, all 50 men signed a request
that the NAACP handle their ap
peal.
Briefs seeking to set aside the
convictions were filed by Marsh
all in Washington and oral argu
j ment was made by him before the
Judge Advocate General and a'so
before the entire board of the
j Judge Advocate General on April
' 3, 1945.
Bedford Park’s Beautiful Lots Are on the Market F or Sale Now! From $450 to $600
Call Realty Improvement Company 342 Electric Bldg. JA-7718 or JA-1620 “Small Down Payment Will Do the Job .