HEW TO THE LINE \
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY PHONE HA.0800
- —.■ ..■ .■■ =
★ x 104.7 (ViiT- 9(itli Ymi*_1V« ft Entered as 2nd Ulass matter at Post-Office, Omaha, Nebraska, Under Act of
5%_T_ t/ur tear no. O March.8,,1874. PUBLISHING OFFICES AT 2420 GRANT ST., Omaha. Nebr.
V 4
Ellis Arnall, Ga.’s Ex-Gov. Will Speak In Omaha Mon.
Ellis Amall, Georgia’s famous
ex-governor, will speak in Omaha,
under the auspices of the Center
Forum, on Monday evening, March
31, at 8:15 at Central High school
auditorium.
While still in his thirties, Amall
became the youngest governor in
the nation, brought about many
social and educational reforms in
Georgia, and made a national
name for himself.
Mr. Amall captured the imagin
ation and the interest of the Am
erican people because of the cour
age and intelligence with which he
handled, the recent controversy
•over the Georgia governorship.
Arnall is the author of the cur
rent best-seller, “The Shore Dim
ly Seen’’.
Single admissions are $1-20, ob
tainable at the Community Center
101 North 20th Street, Omaha,
Nebraska.
Urban Leagues
Vocational
Opportunity
CampaignEnds
A DEFINITE CAREER FOR
YOUTHS AND VETERANS
ITS OBJECTIVE
The Vocational Campaign was
■conducted from March 16th thru
March 23rd under the sponsorship
of the Omaha Urban League and
was completed Sunday evening,
March 23, 1947. It was reported
from the Industrial Department of
the Urban League that only the
campaign wsa ended but the work,
vocational guidance and counsel
ing, is a part of the service avail
able at all times in the Industrial
Department of the Urban League.
Objective of the Campaign was
to bring to the attention of youth
and veterans the wisdom and nec- i
essity of getting a definite career;
they should stop at nothing short
of learning a trade or getting
trained for some phase of a busi
ness, career or a profession. Young
men and women as well as teen
agers, and in some cases older
young people, were urged to scrut
inize and examine their own abil
ities and to use the resources in
the community in helping to de
termine their abilities, interests
and present and future opportun
ities. They were further advised
to seek and get the vocation of
their choice and ability even if
work opportunities in their field
at the present are closed to them.
It was advocated that the doors of
opporunity may be opened tomor
row and, whatever the field, there
were some opportunities in other
communities. It was pointed out'
also that they would possess a'
feeling of pride and security by
having a definite vocation.
The Campaign, at all times, car
ried a two-fold obective.by news
paper articles, radio broadcasts,
appeals were made to indujstry,
utilities, busines firjns and educa
tional institutions in behalf of Ne
gro job seekers. Special appeals
were made in behalf of veterans.
They were urged to open doors
that had been traditionally closed
to Negro applicants. Appeals were
made to these firms, educational
Institutions and to unions for e
qual opportunities for jobs, appren
ticeship training, and education.
The General Commitee , along
with the Urban League officials,
are of the same opinion that a city
wide awakening has been stimulat
ed, much intrest has been manifes
ed as a result of the campaigan
efforts
Activites of the Vocational Opp
ortunity Campaign, as released by
the Industrial Department, show
the following conclusions:
Schools participating - 3; Num
ber of pupils directly contacted -
196; Near Northside Y. W. C. A.,
combined group teen-agers and
veterans-22; Charles Street Rec
reation Center, combined group
teen-agers, younger children and
veterans - 205; Northside Y.W.C.A.
mothers council with adult and
Center, combined teen-agers - 43;
people's group cmbined - 52; Emm
anuel Coummunity Church, comb
ined young people and adultg roups
61. Program activities in these
groups consisted of visual aid, 16
mm movie presentions, lectures on
voctional opportunities, distribut
ion of Vocational Opportunity Lit
erature. The total number of in
dividuals directly contacted was -
678.
Activities for publicity and mass i
appeal were articles appearing in
the Omaha World Herald .the
Omaha Star, the Omaha Guide and
the American Record. Two radio
programs, one on Tuesday, March
18th, station KOIL, under the di
rection of Miss Zelda Nelson, Vo
cational "Counselor, N S.E.S., with
Mrs. Ruth Payne, Interviewer,
N.S.E.S., participating. The panel
which they presented was expertly
rendered. It presented valuable
information and carried an appeal
both to Negro applicants and in- j
dustry in behalf of applicants.
The other radio program was a
five man discussion group appear
ing on station WOW. for a half
hour on Wednesday, March 19th.
Those participating were Mr. M.
Leo Bohanon, Executive Secretary
of the Omaha Urban League: Mr.
Hubert Lockard, President of the
Iowa and Nebraska State Council
of CIO-, Mr. Herbert L. McCaw,
Commander of the AMVETS Post
No. 2: Mr. Albert M. Witzling.
President Omaha Central Labor
Union, AFL., and Captain Earle
Conover, Regional Director, Nation
al Council of Christians and Jews
Musical selections were rendered
by the Imperialist Choral Ensem
ble under the direction of Mr. Wal
ter Bel and sponsored by the Zeta
Phi Beta Sorority. Telephone calls
1 Change of
1 Subscription Rates
1 THE OMAHA CHIDE through
I the Mail.
I SUBSCRIPTION RATES:
I 1 MONTH. 50c
I 3 MONTHS.$1.50
1 6 MONTHS . *2.50
1 1 YEAR . $4.00
| 1 YEAR (Out of Town) $4.50
.luiinmiiuunmiluii.liKUIIIIHIUHtmiimHmiHIHIIwnitHinMimaWHHHIiat
Originator Of Famous
“Springfield Plan”
--— - -- --— i
DR. CLYDE R. MILLER
A long and imposing list of par
ticipants in the discussion groups
of the seminars has been arranged,
as part of the program of the In
stitute on Education in Human
Relations, to be held at the Joslyn
Memorial on March 31 and April 1.
Dr. Clyde R. Miller, originator of
the natioifally-famous “Springfield
Plan,” will be the guest speaker at
each session, and will conduct the
conferences with the help of many
local leaders from educational, re
ligious, civic and social circles.
Those who have consented to act
as chairmen of the three seminar
sessions are: the Very Rev. Wil
liam H. McCabe, President of The
Creighton University, Monday af
ternoon, March 31, from 2 to 4 o’
clock; Dr. Harry A. Burke, Super
intendent of Schools, Tuesday
morning, 10 to 11:55 a. m.; Mr.
Rowland Haynes, President of the
University of Omaha, Tuesday af
ternoon, April 1, from 2 to 4 o’
clock. •
A public meeting, planned espec
ially for those who might have dif
ficulty in attending the daily ses
sions of the seminars, will be held
at the Joslyn Memorial on Tues
day evening, April 1 at 8 p. m.
It is hoped that many will avail
themselves of this opportunity to
see and hear Doctor Miller.
Two luncheons have been ar
ranged, at both of which Dr- Mil
ler will be presented, one on March
31, at 12:00 noon, in the WOW
building, through the kindness of
the Good Fellowship Committee
of the Chamber of Commerce; an
other on Tuesday, April l-~at 12:00
noon, in the Central High School
cafeteria, by the cooperation of the
Elementary School Principals
Club. Interested persons are in
vited to attend these luncheons by
making reservations through one
of the local committee.
The Institute, which will bring
out the necessary principles of
truly democratic living, is a furth
er attempt to combat both preju
dice and bigotry in this section.
Many of the City’s leading or
ganizations have given endorse
ment to this worthy proect, as
well as prominent citizens repres
enting all manner of civic groups.
The co-chairmen of the Commit
tee for Racial and Religious Un
derstanding, formed of represent
atives of about forty ocal societies
for the purpose of presenting the
Institute are: Mrs. Herman Cohen,
Chairman of the Citizen's Anti
Discrimination Committee; Earle
Conover, Regional Director, The
American Brotherhood, National
Conference of Christians and Jews
Mrs. J. G. Schmidt, Pres., Omaha
Council of Parent-Teacher Assoc
iation.
had previously been made to many
firms and individuals. A small
committee had notified individuals
and the newspapers had carried
notice of the broadcast. The pro
gram was very informative, repres
enting the two major unions, the
Urban League, the veterans and
the brotherhood of Christians and
Jews.
Every church in Omaha and
Council Bluffs was contacted thru
a vocational guidance lecture
which had been prepared by the
Urban League, adopted by the In
ternational Ministerial Alliance,
and mailed to 48 churches. It was
estimated that 2,000 persons heard
the lecture read at church gather
ings on the first Sunday which
marked the begining of the Voca
tional Opportunity Campaign, on
March 16th. The Committee which
worked diligently and, in many
cases, at a sacrifice, was responsi
ble for the success of the Camp
aign, it was agreed by the officials
of the Urban League.
Working in several capacities,
Mrs. Robbie Turner Davis not only
arranged for the school meetings,
but helped with vocational lectur
es to the school groups Mr. John
R. Butler, Executive Secretary,
Near Northside YMCA., directed
the use of his 16mm projector in
sho,wing several interesting and
appealing films. Mr. Butler was
either on hand to show the film
and help with vocational talks or
he directed his visual aid respon
sibility by the use of other operat
ors. Mr. M. M. Taylor, Industrial
Secretary at the Urban League,
assisted special committees with
their work.
10.000 NEW YORK STATE
VETS REINSTATE INSURANCE
New York. NY. (Global) The
Veterans’ Administration announc
ed last week that during February
more than 10.000 war veterans in
New York State reinstated $61,
092.500 worth of National Service
Life Insurance policies which had
LOCAL AND NATIONAL NEWS J Per Copy AND WORTH IT— “To Sell It, ADVERTISE**
Theme of Rational Regro Health Week
“Community-Wide Cooperation for Better Health&Sanitation"
■©—*—o—☆—o— —o—*—o—☆—o- -o—*—q—☆—-o- —o——o—☆—o— -o—*—o—o— «isr
PreDedication of St. John AME’s Auditorium To Be Held Sunday, April 13th
MONTH OF APRIL TO MARK
33RD OBSERVANCE
DR. H. WIGGINS AND
DR. D. W. GOODEN,
CO-CHAIRMEN OF
NATL HEALTH WEEK
IN OMAHA
Doctor Herbert Wiggins and Dr.
D. W. Gooden, Co-Chairmen of the
Omaha Negro Health Week Com
mitee, announced the 33rd observ
ance of National Negro" Health
Week will be held during the week
of March 30th. Special objective
this year is "Community Wide Co
operation for Better Health and
Sanitation”. To be featured dur
ing Health Week are a mass meet
ing on Wednesday, April 9, at 7:30
pm. at the Zion Baptist Church.
Doctor Fatheree, recently appoint
ed City Health Commissioner, or a
member of his staff, will give the
principal address on "Community
Health and Sanitation’’- Spot ra
dio announcements over Radio sta
tion KBON and a ten minute radio
talk by Doctor Wesley Jones over
Station KOWH on Tuesday, April
1st, at 5:30 pm. will also be heard.
Doctor Wiggins and Doctor Goo
den said, "It is the individual and
collective responsibility of every
one to think how we can best im
prove community health and sam
tion. The program during Nation
al Negro Health Week hopes to
emphasize the ‘How’. To be suc
cessful, however, we must be con
cerned about health and sanitation
the year round”.
The following organizations are
cooperating under the general
sponsorship of the Omaha Urban
League in developing the National
Negro Health Week program; The
Omaha Negro Medical Association
The Health Division of the Omaha
Community Chest, Omaha Visiting
Nurse' Association, the Ideal Im
provement Association, Delta Ep
silon Omega Chapter AKA, the
Northside YMCA., and Northside
YWCA., The Negro Ministerial Al
liance, Zion Baptist Church and
the City Health Department.
Mayor Lee man
Issues Proclamation
*
The month of April this year
marks the Thirty-third observance
of NATIONAL NEGRO HEALTH
WEEK, which is being sponsored
nationally by the United States,
Public Health Service. The spec- I
ial objective of this observance j
this year is "Community-Wide Co- ■
operation for Better Health and |
Sanitation.”
Local, National Negro Health
Week is being sponsored by the O
maha Urban League in cooperation
with the Douglas County Health
Department, the Health Division of
the Community Chest, Omaha Ne
gro Medical Association, the
Young Men’s and Young Women’s
Christian Associations, and many
other organizations.
Since good health is often a pre
requisite to good citizenship, and
since our nation as a whole is be
coming increasingly conscious of
the importance of promoting and
maintaining a high standard of
health among its citizens, this ob
servance of NATIONAL NEGRO
HEALTH WEEK is both fitting
and timely- /
THEREFORE ,as Mayor of the
City of Omaha, I , Charles W. Lee
man, hereby proclaim the week of
March 30 to April 6, 1947 NA
TIONAL NEGRO HEALTH
WEEK in Omaha, and urge our cit
izens to cooperate in observing its
commendable special objective of
Community-Wide Cooperation for
better Health and Sanitation.
CHARLES W. LEEMAN
MAYOR.
Dated at Omaha, Nebraska
this 22 day of March, 1947
Governor Peterson
Issues Proclamation
Governor Peterson proclaimed
the week of March 30 as Negro
Health Week in an order issued
Wednesday.
■ Saying the health of its Negro
citizens is one of the responsibil
ties of our State, the Governor de
clared ‘‘we must wage an all-out
fight against sickness that strikes
at home and family among our
Negro population.
lapsed. Veterans may reinstate
such policies at any VA. office
without a physical examination
and through payment of only two
monthly premiums until Aug. 1st.
For Greater Coverage—
Advertise in the GUIDE
Ǥ
| Lest We Forget
| Palm &unfaaj>„ illarcf) 30tfj \
PALM SUNDAY
BY H. W. SMITH
The ancient custom of observing
Palm Sunday is with us again and
we all feel that we have prepared
ourselves to give our divine
thoughts to Holy Week and as one
song writer mentioned Must Jesus
Bear the Cross Alone....and our ex
perience teaches us that there is a
cross for everyone! As the time
approaches to the end of Lent, we
should all be very thankful that
we are living and pray for long
life.
It Is Rumored
It is rumored that Joe Louis did
not go to Mexico City only to
fight his opponent. He also went
to settle a fight. Walter Winchell'
said it is reported that Joe Louis
and Marva Louis his ex-wife were
married in Mexico City on his
trip there for the fight.
***
It is rumord that the Safeway
and Hinky-Dinky Stores are con
templating on opening up a store
representative has called on the
owner of the Amvets Building
trying to negotiate a lease to
open a store where the ballroom
is now located.
***
It is rumored that a big wedding
will take place Easter Sunday in
Detroit, Michigan of one of Oma
ha’s popular young ladies. Watch
next week’s paper for full ann
ouncements of this bbig wedding.
Not a rumor but a fact. Dr. Price
Terrell, Jr. who graduated last
January from Nebraska Univer
sity as a dentist, has now opend
up his dental office. Watch next
week’s paper for announcements
in detail.
OLD FOLKS HOME
MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
REACHES CLIMAX
As the final week for the Annual
Membership Drive for the Old
Folks’ Home, reaches its climax,
if you haven’t taken out your mem
bership to help support this most
worthy of institutions, do so NOW
by calling, Mrs. Gussie McPherson
at WEbster 4713
Julius W. Washington
Exonerated In Accident Death
Of Wife
No charges will be filed against
a husband whose wife was shot to
death early Sunday, Deputy Coun
ty Attorney Joseph Inserra said
Monday.
The husband, Julius W. Wash
ington, 1623 Burt street, had said
he could not remember all the cir
cumstances surrounding the death
of his wife, Opal at their .home
Chief Deputy County Attorney
Clayton Shrout quoted the husband
as saying he could only remember
that he picked up an automatic
pistol, and that the, gun went off
after his wife struck at him.
Investigation indicates the death
was accidental, Mr. Insera said.
Funeral services for Mrs. Wash
ington were held Thursday from
Pleasant Green Baptist Church,
Rev. Neynoldo officiating. Thomas
Funeral Home in charge of arra
ngements^
Regional USES Directors Requested
To Cooperate With Urban League
Vocational Opportunity Campaign
Regional Directors of the United
States Employment Service thru
out the country have been request
ed to cooperate with the National
Urban League in its Vocational
Opportunity Program, Robert C.
Goodwin, USES Director, said last
week end. The League’s 1947 pro
gram was adopted at a conference
in Washington, March 16-23, end
ing last Sunday.
In a memorandum forawrded to
the twelve USES regions Mr. Good
win urged that State Employment
Services in "th regioens be asked
to actively cooperate with the 56
local groups affiliated with the Ur
ban League as its program varies
in the different communities,
“Employment Service cooper
ation with this campaign is desir
able,’’ Mr. Goodwin said, “because
among its objectives are the stim
ulation of Negro youth to train and
prepare for jobs; and the improve
ment of employment opportunities
for the Negroes.”
The Urban League program in
cludes group counseling, public
meetings, conferences and visits to
business and industrial establish
ments. It also is conducted in mix
ed schools in Urban League centers
and in Negro colleges and schools
in the South. Cooperating groups
in all sections of the country in
clude YWCA, YMCA, Rotary and
Kiwanis clubs, trade unions, Gov
ernment agencies, women’s groups
trade associations and other com
munity groups.
Preceding the conference Miss J
Ann Tanneyhill, of the League’s*
Bureau of Vocational Guidance, at- >
tended consultations on current oc-1
cupational guide studies of the Un
ited States Employment Service. |
Others who participated in the De
partment of Labor consultations
included Lester Schloerb, Director,
Occupational Research Bureau,
Chicago Board of Education; Dr.
Gilbert Wrenn, University of Minn
esota; Dr. Ronald Super, Teacher’s
College. Columbia University: Max
Paer, Director, B’Nai Brith Voca
tional Service Bureau and Dr. Ed
win Davis, George Washington
University.
TRAFFIC SAFETY
Bicycles numerous. More and
more the bicycle becomes a men
ace. It is sort of an orphan that
nobody cares for, and must look
out for itself. Let it obey vehicle
laws.
(OUR ']
GUEST
Column
(Edited by VERNA P. HARRIS)
THE ESSENCE OF FEPC
(BY B. F. HrUVRIX, Inrtrnutional
Field Organlrer Brotherhood of Sleep
ing Car Porters, Inc.. V I'I„)
NOTE TO READERS: As right hand
aide to A. Philip Randolph Mr. Me
Laurin has been a key man In the FE
I C movement from ibe beginning,
o o o
NEW YORK.
There is an ironic scene in Gers
hwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess”
which points a lesson about the
complex superstructure of social
institutions we have so industrious
ly built up. A character in the op
era returns to his community al
ter an unexplained absence of some
months.
“Where you bin, Joe?” he is ask
ed by all his friends.
‘‘On, the white man done put me
in jail, and the white man done let
me out, and I still don't know
what it’s all about!”
Indictment, trial by jury, district
A BIGGER AND BETTER ST. JOHN AME. CHURCH
On Sunday, April 13th, the St. Johns AME. Church at
22nd and Willis avenue, will hold its PreDedicatory Services
for its Main Auditorium of worship. The Pastor, and his
wife, Rev. and Mrs. Childress and the members of the
Church, wish to extend to everyone, a most hearty and cor
dial invitation to come and share in these services.
attorney, right of appeal.mean
ingless and remote from Joe. All
he understood and cared about was
tnat his freedom had been arbit
rarily curtailed.
Vie Italian author, Ignazio fcu
one, put the same point in a slight
ly different way in his hard-hitting
novel, “Fontamara"—the name of
a peasant village which was com
pletely wiped out by the fascists.
When the peasants, early in the
book, go to the near-by town to
protest a diversion of their life
giving awter supply, they receive
loud guffaws from the police and
townspeople when they ask to see
the mayor. Under Mussolini a
new name for “mayor” had been
decreed, but to the peasants the
changed title was unimportant.
Inustices were still being rained up
on their village, whatever the
cource of authority might now be
called. One peasant passed a pene
trating comment about the condes
cending laughs of the townspeople
“Well-brought-up folks are pretty
sharp,” he said, “and they get ex
cited over the east little thing.”
I am sure that the low-income
Negroes, Jews, Japanese-Americ
ans and others who would benefit
mos tfrom a permanent FEPC will
never get excited about the petty,
supercilious and heated arguments
we shall soon be hearing when Con
gress debates this legislation
Such persons are too close to eco
nomic realities, too downtrodden
and too keen to pay much attention
to the apologists for discrimin
ation—by whatever name it goes.
Though many of them lack school
ing and formal education, the
grind of poverty and of second
class citizenship has led them, like
Silone’s peasants, to analyze, ap
praise and deprecate the super
structure and sweet language of
oppression.
What am I trying to say? Only
that the more articulate and edu
cated advocates of FEPC and civ
il rights must face the facts of a
slave economy and a slave society.
The manipulators of power have
devised many sechemes and many
slogans to keep racial and econom
ic minorities fooled. We constant
ly let them sidetrack our efforts by
bickering over meaningless form.
Substance is lost under a smoke
screen. The average Negro in the
South, ourneying to a distant city,
has no idea whether it is a city,
state, federal or United Nations
law—just a local custom—that re
quires him to travel im crow. And i
to him it makes no differences. All
that's significant is that, to save
his skin, he must walk to the rear
of the bus. The immigrant Jew
reaching our shores seeks employ
ment and housing. The disabilit
ies he suffers are an inner spirit
ual concern. It matters little, to
one who cannot speak the lang
uage, whether he is pushed around
by discriminatory landlords, a
state employment agency or the
Immigration Service. At the end
of the day, like the “Porgy and
Bess" character, he STILL doesn't
know what it’s all about.
L«t s pitch tne * jut'u appeal,
then, on a spiritual basis. In fact,
let’s handle each kindred issue
similarly—whether it’s additional
laws to protect our civil rights,
laws to outlaw restrictive coven
ants, or laws to provide hot lunch
es for undemoumished children
It will be a long, long time—con
sidering the state of our education
al system—before the average ex
ploited American will make all
the fine distinctions that are the I
oy and inspiration of literal-mind- !
ed bureaucrats. It will be many
lynchings hence before most Mis
sissippi farm-hands will be able to
spell “Civil Rihts Section of the De
-partment of Justice”, or “Fair
Employment Practices Commis
sion.”
Again I say, what difference, so
far as immediate action by pro
gressive forces is concerned? Our
mainstay, in so far as keeping our
eye on the ball, is the very persons
who “know the score”, not from
books and pamphlets but through
their daily struggle for the essen
tials of life. The important point,
if we are to be free, is to build the
kind of society that contains with
in itself the protection against in
justice which such agencies should
symbolize.
The endless streams of propos
ed amendments to the FEPC bill
are an effort by its opponents to
reduce the issue to the level of
“what to call the mayor.” Silone’s
peasants weren’t misled. Why
should we? PERHAPS by the
time the rank and file American
can reel off the names of such a
gencies with ease, the agencies will
have lost their substanc and outliv
ed their usefulness. The FEPC ad
vocates of today may then be agit
ating for something else to meet
the changed situation. After all,
“the old order changeth.” Justice
can fulfill itself in many ways.
Headers wishing a packet of FEPC
literature may write to: Suite 905, 112
East 19th Street, New York ,3, N. Y.
Unseating of Talmadge
By Supreme Court Is A
Great Testimonial To The
Unity, Courage, and
Determination of the
People of Georgia
SAYS DUMBROWSKI
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
FOR HUMAN WELFARE
OFFICIAL
New Orleans, La., March 25 "The I
unseating of Herman Talmadge by '
the Georgia Supreme Court is a
great testimonial to the unity, cour
age and determination of the peo
ple of Georgia,” James A. Dom
browski, Administrator of the
Southern Conference for Human
Welfare, declared.
Dombrowski is in Miami work
ing with Florida members of the
Conference who played a promin
ent part in arranging a statewide
meeting in Winter Park on March
22 to rally public protest against a
white primary bill to be introduc
ed into the 1947 session of the Flor
ida legislature which convenes on
April 8. His statement was issued
through the Conference’s head
quarters here.
This action is a vindication of the
democratic spirit of the majority
of the people of Georgia who have
made their will known so effect
ively through their churches, labor
unions, student associations, or
ganizations of Negro citizens ar.d
other groups. Inspired by their
devotion to freedom, the Court has
declared illegal the openly fascist
putsch by which Talmadge attempt
ed to take the government of one
of the forty-eight states away
from the people.”
Pointing out that "the white
primary bill recently signed by
Talmadge now becomes null and
void,” Dombrowski voiced the op
inion that “it is the secred duty of
Governor Thompson to use the
powers of the office given him by
the people of Georgia to wipe ihis
undemocratic, unchristian and un
constitutional measure off the
books.’’
NAACP CREATES POST
OF CHURCH SECRETARY
New York, Mar- 20th—The ap- j
pointment of Water Offutt as Ch
urch Secrtary to thestaff of the
NAACP today filled what has
long been considered an important
need,. The Rev. James H. Robin
son and the Rev. O. C. Maxwell,
co-chairmen of the Religious Act -
ivities Committee, declared, in an
nouncing the appointment, that a
coordinator of church activity will
be an effective and valuable mem
ber of the national staff.
"Churches are becoming more
conscious of their social role in so
ciety, in addition to taking a more
active part in fighting for civil
rights, community betterment and
against discrimination,” the co
chairmen said. "At annual church
meetings, Sunday school confer
ences, Quarterly Conferences, stu
dent assemblies in the summer,
National Women's Missionary Con
ferences, and other kinds of church
conventions, there has been an in
creasing desire for leadership in
the area of social action.”
Offutt’s background specifically
fits him to fill this post. He holds
a Bachelor of Arts degree from
West Virginia State College, a Mas
ter of Arts in political science
from the University of Pennsyl
vania. He has completed all the
NAACP Case
Against Texas U.
To Open
Austin, Texas, March 23—Hear
ings on Heman Sweatt’s demand
fbr admission to the University of
Texas Law School are scheduled to
begin in this City on Wednesday,
March 26th, with Thurgood Mar
shall, NAACP special councel, fam
ed for his tradition-shatering civil
rights victories in th United Staes
Supreme Court, heading a battery
of NAACP attorneys. Nationwide
attention will be focused on the
Civil Court of Appeals of Texas as
the Attorney General of Texas and
his staff, defending the University
of Texas, atempts to establish the
legality of the tradition-bound
University's barring of Negro Stu
dents.
The NAACP action seeking a writ
of mandamus, was filed in the
local state court in Austin on May
16, 1946. In June of that year the
lower court entered an order that
the University, in denying admis
sion to Sweatt in the absence of an
equal, seperate law school, denied
Sweatt the equal protection of law
under the constitution of the
United States. The presiding Judge
however, stayed for six months the
operation of the decree, pending
the establishment of a separate but
equal school. On December 17,
1946, the State of Texas filed a
motion alleging that a separate
school had been established and on
the basis of this motion, the court
denied the writ of mandamus ana
an appeal was immediately taken
to the civil court of appeals of
Texas.
In opposing the stand taken by
the Texas Attorney General, the
NAACP brief takes the position
that before a state may allege a
right to segregation, the state
must first show the existence of
facilities completely equal in all
respect s to the facilities offered
white Students. The brief also
makes a direct attack on what it
terms the legal ‘ fiction’’ and “judi
cial myth” of separate but equal
facilities. The brief further allege
that: "There is of course a diction
ary difference between the terms
of segregation and discrimination.
In actual practice, however, this
difference disappears. Those states
which segregate by statute in the
educational system have been pri
marily concerned with keeping Uie
two races apart and have been uni
formly disregarded even their own
interpretation of their require
ments under the 14th Amendment
to maintain the separate facilities
on an equal basis.
“Racial segregation in education
originated as a device to keep the
Negro in his place, i. e., in a con
stantly inferior position- The con
tinuance of segregation has been
synonymous with unfair discrimi
nation. The perpetuation of the
principle of segregation, even un
der the euphemistic theory of sepa
rate but equal has bee tantamount
to the perpetuation of discrimina
tory practices. The terms ‘sepa
rate’ and ‘eqal’ cannot be used con
junctlvely in a situation of this
kind; there can be no separate
equality.”
The fight now being waged to
force the University to remove its
color bars only recently precipi
tated a wide-spread campus revolt
by students against the University
administration. A historic,demo
cratic coalition was formed with
NAACP branch members, Univer
sity of Texas campus organiza
tions and several prominent pro
fessors, in open defiance of the tra
dition-bound officials and trustees,
met together at completely unsegre
gated mass meetings to demand
that Sweatt be admitted to theUni
versity, and calling for an end to
race bigotry and hypocrisy.
REGION 3 PLANS
SWEEPING DRIVE
Mapping final plans for the gig
antic April-June drive to enroll a
million members in the NAACP,
membership chairman of 156 NAA
CP branches in eight mid-western
states—Wisconsin, Michigan, Illi
nois, Indiana, Ohio, West Virginia,
Kentucky and Tennessee—will
meet in six conferences in the next
few weeks.
The eight states, comprising Re
gion 3 in the nation-wide five re
gion set-up, has a goal of 158,000
members, about one-sixth of the
one million total. Donald Jones,
assistant field secretary, directs
Region 3 headquarters in Colum
bus, Ohio.
A conference will be held in
Charleston and Nashville on March
22nd and 23rd for the branch mem
bership chairman of West Virginia
and Tennessee. A meeting in Lou
isville on march 29th will bring to
gether branch representatives of
Kentucky and Indiana, and the fol
lowing day membership chairman
from Wisconsin, Michigan and Illi
nois will convene in Chicago.
Two conferences were held ou
March 15th and 16th in Columbus,
the first for the branch chairmen
of Ohio and the second for the
state membership chairmen of the
eight states. State chairmen at
tending included James W. Dorsey,
Milwaukee; Dr. R. C. Riddle, Ben
ton Harbor, Michigan; D. B. Jour
dain, Jr.. Evanston, Illinois; Alford
M. Carroll.Louisville, and Horace
Rains, Columbus.
requirements for the degree of
Bachelor of Divinity at the Union
Theological Seminary.
Offutt taught civics in a Louis
ville, Ky., public school. He was
Race Relations Field Representa
tive for the Office of Price Admin
istration, and assistant minister of
the Mt. Olivet Baptist Church in
Philadelphia and the Bethany
Church in Brooklyn. For the past
two years, while atendsng Union
Theology Seminary, he has served
as a field worker in a recently es
tablished community program. He
helped direct interested persons
and agencies to function on an in
tercultural neighborhood basis in
the interest of the people of the
community.
FINE QUALITY PRINTING
Just CALL HA-0800
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