Clarion Defender_1967-11-30

:; .L EDITORIALS A Second Israel In an address before the American Sociological Association's annual convention, Prof. Charles P. Loomis, a rural sociologist from Michigan State University, said that the valleys of the Andes mountains would be an ideal place for American Negroes to build "a second Israel." "Why should not the Negroes such as those among the black po– wer group who truly believe they are forever barred from ~ttain­ ing social justice in the United States have the chance, ~f they desire it, to organize a model society much as Israel has done?" he asked. He said he felt sure that the United States government could negotiate for remote but furtile land in Ecuador, Peru or Bolivia, where German and Polish refugees built communities after the Se– comd World War. The suggestion was accompanied by an ominous warning that concentration camps may become an alternative to complete alien– ation if the riots contin ue in their destructive fury. He said, "It's ·better not to have concentration camp's and they will become an option here before long with the riots. It's better for those who have given up on America to use their energy and efforts in building a new society." The Negro people are not pleading for mass migration to for– eign soil. Nor are they prepared to consider either of two un– acceptable alternatives--concentration camps or a_separate stat~. The Negro problem is not insoluble. The good soc~ety can be bu~lt right here by extension of the rights and privileges to the Negro citizens as legacies too which they are justly entitled. The riots are the bitter fruits of decades of denial of the blessings of the affluent society. What the Negro needs is not transmigration but a larger share of the goods and services that make America a legendary land of flowing mild and honey. The cry for separatism grows out of despair, disappointment and disgust. But it has no real meaning beyond recording Negro dissatisfaction with social and economic conditions. Only a few are willing to s ubscribe to this view. The masses of American Ne– groes believe that their place is here where they have toiled and labored to help make America a rich and powerful country. There is no desire to create and build a second Israel with bare black hands and uncertain steps. Though the Negro's lot is hard and tragic, he will take his chances · here and figh~it out on this soil until common sense, equality and justice prevail and democracy is no longer an empty dream. / RORINSON JACKIE ROBINSON SAYS: New Negro Almanac t·s.Must For All Two New ··: , rk University Doctors of Philosophy have just pub– lished one of the most important and attractive books I have ever seen which concern the black man in the United States. It is not a novel or a civil rights tome or a political exercise. It is a reference work called "The Negro Almanac" and that is precisely what it is. It is a whopp i ng 1,000 pages, generously illustrated with hum– dreds of photographs, maps, charts and graphs - in short, more than 10,000 indexed items. Here are some of the subjects which are in– cluded in the contents: Chronology of major events in Negro His– tory. The Civil Rights Decade (1954-1964). Historical Documents of . Special Interest to Negroes. Biographies of Famous American Ne– groes - great names in science, industry, music, sports; govern– ment, religion, literature, the fine arts. Major sports achieve– ment by Negroes Statistical tables on employment, voter registra– tion, the armed forces, etc. Educational opportunities for Ne– groes. Government assistance programs and how they operate. His– torical landmarks of Negro Americans. Africa and the Caribbean. Book by and about Negroes -- biographies, juveniles, history, fic– tion and literature. This almanac costs $22.50. And it is priceless in terms of its importance to black and white Americans. For those of us who are Negroes, it is no news that there is an appalling lack of in– formation regarding our heritage and our achievements. When school literature mentions the Negro, it usually indi cates that the days of slavery were the black's man's beginnings rater than a rude interruption to a rich background of culture. It is important that our children learn the truth so that they ean take pride and inspiration in their heritage. It is important that white people who have also been deprived of the truth about us, come to recognize that, both before and af– ter slavery, we have accomplished and achieved and that we have a culture which has helped 'enrich the world. The Negro Almanac has been endorsed by such persons as Vice– President Humphrey, Dr. Martin King, Sen. Robert Kennedy, Whitney Young, Governor Rockefeller, Rev. Leo McLaughlin, S. J.: Lena Ho– rne, Dr. Sam Proctor, Franklin Roosevelt, Jr., Jean Noble, Percy Sutto~, Wyatt Tee Walker and · Dorothy Hieght. 1t ls not only a must for every school library, every govern– ment agency, every executive (business) library and every church. It is a must for every home. You can order it from the Bellwether Publishing Company at 150 East 35th street, New York 10016. I have no financial interest. But I believe I have and that every other Negro and every other American who believes in . justiue in INFORMATION-- has an interes in such a book. By the way, who are the ones who gave so much of themselves to produce this magnificent Almanac? They are two dedicated authors Dr. Harry A. Ploski and Dr. Roscoe Brown, an interracial team. PHARMACY . .RR N£ 111111/NAY£-IWiUJ/4 JWPNI Nl-3917 -PAUCRIPTIONS- RUBBTSH Unrest Campus Style This . has been a hectic spring. Negro students are .demonstrating all over the place; to what end? They have had their troubles at Howard University in Washington, Allen University in Columbia, South Carolina, and the State College in Orangeburg, South Carolina. They have demonstrated at Fisk and Tennessee A & I. They have bad it at Lincoln University in Missouri, Texas Southern in Houston, and Southern University in B a t o n Rouge, Louisiana. Miles College in Birmingham, Alabama; has had some uprising. There may be others that do not come to my mind at this tittle. What is this all about? It is my opinion that much or all of this could have been avoided. The ques. tion naturally arises - what end is being served? In 1960, 'what the students were demonstrating about was clear. · They had clear objectives and goals. They wanted 1 e g a 1 segregation abolished everywhere. They paid a price and they went to jail for their convictions and determination. They wanted to move about freely and be treated as American citizens in hotels and restaurants. They wanted jobs on the basis of equality. The uprisings this spring are largely internal. The hotels, theatres, and restaurants are open. The battle is within. Some of these uprisings are led by people who come to the col. lege for only a year or two. They have no intention of staying and they have no real interest in the welf::tre of the institution in which they are temporarily serving Fac– ulty, students. and administration in p1·edominantly Negro colleges mus<; beware of these fly by night crusaders with a paternalism which is nothing but another name for the superiority complex on the part of these teachers who come, to Negro colleges. It is equally important that the lines of communication between students and administration be kept open at all times. Students must be heard when their complaints are le– gitimate and when they are not legitimate. When their grips are ]e. gitimjite, steps should be, taken irn. mediately to put things iil order. Whatever the reasons for the de– monstrations in the spring of 1967, one point is clear - no amount of demonstration can take the place of good sound academic performance. The Negro student must not use demonstrations as an excuse for his poor academic performance. My ex. perience teaches me that few Negro students are academically cornpe. tent enough to spend a lot of time in demonstrations that lead to no constructive end. There is no sub. stitute for academic excellence. Every man needs some kind of skill which will enable him to hold a job. Without such skills, demonstrations amount to naught. VVhat has happened on these c.ampuses this spring could happen on other campuses in the fall of 1967 and in the spring of 1968. Whatever precautions can be taken to prevent a recurrence df these demonstrations should be done. Cer. tainly the academic program should be so good and so exciting that the demonstrations would be reduced to the minimun or they would not exist at all. Let us all bewa~e! HOLD-UP ------- --- ROY WILKINS 'God Bless Ame-rica.• If It's Corn. So Be It The newly-elected Mayor Carl Stokes, of Cleveland, Ohio, spoke truly, from the depths of tll,e only patriotism he and millions of his fellow Negroes have ever known, when he declared in his– election night speech that he understood at last the phrase,-· "God Bless America." THESE SOLID citizens, mot~vated, as are all of us, by a var– iety of stimuli, were the ones to which Stokes re~erre~. They. make up the spirit of America. They go about the~r da~ly rout~nes not always too clear on individual issues, great or small. They have their little prejudices, ambitions and jealousies. Govern– ment has to get pretty bad before they take action. But when they do act in moments of high choice, they tend to vindicate, in gre– ater oflesser degree, the "God Bless America" theme. Cleveland citizens made history by electing a Negro as mayor. The city thus deserves as many congratulations as its new mayor. There was a hard-fought election battle with all the rivalry and passion such a struggle always arouses. There was, frankly, the race issue. One can be sure that there were (and are) some white Clevelanders terrified or apprehensive or anguished at tge thought of a Negro Mayor in City Hall. In a long way, though, these white Clevelanders belong in the special niche occupied by the white citizens of Clinton, ~eon:, who did not want school integration, but who reluctantly 1nst~tuted it because it was now the law. They went into it with their fing– ers crossed. They began it although it was contrary to the teach– ings and the deep beliefs of their parents and grandparents. They wrestled with the problems of Negro and white children, of Negro and white parents and teachers. TODAY THE SCHOOL situation in Clinton is not as smooth and as satisfactory as all would have it, but Clinton is working at it. Cleveland and Carl Stokes, one feels certain, will as o work at a totally new municipal picture, one with a nonwhite mayor presidiBg over the political, social and economic welfare of a major American city. Mayor Stokes appears to have the experience and the personal– ity needed to tackle the very grave problems faced by his city. Hid Negro fellow citizens can help him in the same way the plead for white citizens to help him: by uniting their efforts on projects for the good of the city as a whole. For some months all factions in the Negro community, from black nationalists to ultraconservatives have been neeting, exchanging views and re-evaluating each other. This has been gelpful and should continue. It is not fair that the capacities of the Negro American should be measured by a particular event, but - in the present stage o! the struggle for equality, tgat is the way life is. Thus, whatever helps Stokes in Cleveland and Richard Hatcher in the tougher town of Gary, Ind., helps all l· 1 e:groes everywhere. It helps whites, too, by making deeper and truer the nites of the ballad made famous by Kaye Smith. If, in the sophistication of some white intellectuals and in the so-called militance os some young Negroes, this be corn, tgen do be it. It is in moments like the Stokes victory hour that Amer– icans come to understand the inner greatness of their land. Here is tinsel, of course . . There is dross and fakery and hot air and selfishness and discrimination. There is greed and politi– cal chicancery and theft and hypocrisy and hatred and envy and kil~ ling. With a population of 200 millions, both scoundrels and an– gels may be counted, as well as the millions of decent folk of aver– age ability and tolerance. MY VIEW Motiv~tion Must Be Found By 'BENJAMIN E. MAYS Millions of American youths are now enrolled in schools, many of them for the first time. Recent– ly, I have talked with a few chil– dren about going back to school. Some of them are .jubilant and glad. There are others who seem to be indifferent or do not care. Tl).ey are enrolled in school for many rea– sons. Some are back because they want an education. There are others who are there because their parents sent t h ern. Others are there because their friends are there. Some have high aims and wish to a ceo rnpli sh some thin g w or thwhile for them- selves and mankind. There are others whose aims are low. . Some have excep– tional minds, some have average minds, some below average. A few are geniuses. And yet ftorn kinder– garten or first , grade on through college thousands upon thousands of those who are now enrolled will drop out. Unless the federal government provides training for the- dropouts, the number of unemployed people will increase. Without skills, society cannot use you. The unemployed are a source of trouble. Not all who participate ·in riots· are unemployed, but the people who are wen employed seldom start riots . or partic!J>ate in them. This is one reason ·why unemployment and . slums must be abolished in this country. Motivation is always the prob– lem. How can we motivate these youngsters so .that they will love to go to school? This is the 64 dol– lar question; and yet all who teach should strive with ;ill their might to give the young people something to strive for. There is no one way to motivate students. What stimulates one to ·strive for excellence will not necessarily motivate another. Whatever the source of motivation, the role of the teacher cannot be eli– minated. A teacher who knows his' subject matter, knows how to im– part knowledge, love his people, .possesses good character, and is dedicated to his job, must be the main source of ·motivation. As the millions go back to school, it would be well indeed if they knew that man has three friends: ·An education, work, and health. The three often go together. Education provides one with skjns which one needs in his work. If one is educated and is intelJigent as well, the chances are great that he will always have work. One may despise school and hate work, but he is despising and hating his best friends. If you are in doubt about this, sit down and talk to a man who has no education, no job, and who is in poor health. Nothing is so pathetic as a man , without a job, who has no training, and who has ,Jost his health. There are all too many of this kind in the world. If the students ·now enrolled could keep before- them the facf that a good education will guaran– tee work and that education, ,wealth and health are our · best friends, this alone · is enough to motivate and inspire students. We can only hope that the quality and devotion of those who teach wm improv~ with the years.