The Michigan chronicle. [volume], October 14, 1944, Image 6

About The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current

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THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE PUBLISHING COMPANY
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WHAT MANNER OF MEN?
The slow unfolding of the plot which resulted
in the burning of three homes for Negroes brings
into sharp focus again the vicious prejudices in the
minds of many Detroiters. Here we have men and
\vomen who have banded together in the South De
troit Community Improvement League with the
boldly avowed purpose of preventing the sale of
homes to Negroes in their neighborhood. Last week
the group filed suit in Circuit court to bar Negroes
from the subdivision, but through their president
they have disclaimed any responsibility for the burn
ings. The fact, too, that Detroit policemen may be
closely connected with the burnings is only another
indication of the rotten fabric of our civic life.
The immediate cause of the actions (the suit and
the burnings) was the annuoncement that property
in the area had been purchased hy a Negro company
which was constructing and remodeling homes for
Negro occupancy. The desperate need for housing
for Negroes has given wide publicity, but as usual,
when the possibility of Negroes entering a neigh
borhood arose, bigoted and misguided whites organ
ized to shut them out.
It would be revealing from a psychological point
of view to know what manner of men these are
these ordinary men who are drawn together in South
Detroit, at the Sojourner Truth project, where the
Chinese family wanted to move, everywhere in the
city, in fact, to bar non-whites. Can their prejudices
be laid to faulty education at home, at school and at
church? Do our schools take an active enough part
in teaching tolerance? Do our churches advocate
strongly enough the practice of the brotherhood of
man? Is it significant that the meeting place of
this South Detroit group was a church ?
There are other institutions and individuals be
side the church, the home and the school which must
share the responsibility for the acts of these men.
Our Mayor who appealed to the prejudices of the
citizens in the last election and sanctioned their
cause must shoulder a great part of the blame. So
must the City Council and the Housing Commission
which by word and deed have catered to the bigotry
of many white Detroiters.
Yet the responsibility goes beyond these offi
cials to those w’ho elected them. The apathy and
caution of many of our citizens must
be overcome if interracial conditions are to show
any real improvement. Men of good w ill must accept
their responsibility to their communities in standing
firmly for the right, or the forces of prejudices and
unreason will continue .to prevail. Our frightened
liberals must have the courage of their convictions if
democracy is to be more than a high sounding slogan.
The church, the school and the home must live up
to their true functions.
Our children Negro and white suffer from the
bigotry of their parents. As Lillian Smith has
pointed out so clearly no child growing up in a seg
regated society can grow up normally. Detroit must
meet the challenge of its race problem head on or
the situation w ill become increasingly acute. Partial
measures will no longer suffice. We repeat what w’e
have ahvays maintained: Appeasement of bigots
brings only disaster. Our city is headed toward that
disaster if there is not strong leadership in the di
rection of democratic living for all regardless of
race, creed or color. What happened in Germany
can happen here.
WENDELL WILLKIE
The sudden death of Wendell Willkie leaves a
void in the realm of public life which cannot easily
be filled. His meteoric political rise captured the
imagination of the masses of the people as the large
vote cast for him in the 1940 election testified. Since
that time he had continued to influence public opin
ion and his statements on policy were eagerly awaited
by the many who looked upon him as a true leader
despite his renunciation by the Republican Party.
Negroes have lost a real friend in Mr. Willkie.
He was a man who did not mince words and his
statements against race prejudice were unequivocal.
Like many other Americans, Negroes looked with
•wonder at the spectacle of the Republican bosses dis
carding the one man in their party who had repre
sented liberalism to the American people. In his
beliefs Mr. Willkie was much closer to the liberalism
of Franklin Roosevelt than to the conservatism of
Thomas Dewey and the Republican Party. The
doubts that beset Mr. Willkie on his own party and
on Mr. Dewey in particular, resulted in his failure
to endorse Dew’ey for the presidency. His position
since the conventions has been a difficult one and
one which he met with dignity. The artificial bonds
of party loyalty prevented him from coming out
openly for Mr. Roosevelt.
Our country can ill afford the loss of a man
EDITORIAL PAGE OF THE MICHIGAN CHRONICLE
like Wendell Willkie. Unlike most men he grew in
stature even in defeat. New’s of his death brought
with it the shock, the sense of loss, and of regret that
come with the passing of a friend. One cannot help
but think that his greatest contribution might have
come in the post-w’ar world when he could have aided
a w’ar-weary world to learn the rudiments of
cooperation.
We add our tribute to the many that will be
his in death. He had about him the spirit of America
and America will truly mourn his death.
THE CHRONICLER
By CONFUCIUS
Altho this column doesn’t often
mention tragic events, we were
more than disheartened by the
news of Wendell Willkie’s death.
We have all lost: together as a na
tion in search of great leaders; and
individually and racially as one
loses a close friend who could al
ways be depended upon to speak*
up in our defense and that of ev
eryman's freedom. Drew Pearson
said Sunday that Willkie's last
words to him were that he Wi 11-
kie) was being "drawn more and
more to Roosevelt."
* * *
On the local scene we heard the
AKA’s got together the other
night in honor of three of their
biggies: smooth national prexy
Beulah Whibby, advancing assis
tant Principal Brewer, and attrac
tive, assured Dr. Myers (M.D.).
Encouraging to hear about our
womenfolk, don't you think?
REGIBTER NOW!
Didja hear TE Hee Dewey the
other night. If that guy is a mas
ter of anything it's being able to
lift phrases out of context of
speeches of people he doesn’t like,
and make them sound suspicious
Like that quote he had from Wal
lace about ‘bureaucracy,’ which
Confucius is willing to bet came
from the letter Henry A. wrgte de
nouncing Jesse Jones last summer
Wallace meant no large scale In
dictment of government bureaus,
but just of one man. Anyway does
Te Hee mean to abolish all bu
reaus ... He did mention ‘abol
ishing the FEPC’ • week or so
ago, didn’t he?
REGISTER NOW!
By the way, why doncha follow
Torch Singer Mildred Bailey's ad
vice . . . "Get Hep. Get Regis
tered!" If you can’t take 10 min
utes out to register, Confucius still
thinks you’re a nogood, lazy indi
vidual, after all, the Gls all over
the world are sending their votes
in, and they’re a helluva lot busier
than you are!
REGISTER NOW!
Starting Oct. 10 there'll be an
exhibition at the Art Institute of
paintings of outstanding colored
folks done by Mrs. Betsy Graves
Reyneau. Stop by and look at
r
•Y WILLIAM L. SHERRILL.
Thing! In this world seem to
move in an inevitable cycle—a
cycle which moves from birth to
youth, then to manhood, and final
ly old age. . . . Nothing it appears
escapes this merry-go-round. . . .
The flowers and trees —the animals
of the forest—the fish of the set—
the birds of the air—as well as man,
all move from birth to youth, thence
to manhood and on to old age.
Even our languages, our cus
toms. our prejudices, our beliefs,
our fears, our hopes, our loves, our
hates—all are born, flourish and
die.
Nations too move in this self-same
cycle. . . . Todty a nation is born,
it grows to the full bloom of man
hood, holds the center of the stage
for a brief moment theta passes on
to the dust from whence it came.
, . . Today Egypt is a great nation
—tomorrow it is no more. . . . To
day Greece boasts of its civilization
—tomorrow it passes. . . . Today
Rome rules from her seven hills—
tomorrow it is ashes. . . . Today
the sun never sets on the British
Empire—tomorrow' all will be night
for this same Empire.
No race — no nation stays in front
forever. ... No people can be kept
down eternally. . . . You may crush
a people, damn a people and brutal
ize a people, for centuries: but one
J A ~ /Br *< \
*THE ARMY NEEDS NURSES-JOJNJJP TODAY?
them: they're plenty good. First
such that we’ve heard of.
REGISTER NOW!
There’s no sense in Detroiters
sitting up being so smug about our
little ‘Motor City’ and ‘Arsenal of
Democracy’ when things can hap
pen here like the firing of those
homes in south Detroit. It's that
much worse when a cop is linked
to it. Could be we need to put
less time on the damn machines
and more on human kind!
REGISTER NOW’!
Somewhere else in the Chroni
cle you'll find results of a scien
tific poll of opinion on the elec
tion. Seems to indicate we’ve all
got our heads on pretty straight
by the overwhelming support giv
en FDR. Read it and weep, Tom
mie!
REGISTER NOW!
Our own UAW is really on top of
the heap. What with that new per
manent FEPC in their own organi
zation. Be nice if more unions
would take that up. We hope it
doesn't mean as was hinted in the
dailies that it would be given to
Negroes in place of a seat on the
executive board.
REGISTER NOW!
Hear tell that Paul Robeson while
here in ‘'Othello'’ (have you got
your tickets?) will appear in a mu
sical that will be coming through
at the same time, and which is for
FDR. All the nicest people are for
FDR, don't you, think, brother?
REGISTER NOW’!
There was a nice little guy In
town over last week end: Dr.
Charles Drew by name. Gave us
impression he'd be so much happier
! if folks would just let him stay in
his lab. However, he still gives
a good speech, no?
REGISTER NOW!
Get in there and pitch wherever
you can for freedom . . . if you’re
a business man or professional .man,
get in and work in liberal move
ments and don’t be hidebound by
your own selfish interest and where
your money is, etc.; and if you’re a
wife and mother, go to your child's
school and see if they have the
proper equipment and teachers, and
finally be one of the new women
in politics. Get Registered Now!
day as suddenly as blooms a tram
pled flower, Providence will smile
in their favor and a down-trodden
people will blossom forth on the
theory stem of time to add beauty,
grandeur and luster to the human
family.
This fact places upon the should
ers of those who lead temporarily
a great obligation and responsibil
ity. ... It makes of them not
owners but trustees of civilization.
. . . A trustee that exploits his
trust for his own benefit alone is
considered unworthy.
The white races of today are in
the position of trusteeship—they
control but they do not own the
destinies of the world's people. . .
If, therefore, they abuse their trust
to the detriment of other races—
other peoples, they will be called
upon to give an occounting as sure
ly as night follows day
We hear much talk today of a
"free world." ... A world free
from want —free from sea
from slavery—free from ignorance
—free from disease—free of bigotry.
. . . We may not be able to achieve
such a world for a long. long, time
if ever—but it is the duty of our
trustees to honestly attempt to
achieve these ideals we profess to
seek. . . . The white races must
be not only honest but sensible. . .
It is in their own interest as well
Enquiring Reporter
Question: What do yon think of
the new hospital plan for Ne
groes?
R i ymond
Hatcher, assis
tant director,
Detroit' Urban
League: ‘There
la no Negro
health problem
In Detroit to
there is no
need for a Ne
gro hospital.
Detroit needs
expanded hoa
pll a 1 facilities
to serve all cit
izens because
Detroit's basic
problem Is one
of health for
~ ii y
®
Mr. Hatcher
all its citizens, not Negro health.”
R» O. Schus
ter, insurance
broker, 448 E.
Warren avenue:
“I am not in
favor of any
-kegregat
ed proposition
although at
times we are
forced to ac
cept such
things."
I^B
R. G. Schuster
ri
■ / A
mL,
|
, . jf ; „ •
■ i
U*
Mrs. Gray
give birth to such ridiculous think
ing as segregation? I wonder when
we will start to think in a demo
cratic manner.”
Willis M.
Graves, attor
ney, 446 E
W’arren avenue:
"I think that it
is a useless ges
ture. Facilities
are already
provided. Ne
groes merely i
need proper in- j
v jji
tegration into
already existing
facilities. If
they are in- J
tending to close I
existing facili
ties because of!
color, the new 1
Graves
units would not solve the prob
lem."
Elvin L. Dav
enport. attor
ney, 2010 St.
Antoine: “I do
not favor It for
the reason that
I am generally
opposed to seg
regated institu
tions. Experi
ence has shown
that segregated
institutions re
sult in the fur
therance of in
equalities."
*■ '^r
mtMhd-l
Davenport
as in the interest of all mankind
that they establish a decent w’orld.
The world is no stronger than its
weakest people. . . . The closest
attention therefore should be given
those races lowest down. . . . The
world is going to be in a large
measure just what its lowest and
most degraded peoples ire. . . .
If they are ignorant—the world is
that much ignorant. ... If they
are slaves—the world is that much
enslaved. ... If they are brutal
ized—the w’orld is that much brutal
The white peoples of the world
cannot crush, brutalize and damn
the darker peoples of the w’orld,
without crushing, damning and
brutalizing themselves. Either
there must be a world fit for all
peoples to live in—or there will
be a world unfit for any peoples
to live in. be they white or black.
W’e in this world have made too
much of the differences existing
between the races of the world. . .
W’e have built these differences up
as though they are everlasting,
eternal and inescapable. ... As a
matter of fact, these differences are
only upon ,the surface and subject
to change, wh;le the similarities
between all men are the really
eternal, everlasting and unescapable
qualities.
Jar
Mrs. Pricllla
Gray, social
worker, Brew
ster Housing
Project: "I
don’t approve of
any Jim
Crow hospital
It is unfortu
nate that is
sues like this
have to arise at
a time like this,
when we should
be thinking of
democracy for
all. What kind
of Americans
have w’e w’ho
BOOK
NOTES
By GERTRUDE SCOTT MARTIN
“Deep Rive r," by Henrietta
Buckmaster, is the second nov*el in
recent months, the first was “Free
dom Road.” which brings the light
of truth to the troubled years of
slavery. In this case the period
with which the author la eon
cerned is that Just prior to the
Civil War when slavery and anti
slavery forces were gathering
strength in increasing bitterness
for the coming struggle. Miss
Buckmaster, like Howard Fast,
has chosen Georgia as the scene of
her novel. She brings to her book
a wide knowledge of the period of
which she writes, of the activities
of the Underground Railroad of
which she wrote in her earlier
book, “Let My People Go"
“Deep River” is the story of Si
mon Bliss who grew up in the
mountain* of north Georgia, loving
freedom for all men and married
Savanna, the daughter of Tom
Dorr, slaveholder. Beyond this, it
is the story of the growing tension
between slaveholders and the poor
whites like Simon who wanted a
chance for all men to work and
live. Simon is elected to the
Georgia Legislature by his moun
tain people and there wins the en
mity of th£ planter representatives.
SLAVE UPRISINGS, UNION
ACTIVITY KEPT FEELING HIGH
Rumors of slave uprisings, the
escape of many slaves, the activ
ity of the Union men all served to
keep feeling at its highest pitch
among the men who would defend
slavery at any cost. Simon found
himself plunged into the midst of
the controversy but refused to be
swayed by the threats of the plant
ers. He came to know and admire
Jake Thompson, a'free Negro, who
served as a station on the Under
ground Railroad and was able to
help Jake to pass a few slaves
along the perilous way.
The book rises to a climax with
the flght against secession by Si
mon and his colleagues in the Leg
islature who believed in maintain
ing the Union The leaders of the
opposition threatened then beat
Simon in an attempt to keep him
quiet on the question, but he con
tinued the flght until secession,
was voted in despite his efforts.
Then he and Savanna leave n city
lighted with bonfires and echoing
to the mad shouts of the secession
ists to return to their mountains
to continue the flght for freedom.
AUTHOR HAS USED
ANTE BELLUM DIART
Miss Buckmaster has carefully
documented her book. Although it {
is a novel, she has included a bib- '
liography and states that she also !
had access to an ante bellum diary [
which showed what part Georgia j
played in defeating the Confeder- i
acy. She gives vivid word por- i
traits of the men whose names are
well known today: Thaddeus Stev
ens, Alexander Stephens, Nat
Goodloe, Toonibs and others. Her
book is an important addition to
tne literature of the period.' With
ail the care for detail that Miss
Buckmaster shows, the book does
not lag but moves with heightened
interest to the end. Her characters
are three dimensional and her
touch is sure. “Deep River" is
must not only good reading but
more than that is an importaiU
link In the chain of evidence
which forcefully demej the old i
Southern myths of happy slaves
■nd non-slsveholdlng whites satis
fied with the South's peculiar In
stitution.
"Deep River." by Henrietta Bock
master; Harcourt. Brace and Ca.
1»44; 13.00; New York City.
WILL OO
Held their club picnie at Belle
Isle August 25. Several honor
guests Joined the members. The
next meeting will be held at the
home of Mr and Mrs Hopkins, 571
East Canfleld.
Hegtster now and rote In No
vember.
THE POLITICAL TREE BEARS FRUIT!'
The Facts In Our News
By HORACE A. WHITE
MEDICAL CARE FOR NEGROES
—A few short months sgo. we
were discussing In this column the
Detroit Medicsl Center. As you
will recsll, there wss planned a
Medical Center in connection with
the expansion of Wayne university.
Certain sections of the Negro popu
lation were quite disturbed over
the fact that the Medical Center
was going to cut Into the Negro
section and take away much need
ed housing. Anyone with
why the Negroes would get upoet
over the possible loaa of a single
dwelling, not to speak of two or
three hundred houses being taken
away. This fear and anxiety over
the Negro housing situation Is al
together Justified. The way to meet
It. however, Is not to short-circuit
the general development of the
community, which development In
the long run will be of great benefit
to Negroes as well as to everybody
else.
The way to meet the housing
shortage is to work for an oppor
tunlty for Negroes to expand Into
new areas. If new areas are un
available at this time, then we
must tee to It that the areas now
Inhabited by Negroes have good
housing. This can he done by in
sisting upon a multiple dw elling'
slum clearance program. In other
words, yvhere we now have one
run-down shack housing five fam
ilies, we can see to it that a decent
multiple dwelling Is placed there
that will house ten families In de
cency and comfort at a reasonable
rent or purchase price. Your col
umnist does not accept the Idea
that ways and means cannot be
worked out and worked out Imme
diately whereby the overcrowded
sections that now accommodate the
great majority of Negroes cannot
be expanded. Certainly It Is true
that stagnation and status quo (as
you are) Is not the answer.
This matter of medical care for
Negroes and the hospital as planned
by the Board of Education in con
nection with the expansion of
Wayne university becomes very im
portant when we understand what
certain groups are suggesting in
Detroit at this time for the medical
care and training of Negroes. A
group interested in health has been
formed, and they have recently j
made a report on the Negro health j
problem, as they call it. They point j
out that the Negro is under-hos
pitalized. and that the Negro can
not receive adequate nurse training
in Detroit because of the race dis
crimination prevailing in the De
troit community. This group ad
mits in its report that something
must be done.
They indicate in their report that
the wisest thing seems to be to set
up a segregated hospital, and a
medical training program that will
look after the needs of Negroes
This medical group also indicates
that a number of leading Negro
medical men are in favor of a com
pletely segregated hospital pro
gram. The truth of this statement
we have a right to doubt. It seems
Incredible that any medical man
would suggest that Detroit give way
to a segregated hospital setup at
this stage »f our development. A
segregated program can never give
adequate medical attention and care
le Negroes any more than It can
give adequate attention and care to
Irishmen en a segregated basts.
The group making this report has
its fingers on the social non-proflt
instrument funds In Detroit. They
claim to be free from race preju
dice, and they must know what a
financial and social waste it la to
follow a program of segregation in
providing community services. At
least their own program and other
flelda should have taught them this
The liberal forces In Detroit must
combine to give to the organisa
tions and groups seeking to serve
the community good a program
that has at Its heart the service
of the community In terms of need
rather than a program that par
tially meets the need and takes
rare of entirely the damnable while
superiority that lurks In the minds
o # some good but misguided people.
We cannot permit ourselves to deny
all es Ike goals te ourselves and
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1944
the people of the world that are
so clearly set before us as we send
our children to spill their blood.
If we in Detroit set up a segregated
medical program under public sus
pires and quasi public auspices, we
will he saying to the young men
and women who return from this
war, you were fools and dupes to
believe that we meant what we
said. In other words, we have got
to mean what we say about democ
racy In Detroit or we must stop
talking about democracy in a post
war world.
The only criterion for hospitaliza
tion of a person ought to be hia
need and desire for hospitalization.
Hi* color should not enter into It
The only criterion that is neces
sary to train people in medical car*
is the ability of that person to take
that training and to practice It
Standards based on color, race and
religion make us laughing stock*
of the world Much more intimate
than this, medical people who In
dulge themselves in prejudices
b.i>ed on race, color and religion
are undermining the sanctitj of
their work.
We all pray (e God and work
like r fury to prevent any fur
ther segregation nn the basis of
race In the matter of mrdiral rare
In order te protect the health of
the ItMrolt community. A segre
gated health program will only
serve to undermine the general
health es our community.
Re-Election Of
Roosevelt Will
Assure Equality
NEW YORK—“A society In which
equality is not only possible, but
also normal" was described here
Saturday by Henry Lee Moon, as
sistant to PAC Chairman Sidney
Hillman, as the kind of post-war
world for which Negroes hoped.
Speaking at the opening session
of a two-dav conference of the Na
tion Associates, progressive group.
Moon declared that the reelection
of President Roosevelt is pre-requi
site to full equality and the end
of Jim Crow.
Haitian Student
Visits Va. School
M J Abelard Descnclos of Haiti,
an exchange fellow under the pro
visions of the Buenos Aires con
vention for the Promotion of In
ter - American Cultural Relations,
will visit the West Virginia State
college from Oct. 9 to 18 to observe
methods on teacher training.
M. Descnclos i« a graduate stu
dent in Rural Education In the
School of Education at Cornell uni
versity He was awarded a travel
grant by the Department of Stst#
to visit education Institutions.
White Tells What
The Negro Wants
NEW YORK—In his article, *How
Will the Negro Vote?" appearing
in the Oct. 21 issue of Liberty
magazine, NAACP Secretary Wal
ter White explains why the colored
vote can be an important factor
in the coming election • Succinct
ly, Mr. White points out the signi
ficant changes which a new world
consciousness has wrought in Ne
gro thinking since the last Presi
dential election.
WHITEHEAD WINS WINGS
Second L. Whitehead
Jr. former West Virginia State
college student, was recently award
ed his wings and commission from
the Aviation Cadet Corps at the
Tuskegce Army Air Field. The
army pilot hi now undergoing tran
sition training at this station He
is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. L.
Whitehead of Lawrenceville, Vs.