Afro-American Courier
OUR MOTTO: "Let Down the Bucket Where You A re" "
VOL. 22
YAZOO CITY, MISSISSIPPI, MAY, 1S57
NO. 2
NATIONAL HOSPITAL WEEK
Founder's Birthday Celebration
By All Afro Lodges June 1st
The next big meeting of state
wide attraction that is a MUST ior
Afros will be annual Founder’s
Birthday Celebration, Saturday,
June 1, 1957. This big affair is to
be held at and in the communities
of each and every local Afro lodge
in the state of Mississippi. Coopera
tion in this movement should be
fully approved and assured when
the fact is presented that the en
tire proceeds from the many cele
brations, on reaching the Home Of
fice, will go direct into the hospital
fund and not for the Custodian’s
personal benefit.
It is a nice move on the part of
the Custodian to allow his birthday
to be celebrated throughout the
state for the benefit of the hospital,
an institution he founded many
years ago. Yes, “Cousin Tom’’ is
a liberal man and wants the peo
ple’s Temple of Health, the Afro
American Hospital, to succeed in
both a financial and operative man
ner.
, Each lodge is jL^ed to hold a
TOpeciar ptrtsiic progrant or some
form of public entertainment on
either Friday night, May 31st., Sat
urday nighf, June 1st. or Sunday,
June 2nd, and lift a public offering
for the benefit of'the Afro-Ameri
can Hospital, “Mississippi’s First
and Largest Negro Fraternal Hospi
tal.” No certain amount is re
quested but ALL lodges should
send SOMETHING. Get the dona
tion in the mail Monday morning,
June 3rd. Use one of the three
dates that fit your community best.
If public program cannot be arrang
ed then resort to public solicitation.
State-wide celebration of the Cus
todian’s birthday for the benefit of
the hospital has been fully approv
ed by the Grand Lodge and will
be an annual affair from now on.
The celebration MUST be held and
SOME funds sent to the office by
all Afro local lodges. The amount
sent is left entirely to each lodge.
However, it is expected that each
lodge in the state would send at
least $1.00 for this worthy cause.
Be it remembered that the Hospi
tal Anniversary and the Custod
ian’s Birthday.' proceeds are a de
finite portion of the annual bud
get for operating the Afro-Ameri
can Hospital. Lodges failing to co
operate fully in both are rightfully
labeled SABOTAGERS of the Afro
American Hospital. Remember, $8
per year from each adult member
will not keep your hospital doors
open. The “extras” will have to
come as promised.
Let us honor “Cousin Tom” in
this state-wide movement by seeing
that every local Afro lodge sounds
a big note for the Founder and the
Afros on one of the suggested dates.
Let that note echo in Yazoo City
by mailing your donation Monday
morning, June 3, 1957.
THANKS
I take this method to thank the
many Atros and friends for the
kindness shown during the illness
and death of my Mother.
Sincerely yours,
I. E. EDWARDS
QUARTERLY PASSWORD
(For April, May & Jane, 1957)
12-23-9-12-5-23-9
The Founder
HON. T. J. HUDDLESTON, SR.,
foamier oT the A/io-AmenVan Sons
& Daughters and Afro-American
Hospital, will celebrate his birth
day (June 1, 1957) for the benefit
of Afro-American Hospital. All
lodges will have a program and
send the proceeds to the Home
Office. See full details in this issue
of the Courier.
Edwards Resigns,
Liddell Elected
P. O. Box 65
Mound Bayou, Miss.
February 26, 1957
Mayor and Board of Aldermen
Town of Mound Bayou, Miss.
Gentlemen:
It was my intention to have pre
sented you this letter at the last
board meeting (Tuesday night,
February 5th) but did not have
time to prepare it. Most of you are
already aware that 1 definitely will
not be a candidate for re-election
when my present term expires.
However, it is with regret that
conditions demand that I NOW sub
mit to you my resignation as Aider
man and Vice-Mayor of the town
of Mound Bayou, Mississippi and
beg to be released from said po
sition at the close of the regular
monthly meeting, Tuesday night,
I March 5, 1957. It is my humble re
| quest that you accept my resigna
1 tion and elect another Mayor pro
| tern-or Vice-Mayor in the above
mentioned meeting. Mayor Green’s
physical condition requires hinWto
have an able assistant and you have
i many on the board to choose from.
Serving you has been a physical
mental and financial strain (as I
have had to commute over 100
miles one way at regular intervals)
but I want you to know it has been
a real pleasure. 1 am thankful for
the honor of having been elected
on three different occasions to serve
the town in an official capacity.
I have not been an “Uncle Tom”
Dor a "radical” for it is my can
did belief that no extreme will
suffice in this period of unrest.
My every effort was to dignify the
number one office of our town Vice
(Continued on Page Two)
Resigned
MR. I. E. EDWARDS. Supreme
President of the Afro-American
Sons & Daughters, resigned the po
sition of Vice-Mayor of the town
of Mound Bayou, Miss., March 5,
1957. See letter of resignation in
this issue of the Courier.
Money Should Be
Raised Now
For Expenses
Most Afro local lodge Home
Treasurers will not finance the
expense of the delegates to the
Grand Lodge. Therefore, it is very
necessary that Afro lodges NOW
begin to have programs, suppers
or other forms of entertainments to
raise this money in the month of
June. This will be the best month
to get the financial support of the
public. The lack of funds and in
terest has prevented many dele
gates from attending previous
Grand Lodge meetings. It is very
necessary to raise the delegates
money RIGHT NOW.
The traveling expense for dele
gates this year will be much great
er than usual as the Grand Lodge
meeting is being held in the ex
treme southern part of the state,
Hattiesburg, Miss., the hub city
of the state. Travel, alone, will be
the only normal item with an add
ed increase over former years.
Annual Grand Lodge tax (50c for
all adult members, except Presi
dents and Financial Secretaries
who pay $1.00 each) should be col
lected in the month of July. Do not
wait for the Grand Lodge receipts
for they could arrive late or be
missent to another lodge. It is
generally known that all Afro mem
bers MUST pay Grand Lodge tax
and they should do so even if the
receipt is not at hand.
Each lodge is taxed $1.00 for
Juveniles and this MUST be paid
whether the juveniles are organized
or not. Remember, the Grand
Lodge tax for Juveniles is $1.00 re
gardless to how small or large the
lodge may be.
Each lodge is taxed $1.00 for Hos
pital linen. It requires a lot of
linen to support a public institution
and your hospital is in that class,
i Raise these funds in JUNE and
I JULY.
CELEBRATION TO BE AT
AFRO-AMERICAN HOSPITAL
SUNDAY, MAY 12, 1957.
In recognition of National Hospi
tal Week, the Afro-American Hos
pital will join other hospitals of the
state and nation in celebrating Na
tional Hospital Week on National
Hospital Day, Sunday, May 12,
1957. The hospital has observed
this important annual occasion for
the past two years and has planned
the program for a day in the week.
The sponsors, the Afro-American
Hospital Auxiliary, feel that to date
To Graduate
MISS SIMM YE EDWARDS,
daughter of Mr. and Mrs. I. E. Ed
wards of Mound Bayou, Miss., in
vites her friends and the friends
of her parents to attend her Senior
High School graduation Monday
night, May 20th. The program will
be rendered in the Mound Bayou
i high school auditorium at 8 p. m.
Hospital Day
Payments Extended
To May 15th
Due to weather conditions and
a general misunderstanding of a
state-wide letter sent out from the
Supreme President’s office, the
time for paying Hospital Day quotas
by local Afro lodges has been ex
tended untli May 15th. Since the
time has been extended the names
of the lodges that DID and DID
NOT pay are not listed in this
issue of the Courier as promised.
They will definitely appear in the
NEXT issue and the names of
lodges and individuals will be com
piled on Monday, May 20th. This
will have given ample time for all
lodges to report.
Clearance for the record will be
made quicker if Hospital Day
quotas or other similar donations
are reported alone. Quotas or do
nations sent with a monthly report
is necessarily delayed. That factor
alone has caused some lodges to
get a “request letter” when the
payment had already been made.
the meeting for Sunday afternoon
would give a bigger crowd. There
fore the grand celebration will be
held on the hospital lawn Sunday
evening, May 12th, at 3:00 p. m
promptly. Although this is national
Mother’s Day, the hour is such
that it will not conflict with local
Mother's Day programs. May 12
is the proper day to celebrate for
it is the birthday of the late Flor
ence Nightingale, the great English
philanthropist who was first to start
the hospital nursing movement.
A fine program is being prepared
with Dr. Cyril A. Walwyn as prin
cipal speaker. Others on the pro
gram will be Mr. Daniel Genous,
Afro Hospital Technician; Hon. T.
J. Huddleston, Sr., Founder of the
Afro-American Hospital; Mr. I BV.
Edwards, Supreme President of
the Afro-American Sons & Daugh ^
ters and General Manager of the
Afro-American Hospital and offi
cials of the Afro-American Hospital
Auxiliary. Space will be provided
for expressions from the audience.
The entire nursing staff of the Afro -
American Hospital and the office
force of the Afro-American Sons -
& Daughters will be on hand and
cooperate fully with the movement.
Last year and the year before,
the celebration Was limited to the
local people of Yazoo City since
it was staged on a day in the week.
The Sunday afternoon date this
year is being done purposely to
make it a state-wide ocasion. The
steady rainfall on Hospital Day,
Sunday, March 31, prevented hun
dreds of true and tried Afros from
Attending that great celebration.
They missed the dedication and
opening of the Afro-American Hos
pital lounge, a modern show place
and a FIRST among Negro Frater
nal Hospitals in Mississippi. Too,
there are hundreds of Afros in adja
cent counties who have not sern
the Afro-Amercian Hospital since
it took on the "New Look
The hospital lawn will be liner!
with comfortable folding chairs for
all. In case of rain the program will
be held at the Mount Vernon Bap
i tist church, corner of Mound and
! Canal streets, Yazoo City, Miss.
! At the close of the meeting, re
'gardless to where it is held, re
1 freshments will be served to all
ifree of charge.
The Afro-American Hospital Aux
; iliary, the sponsor of this National
i Hospital Day Celebration, has de -
finitely become a very important
link in the true promotion of the
hospital. Every Afro local lodge in
! the state should send some few
; members to Yazoo City Sunday,
| May 12. No financial fees or repre
sentations are expected from the
! lodges. However, a public offering
will be permitted at the close of the
program. Iflttl
The National Hospital Week will
i be observed annually by the Atfro
; American Hospital staff and the
| program will De sponsored by the
i Women’s Auxiliary to the Afro
American Hospital. ’ ■