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About The Omaha guide. (Omaha, Neb.) 1927-19?? | View Entire Issue (April 13, 1946)
“Chatter-Box” will Start Chatting Again .. Watch for Doris Ann’s Column Easter Week ft ★ ft ★ ft ft ★*★***★** ft ft ★ ft ★ ft LOCAL & NATL NEWS-lOc per copy “AND WORTH IT” o o ') O ’ O ! '3 HEW TO THE LIKE \ EQUAL OPPORTUNITY HA.0800 O ^--fa “Largest Accredited Negro Newspaper West of Chicago and North of KC.” ^-J^L-y c.TI.Dn.v . ,, ln„ .. „ -- ... , ~ . Entered as 2nd class matter at Post-of tice. Omaha, Nebr., Under An oi O SATURDAY, APRIL 13, 1946 Our 19th ^ear INo. 10 ^ 10c A. QT Copy March 8, 1874. Publishing Offices at 2420 Grant Street, Omaha, Nebr o -- ■ ■ ■■ ...... . __ __ ■__ "OUR GUEST Column Edited by Verna P. Harris : O _ A BLOOD BANK HERO ° By OLIVER W. HARRINGTON 25 year old Milton Kramer, No. 2787-TH, is merely a number in various Government files. His prison sentence would have been up quite a while ago—if he had ‘conformed’. But he is still forced to idle away his time in Terre cause he handed a protest against the Jim Crow blood bank to a Red Cross doctor before donatins his blood. Don’t jump to conclusions; Milton is not a Negro. He is a Jew Behind prison bars, with several f years of his life at stake, he hit a firmer blow for democracy than have many of us on the outside who are free The treatment of Milton Kra mer, a member of more than one minority, points up a number of features of our decaying society. I already said he belonged to the Jewish minority. That's enough by far for any one individual in a day when anti Semitism and other forms of bigotry threaten to destroy America, ut for phil osophical and political reasons, Milton chose to join the minority of conscientious objectors—and for this he was sentenced, along with two Negro comrades to five long years. And when he and his comrades, encountered segregation and Jim Crow at Milan (Mich ) Correctional Institution—where they were first incarnated—Mil ton found himself a member of a prison minority that was fighting for the rights of another minori ty. That today is his crime in the eyes of the Federal Bureau of Prisons; his parole is being with * % held because he lost a years good time, since handing his blood bank protest to the Red Cross doctor was considered an attept to smu ggle out a letter. { For one to feel called upon to object to the camae of war in an 1 era when war is obloete is itself ] a commentary on the present state of mankind. For one to en-! counter racist practices in a Gov- | ernment rehabilitation institution points to the hypocracy of the J officials in charge. And for a man] to be penalized for a bona fidei protest against the vicious blood bank policy is the height of auth oritarianism in a country that waves the four freedoms at the slightest provocation. Before Milton was transferred to Terre Haute he helped lead a successful fight at Milan against segregated dormitories and dining room. But the blood band incident two years ago was too much for the warden at Milan. Milton’s ‘good time' was forfeited. If he had given his blood in silence and made no protest, he would today be free on parole. Milton Kramer is no martyr in search of publicity. He writes his friends and family that he wants to get out of prison. But Warden Shuttleworth at Milan who origi nally made the smuggling charge now claims that Milton is no lon ger under his jurisdiction. There is nothing that I can do, says he Warden Overlade at Terre Haute passes the buck right back to his colleague Shuttleworth by refus ing to review the smuggling act when repyling to inquiries about Milton’s parole- Their cordial form letters to friends of Milton virtu ally drip with crocodile tears. Even if we would grant the truth of Warden Shuttleworth’s presence that a written commun ication handed to a Red Cross doctor in the Warden's is consi sdered smuggling would reflect on the prison's unreasonable rules and regulations, and not on ton. According to what law on the astute book does a prisoner for feit his right of petition and his right of free speech? Petitions for writs of habeas corpue have of ten been ‘smuggled’ out of pri sons and chain gangs. As a Jew who knows no color line. Milton Kramer is a symbol of the growing ties between min O orities. As a conscientious objec tor he epitomizes the wide and ; healthy differences of viewpoint within each minority. As a man who defied bureaucratic regim entation and stood steadfast on his principles, he belongs with the shoe?, troops on the ramparts of democracy. As soon as I heard about this sordid case, I wrote immediately to James V. Bennett, the director ofthe^Federal Bureau of Prisons OMAHA HOME IMPROVEMENT CO. Grand Opening Saturday, April 13th Exterior view of The Home Improvement Co., 1502 North 24th St. shown, with Mr. Ferer, Vice President and Mr. Parelskin, President, standing outside. Mr. Parelskin and Mr. Ferer announce the opening of the “OMAHA HOME IMPROVEMENT CO., Inc.” at 1502 North 24th St. They cordially invite you to come in and see the latest Idea in Home Modernization. Mr. Parelskin and Mr. Ferer are no strangers to the Ne; roes of Omaha, and have numerous friends. They spared no expense in their^attempt to make Home Decoration A PLEASURE instead of a TASK. The New Discovery, PERMA-PLASTIC, is a revolutionary Idea in Home Decoration. Their decision in establishing their business in the heart of the Negro bnsiness district, merits a vote of confidence. Stop in and see for yourself. They are prepared to com pletely Modernize and Decorate Your Home inside and out. Free Estimates are gladly given—Call Mr. Marvin, Mgr., JA-3840 for any further information. (See Advertise ment on Shoppers’ Page). Negro South Editor Disagrees with Powell By Alonzo B. Willis, Jr. “Harlem’s militant Congress man A. Clayton Powell’s illustra ted advocacy of 'The Great Mi gration’ is a blantly inept propo sal for the solution of the Race problem. “In the second and main pre mise, if, the Harlem Congress man avers, the Negro worker is truly the backbone of the South’s income then Mr. Powell, he IS the South and could have little reason to run away from such a substantial affiliation. “Could you, Congressman Po well, as a representative of the of the whole race in the greatest Democratic body in the world be serious in trying to coddle the Negro into thinking that blissful ea'e and security awaits him be yond the Mason-Dixon line where he pose as illustrator Brent de picts him dapper ad superiorily indifferent to the industry, the pioneering, the blood, the sweat, the sleepless nighty; the brain, the skill, the initiative and toil that makes the wheels of South ern industey and agticulture turn that makes America the richest and most productive country in the world?” “Don't you know that the sou th is presently by far richer in opportunity for the Negro, and that sage Booker Washington advised right when he said "Let down your buckets where you are •It is true that the South has many needs; the Negro South has many, many more That pre cisely is where opportunity be gins . Acceptance of the challenge to meet these needs—that the Negro must solve his problems with his omn initiative. Legisla tion alone won’t solve the race problems— “Congressman Powell you and other, so-called leaders and perio dicals. lulled into a sence of false security and equality by wishful thinking, should look at the cold crystal clear facts about us as a minority group froup and real ize that long range, substantial ^™■■■■■■mm Washington, D. C., demanding a release for Milton. Now that you too know the facts, won’t you join me in the fight to free a courageous youth from the omi nous tyranny of our prison "sy stem? ■ progress for the Negro can only | come by merit. “Equality is a God given some thing born in a man, black oi white. Let’s make ourselves equal by BEING equal and one doesn't have to yell it so loud or assert | it so vigorously when one is equal I for Dan Gardner summarizes: , “Our philosophy should be one of pride of race—with the knowled ge and ability to compete equally with any and all”. Booker Washington, whom the Congressman Powell quotes once avered: “Merit, no matter under what skin found will in the long run be recognized and rewarded” Louisiana’s own E. D. Tyler ex presses it thus: “I am glad to meet a person who is glad that he is black. Who is conscious of his color, and appreciates the fact I am glrul to meet a person who is glad that he is white. Every person has some color, any color [is alright. I am glad to meet all [ people, when they strictly under stand, That character makes the person, color does not make the man”. Originally a great race with a wonderful heritage and many virtues, we have been sold o little short somewhere down the line, many times by our own leaders. Our greatest present needs other than economic, are health and educational ones. The South rea lizes this, and in fairness, is pre sently essaying to do something about both. Our educational sy-1 stems must be directed away from the formal, the classics and the fictitious, toward the productive, the creative, and the actual. Agri culture and industry, buying and selling, manufacturing and mar keting the great resources of the South an<j the nation—the back bone and substance of any econ omy—must slant and dominate the educational curricular and pattern of our high schools, col leges and universities. We must in fact, be a part and parcel of a nation’s production to be indis pensible. These things, Congressman C Powell, are The Negro SOUTH’S aim for the Negro in the South. These are the basic things, vic ariously unfulfilled by us in the unilateral picture of American economy, that retard our progr ess. These things we will contend for with great vigor. But we’ll never coddle the Negro- into the thinking that he is measuring up completely, but for the restrict ions imposed on him by the othe' man. Our present argument is that we need a different approach in supplying these deficiencies. We need first to un-prejudice our own minds, see the beam in our own eyes, ere we try to pluck the mote from the other man’s”. URBAN LEAGUE ISSUES CALL FOR NEW MEMBERS By H. Davis “The Urban League Center was created to stimulate and assist in improving the economic, health, and civic life of our Urban Com munity. The effectiveness of our work along these lines is propor tional to the active participation of those we serve. “We are now launching our Spring Membership Drive. We hope that every civic minded in dividual in our community will avail his or herself of the oppor tunity of becoming active mem bers of our organization and also urge their neighbors to join” Stated by Mr. Duward R. Cro oms, Executive Secretary of the Omaha Urban League. Mr. Du ward R Crooms says the Center nas created several new organi zations, among them being: The Community Fair, whose purpose is to stimulate interest in crea tive personal industry through public exhibits: the Frontier Club an organization of business and professional men. Mr. Crooms, who resides with his wife, Erma Lee and his six year old son, Jerome, at 270?! Maple St., became Director of the j Urban League in 1945 after the! transfer of Raymond Brown to | Akron, Ohio. He holds a Bache-1 lor of Science degree having ma jored in economics, spefjjh and sociology. Mr. Crooms was also an athlete of note while attending school, having ran the 100 yd. dash in 9.6 and the 220 in 20.9. — CHANNING H. TOBIAS AND WIFE OF TENN. RIOT VICTIM SPEAK AT WASHINGTON Washington,, D. C_Dr. Chan ning H. Tobias, prominent Negro leader, and Mrs. James Morton, wife of the Columbia, Tennesee undertaker whose establishment Rev. BurckharcSt Celebrates His 78th Birthday Rev. O. J. Burkhardt, religious missionary, living at 1924 North 26th St., observed his 78th birth day April 10. He has led a pro ductive life doing good for others and is still active. His life has been spent in sev eral different phases of service to his fellow man. He has been act. ive in prison work and brought comfort to the sick in hospitals! throughout this area. On some oc casions he has saved prisoners from electrocution. He is prejudi ced toward none and makes no distinction in race or social status. He has been in Omaha since De cember to live but has been act_ ive in this section for the past half century. Rev. Burkhardt says he has been called for coun cil on racial matters by every Governor from John L Sheldon up to the present administration. This will be the 1st birthday in 47 years that the the Rev. has observed without tho presence of his beloved wffe, Mrs. Anna Bur khardt who died on June 20th ’45. Mrs. Burkhardt in addition to be ing active in civic and social work was an instructor of religious art for 30 years. One of her paintings ‘‘The Straight and Narrow’’ is displayed in the Lincoln City Mission. Rev. Burkhardt was born in Franklin Howard County, Mo., 5 years after the Civil War. was wrecked during the February 26th riot by white terrorists, were the feature speakers at a mass meeting, Sunday, April 7th, under the auspices of the District of Columbia Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The meeting was one of a ser ies of demonstrations being sta ged throughout the country so that the American people may learn the facts in the Columbia affair. The funds raised at these meetings will be sent to the nat ional office of the NAACP to provide for the legal defense of the 31 Negroes indicted in Tenn. Union Services Union Services will be held at St- John’s AMU Church, 22nd and Willis Ave., Sunday night, April 14th. Devotional Service 7 :a0 pm. Sermon at 8:00 pm. by Rev. C. C. Reynolds of Clair Methodist and music by Clair Church Choir. The public is cordially invited to at tend this last meeting of the Un ion Services. BISHOP CURRY FOUND GUILTY OF CHARGES OF HOLD ING FUNDS TOO LONG Little Rock, Ark_Following a trial that opened on Tuesday mor ning, March 28, at 11 o’clock in Vernon AME Church, North on Greenwood St., in the city of Tu lsa, Okla., Rev. J. S. Johnson, Pastor, a verdict of guilt on two counts was brought in at 4:30 pm Friday March 30th, by the trial committee composed of Bishop Noah W. Williams of St. Louis, Mo., Rev. W’. P. Mitchell of Bal timore, Md., Rev. I. N. Patterson of Philadelphia, Pa., Rev. M C. Knight of Chanute, Kan., and a Rev. G. W- Brewer of Cairo, 111. Bishop Reverdy C. Ransom of Wilberforce, Ohio, preside^ as the judge of the court which was cor ducted along strict ecclesiastical lines. The charges had been filed by ministers and laymen from Oklahoma previous to the meeting of the Bishops Council in Little Rock last February charging the Bishop with illegal handling of< connectional funds, the unauthor ized sale of property on the gro unds of the former Flipper Davis college grounds and holding the money; the levying of burdening assessments on the ministers and churches and the transfer of a miniter from his conference with out the three months written no tice require^ by law. One of the high points of the trial was reached when on Fri., morning over the protest of his lawyers, Bishop Curry took the witness stand and in the course of his testimony turned over the $1500 from the sale of the pro perty in Oklahoma which he had held for more than "a year and he stated that he did not know where to send the money. He also sta ted that the connectional funds belonging to the conferences in Oklahoma had been spent to save a church in Conway, Ark., even though the law provides that the annual conference secretary trea turer handle the funds in each conference in which they are rai se'! Photostatic come'’ ’otters and reports from the Missionary department in New York which should have received one half of the funds raised were introduced as evidence showing that Bishop Curry had mailed in monies due for the years 1943, 44 and 45 since the charges were filed and had asked that the records of said department show that he was in the clear of obligations. The com mittee found him guilty of the charges in specifications numbers one and two and asked for mercy whereupon Bishop Ransome had Bishop Curry to Stand and de clared him suspended from all official functions as a bishop in the AME Church till June 19 that is the day before the summer ses sion of the Bishops Council is scheduled to open. NAACP QUESTIONS BAR ASS’N SELECTION FOR COURTS-MARTIAL PROBE New York—The NAACP reaf firemd its position in urging Sec retary of War Robert P. Patter son to appoint a Negro to the Army’s hoard (investgating the courts martial proceedings. The board, comprising 9 prominent judges and lawyers, was selected by the American Bar Association at the request of the War Dept head. In an exchange of correspon dence, Walter White, Secretary qf the NAACP, pointed out that the Bar Association itself has been notorious for its exclusion of Ne gro lawyers except for William j H. Lewis, who was admitted to J the Bar Association many years ago in Boston, until quite recently when, as a result of vigorous and widespread protests on the part of white and colored lawyers grudging admittance was ,given to two Negro lawyers. Mr. White agreed with Sec’y Patterson that there should be no racial isues in matters of milita ry justice or any other kind of justice, and that neither black nor white lawyers should desire any special advantage for a particu lar race before a military court. But I hhave seen so many inst ances gross injustices in courts martial because of race, and ven ture to suggest again that it would be desirable to have one Negro serve on the committee. SEN. WAGNER URGED TO OPPOSE BILL AGAINST MUSICIANS UNION - , New York (WDL )—Senator | Robert F. Wagner has been urged by the Workers Defense League to give leadership in opposing the conference committe version of the Lea Bill, which is scheduled to come up soon in the senate. The bill would make illegal im portant provisions won by the musicians union which protect1 Wallace Speaks Out Against Negro Hatred Chicago, 111—(CNS )—Secretary of Commerce, Henry A. Wallace sent the following message to the Provisional Committee For a Na I sympathize deeply with the problems of all groups who suffer discrimination and brutal forms of persecution in this country in which such forms of inequality are so out of harmony with the principles on which our democra cy is based. I senderly hope that the National Veterans’ Organiza tion succeeds in finding a partial solution to the problems of racial discrimination, which is one of the two or three most important pro blems facing us in America today The Provisional Committee, wit' Joe Louis as honorary chairman is in the midst of preparation* for its conference of veterans m Chicago on April 6-7. 500 Negro and white veteran* fro..i ai» over the nation are ex pected to attend and form a na tional, Interracial veterans’ org an.zauo.i whose aim will be t* solve the splcial problems con fronting Negro veterans. Latent news indicated that the South wil be represented by a mixed dele gation of 150 veterans. Speakers at the conference wiB include Joe Louis, Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown, Cong. A. Clay ton Powell, William Dawson an< and Ferdinand Smith of the Ns tional Maritime Union. “ALLURE” i MARVA AND IVY ARE EARLY BIRDS—Alluring Marva Louis who is never caught napping when something new is being added, arrived in town just in time to agree with at tractive Ivy Madden that the new Allure Magazine for wom en of color, debuting May 1, will be the talk of the season. However, because of the shortage of paper,not many new* stand copies will be available. But Marva and Ivy aren’t taking any chances. They're buying advance subscriptions to be sure they get their copy of "Allure'. “V’e can’t af ford to be without it”, they say. (CNS photo) Chairman Washington, D. C. Soundphoto— Rep. B. Carroll Reece of Tenn , banker and bemedaled World War 1 hero, last week was elected as Chairman of the Republics a tional Committee to succeed Her bert Brownell Jr. who resigned. L to R, Rep. B. Carroll Reece of Tenn., receiving kiss from hi* wife, as he receives the graveE from Herbert Brownell, Jr. musicians against increasing un empoyment and which grant them a share of the profits on their recordings, Morris Milgram, VVDL national secretary wrote Senator Wagner. If James C. Petrillo, the one which this bill is aimed at. has committed any crime, there are ample laws on the statute books to cover every variety of offense against society. W ASHINGTON NAACP TO PICKET LINE CIRUCS Washington, D. C.—Dr. E. B. Henderson, chairman of the Ke creation Committee of the D. C. Branch, NAACP, announced to day that the Association was pi cketing Uline's Arena while the Shrine Circus is in progress April 8—14. In a statement to the press Dr, Hejnderson stated while we feel that the purpose of the Shrinc Circus is commendable, we adhere to our principle presimse that no matter how worthy the cause, mine’s Circus Arena is Out of Bounds to self respecting negroes and fair minded white persons We trust through the picketing to acquaint the public and the Shriner’s with Uline’s undemocra tic policy of barring Negroes from admission from any of their regu lar affairs, excepting boxing mat ch ehs which he terms low class entertainment for lew class peo ple. If you believe n the democra cy our bovs fought for, join us it our protest at this un-Americaa | poiicy. ! NAACP BENEFIT DANCE FOR TENN. “RIOT” MEN New York—It was announce* by the NAACP this week that a benefit dance for the legal de fense of the riot victims of Term, would be held May 3rd, at tke Savoy Ballroom. Each year the Association sponsors a birthday ball. This year the Ball Commit tee has decided to devote the af fair to the extremely important Columbia riot fund. All proceed will go toward the legal defenmr of these unfortunate victims af Southern mob violence. Boxes and general admission tickets are an sale all over New York. Bedford Park’s Beautiful Lots Are on the Market F or Sale Now! """" Call Realty Improvement Company 342 Electric Bldg. JA-7718 or JA-1620 “Small Down Payment Will Do the Job”.
