The guardian. [volume], May 06, 1939, Image 1

About The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960

Image provided by: Boston Public Library

                
CHE GUARDIAN
VOL. 38, NO. 27
lAACP CLOSES DRIVE MON. AT ZION
hrongs at Service Club and New Center
First Lady to Present N A AGP Medal to Marian Anderson
SEEK JOBS FOR
COLORED YOUTH
liiil victory greeted a group of
.1 people, who seek jobs in the
!•'••• utilities for young boys and
t the race, this week when they
Id by the Boston Edison Co.
1 ■ the question of discrimination in
(Continued on Page 5)
> 4
- 0
-****' *
] %
• I
v.-. J
LATE MRS. MARY WILSON
Founder of Women's Service Club
80V. SALTONSTALL
TO REVIEW 372nd
ovcrnor Snltonstall lias accepted an
"ition tendered him by the officers
d enlisted men of the 372nd Inf.,
X. < Ito attend a review in his
i""'-'"' Wednesday, May 17, 1939 at
S; 1 1 p.m., at the South Armory 7, Dart
■ "iiih St. The public is invited to be
present.
G
H. U. \\ orkers Confab
v l'.\\ )OR K—A two-day confer
ence ot colored railroad workers to dis
cii- their common problems and ways
and means of meeting them will be
held in Washington, D. C., May 19-20.
| tentative agenda, according to A.
I hilip Randolph, international presi
i ot the Brotherhood of Sleeping
' ar Porters, will embrace: legislative
proposals to solve some of the prob-
Pni- of the railroad workers; shorter
hour-; organization; relation of rail
mad unions to colored workers; dis
placement of colored workers; how
colored workers may exercise and se
cure their rights under the existing fed
eral railroad legislation.
DePriest Garage
255 NORTHAMPTON ST.
Oil - Gas - Repairing - Storage
Now Maintaining the
Ford Service
r«l. KENmora 8358 H. Thomp.om, Prop.
BOYS! QIRLS!
WANT TO GO TO CAMP?
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR EACH OF YOU TO SPEND A PLEASANT
VACATION THIS SUMMER AT EITHER
Camp Atwater
OR
Camp Nippinnicket
Not a Contest where only the Winner is the lucky one
ANYONE CAN QUALIFY
For Full Particulars See
NEXT WEEK’S GUARDIAN
SERVICE CLUB MARKS 20n> ANNIVERSARY
> w 1 *■ , \v W iHPS - Sgm' Br.c/
P . HB B ■ m <>
BOARD OF DIRECTORS—SEATED (left to right): Mrs. Katherine Lofton, Mrs. Ethel Smith, Mrs. Sadie Fitiallen,
Mrs. Harriet Hall, Mrs. Ruby Dixon, Mrs. Luella Coleman, Miss Lorena Cuzzens. STANDING (left to right): Mrs.
Ann Hawk, Miss Ethel Wood, Mrs. Irene Yates, Mrs. Pearl Powell, Mrs. Ebba Perry, Mrs. Mary Carter, Mrs.
Martha Cassell and Mrs. Mabel Sandridge.
By “TOK1”
The Women’s Service Club, which
had its start years ago in a hut built
on the Columbus Avenue playground
and which was the brain-child of the
late Mrs. Butler R. Wilson, Sr., cele
brated its twentieth anniversary Wed
nesday night in the handsome club
house at 464 Massachusetts Avenue
with elaborate ceremonies attended
by hundreds of beautifully gowned
guests. Mrs. Harriet Hall, president
for the past six years and who for
several years before that, was treasu
PICKENS HERE FOR
NAACP MASS MEETING
William Pickens, field secretary, will
be the principal speaker Monday night
and the Columbus Ave. A.M.E. Zion
Church Choir, under the direction of
Dr. W. 0. Taylor will furnish music,
as the Boston Branch of the XAACP
brings to a close at this church one of
its most successful campaigns for mem
bership in recent years.
The campaign, which has been per
sonally directed by George Murphy, Jr.,
of the National Office, has had the
closest cooperation of local president,
Attv. Irwin T. Doreh, Attv. Roy Teix
iera, vice President, Alfred Baker
Lewis, secretary, and other officers and
members.
Among the actiivties of the week
have been the installation of a large
board on which the progress of the
drive is recorded, and the obtaining of
a radio broadcast for Friday afternoon
nt 4:45 over Station WEEI, on which
Mr. Murphy will speak and a group of
musicians under Ernest O’Banyoun,
will be heard.
Memberships have been pouring in
all week from Boston, Brockton, Mai
GUARDIAN, BOSTON, MASS., MAY 6, 1939
rer, has successfully guided the des
tiny of the Service Club through years
of depression to a now brilliant cul
mination.
The anniversary proceedings were
under the capable chairmanship of
Mrs. Katherine A. Lofton, who direct
ed the compiling of a handsome sou
venir book whose ads include names
of prominent citizens and friends of
the Club. Mrs. Ethel C. Smith was
Mistress of Ceremonies and in her
charming manner introduced in turn
Atty. Matthew Bullock, Dr. John B.
den, Woburn and other nearby places.
Added to these have been contribu
tions to help swell the fund with which
the Association wages its unceasing
fight against lvnching and other evils.
Mr. Murphy, in a GUARDIAN in
terview, stated that “Boston is one of
the most fruitful cities in which I have
participated in a membership drive.
With the cooperation of the workers
I have received and the willingness of
the people to go forward, I have no
doubt of full success for our efforts.”
The genial and tireless young official
warned, however, that every person able
to take a membership must do so, as
well as help swell the crowd at the mass
meeting Monday night that will climax
the week’s activities.
"We must answer the lynchers of
that man in Florida last Friday with
hundreds of new members”, Mr. Mur
phy stated. “Boston is the home of the
abolition movement; 0.K.; let’s abolish
some of the evils of the South with our
membership cards and our masses of
people. Colored people in Miami an
swered the Ku Klux Klan by voting;
let’s answer the Bilbos and the other
enemies of the race by JOINING!”
lie added that the Boston people may
either give their memberships to NA
ACP workers, to their ministers, or
phone the headquarters at 464 Massa
eusetts Ave. and have them called for.
The meeting Monday night will be
gin at 8 o’clock and the public is in
vited.
NAACP MASS MEETING
CLOSING MEMBERSHIP DRIVE
Col. Ave. Zion Church
MONDAY, MAY 8 — 7.30 p.m.
SPEAKER
WM. PICKENS
FIELD SECRETARY NAACP
Final Reports Music 2500 New Members
ADMISSION FREE
Hall, Leon Hayes who represented
the Forum; Mrs. Jacqueline Gilbert
of the League of Women for Commu
nity Service. Julian Steele of the Arm
strong-Hemingway Foundation; and
Mrs. Colin McDonald who represented
Mayor Tobin who was out of the city
at the time and who sent felicitations
and best wishes to the Club; Miss Lo
rena Cuzzens delivered the excellent
history of the Club pointing highlights
in its long and varied interesting life
from its beginning to the present. And
(Continued on Page 5)
, " s'#
LATE MRS. HESTER JEFFRIES
First Secretary of the Women's
SERVICE CLUB
Helen Worthy Among
Guest Musicians At
Bowdoin College
Nadia Boulanger, of the Ecole Nor
male, Paris, and internationally known
as director of the famous summer
school at Fontainbleau, where many
American artists, teachers and music
students have studied, was guest con
ductor Saturday, April 23d, at the final
session of the Music Institute in ses
sion at Bowdoin College the past two
weeks.
Mile. Boulanger arrived in this coun
try in February to conduct a perform
(Continued on Page 5)
FIRST LADY TO PRESENT NAACP
MEDAL TO MARIAN ANDERSON
FUND FOR MURAL OF SINGER IN
D.C. STARTED
NEW YORK, May 2—lt was for
mally announced here today that Mrs.
Roosevelt will present the 24th Spin
garn medal to Marian Anderson at
the closing session of the 30th annual
conference of the N.A.A.C.P. on July
2 at Richmond, Va. The ceremonies
will be held in the famous Mosque,
largest and most beautiful of Rich
mond’s auditoriums. It is probable
that one or more of the radio chains
will broadcast the presentation.
Publication of a rumor that Mrs.
Roosevent would make the presenta
tion has inundated the N.A.A.C.P.
with requests for tickets of admission.
Although the ceremony is more than
two months away, individuals and
groups from as far north as Boston
and as far south as Atlanta have
already signified their intention of
going to Richmond for this occasion.
Although the Mosque will seat ap
proximately 5,000 persons, the com
mittee on program for the annual con
ference is making preparations for an
overflow crowd. It is also consider
ing requests that have been made for
issuance of reserved seat tickets to
delegates to the annual conference,
expected to number around 1,000, and
to members of the N.A.A.C.P. Public
announcement will be made in the
press if it decided to do this.
Nationwide interest in the confer
ence and particularly in the presenta
tion of the medal to Miss Anderson
by Mrs. Roosevelt has been greatly
accentuated tv the recent barring of
Miss Anderson from Constitution Hall
by the D.A.R. and from the use of a
public school auditorium by the Dis
trict of Columbia school board and a
CROWDS AT CENTER OPENING
Hundreds of people lined every
available space Thursday night to
attend the opening of the new Arm
strong-Hemenway Foundation Center
at 43 Rutland Square, where a pro
gram filled with prominent speakers
officially announced the Center’s oper
ation.
The official welcome to the public
had begun in the afternoon, when tea
was poured for about 300 guests. At
8 o’clock the program began that
brought Hon. Joseph Lee of the Bos
ton School Committee, Walter O’Hare,
of the Overseers of the Public Welfare
(who spoke for His Honor, Mayor
Tobin, who was unable to attend).
Calvin H. Yuill, Boston Housing direc
tor, Rose Pesotta, of the I.L.G.W.
order, Duncan Russell, Boston direc
tor of community service, several
other well known local leaders and
finally Lester B. Granger, of the Na
tional League and special consultant
in Washington.
The attendance at both the after
noon and evening affairs was a regu
lar “Who’s Who” of Boston’s outstand
ing citizens. Dr. George Lyman Paine,
renowned liberal, acted as master of
ceremonies. Seen close around him
were Atty. Alfred Baker Lewis, Miss
Rose Pesotta, Louis C. Bartol, Rev.
Alfred Bliss, Lewis Bell, Samuel J.
Elder, Miss Faith Barney, Mrs. J. D.
HITS "Y" DISCRIMINATION
“Discrimination . . . stamp it out!”
This slogan motivated a group of
local citizens this week as they called
on the officials of the Boston YMCA
and vigorously protested against she
recent jim-crow action taken by the
YMCA against a visiting colored Rhode
Islander, who was refused housing ac
commodations at the Huntington Ave.
Branch.
The delegation was headed by Alfred
Baker Lewis, Dr. George Lyman Paine,
Atty. Roy Teixiera and Dr. Vaughan
of Boston University. They conferred
for nearly two hours with YMCA offi
cial, who claimed at first that no dis
crimination was practiced, then admit
ted that sometimes clerks in the “Y”
RABBI JOSEPH S. SHUBOW
of Brighton. Mash., speaker
ST. MARK CONG’L. CHURCH
RBV. S. L. LAVISCOUNT, Pastor
SUNDAY, MAY 7 — 8 P. M.
at ANNUAL MEETING OF CENTRE BOARD, INC.
PUBLIC CORDIALLY INVITED
PRICE FIVE CENTS
subsequent concert on Easter Sunday
at the Lincoln Memorial in Washing
ton heard by 75,000 persons.
The Daughters of the American
Revolution meeting in Washington in
annual convention agreed to meet with
a committee from the Marian Ander
son’s Citizens Committee to go over
the banning of Miss Anderson from
Constitution Hall, owned by the D.A.R.
and possible reversal of the policy of
barring Colored artists. Mrs. Henry
M. Robert, Jr., president-general, in
agreeing to meet with representatives
of the Washington Citizens Commit
tee, stated that the convention was
such a busy time that the meeting
would have to take place after ad
journment.
Stokowski Asks D.A.R. Lift Ban
Leopold Stokowski, internationally
famous director of the Philadelphia
Symphony Orchestra, has written Mrs.
Henry M. Robert, Jr., president-gen
eral of the D.A.R., urging that Con
stitution Hall, be opened to Marian
Anderson and “recognized artists of
all races.”
Marian Anderson Mural Fund
Committee
An appeal to young people and
others who are interested to contri
bute pennies, nickels and dimes for a
mural depicting Marian Anderson’s
Easter concert was issued in Washing
ton last week by the Marian Anderson
Mural Fund Committee under chair
manship of Edward Bruce, chief of
the Section of Fine Arts, Treasury
Department, Procurement Division.
“We have or dertaken this project,”
the chairman said, “because Miss An
derson’s concert in front of the Lin
coln Memorial was one of the signifi
(Continued on Page 5)
Steele, and many other progressive
figures.
The new foundation is the answer to
the nai-row-minded element in this sec
tion’s population who have not be
lieved that a real unity of interracial
interests can be built in Boston. That
the answer was an adequate one was
evidenced by the fact that no sponta
neous enthusiasm has been seen in
this city in many years as great as
that shown by both races at the open
ing of the new foundation.
The Center will carry out a varied
and ambitious community program.
One of its chief activities will be the
fostering of the cooperative move
ment, which had its South End begin
ning under the guidance of the Foun
dation Staff, and which will eventually
steer itself toward the full education
of Bostonians in cooperative market
ing and buying. Another major ac
tivity will be the question of housing,
which will follow the preliminary
steps already taken by the South End
Planning body, which was headed by
Julian Steele for several years.
Other Center activities will include
close cooperation with a South End
Labor Committee for the coordination
of labor efforts in this section, a stress
on education and recreation of chil
dren of the pre-school age, credit
(Continued on Page 5)
used their own judgment in some mat
ters.
A claim that the visitor from Rhode
Island, Philip Downing, was refused
as a matter of policy and not of race
was immediately discredited by the
delegation who were given no satisfac
tory answer as to why anyone would
call Downing “undesirable”.
In tacit admission of a past policy
of discrimination in housing at the in
stitution, the officials promised imme
diately to instruct all clerks to discon
tinue the practice in their buildings.
No discrimination in other YMCA fa
cilities was claimed by the delegation;
Mr. Lewis, in fact, stated that none
exists.