Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 28 May 1960 — Page 10

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Jbe lndi»ap«lis Recorder, May 28,1960

EDITORIALS AND COM ME NTS TWWhMpafelaadar, M*Z8,1960

Memorial Day 1960 Union soldiers, both Negro and white, fought and died in the Civil War almost a century ago to insure the now hisVoric Supreme Court decision, making ours a two-fold purpose, during this the 91st observance of Memorial Day. The holiday was first observed officially May 30, 1869, by the order of Gen. John A. Logan, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic. Its original purpose was to commemorate the sacifices of those who had given their lives in the great War for the Union. Less than a century has passed by since that titanic conflict. Yet all to soon the brambles and briars of nelect have grown up to cover up those brave men's ideals and purposes. Who remembers now that Negroes and whites laid down their lives by the thousands to halt Southern racism? As the Supreme Court decision recalls the deeds of those heroic freedom fighters, let us dedicate ourselves anew to the cause of freedom for which they gave "the lost full measure of devotion."

Police and the People Community respect for the Cleveland Police Department is at an all-time low . . . and that is bad! Mayor Celebrezze is rightly concerned over police ignorance of East Side vice operations. City councilmen are attacking the Department for "donothingness." State liquor raiders are suggesting that Cleveland police cannot be trusted. The U. S. Justice Department has instructed the regional office of the FBI to probe the Bobby Dunn-Jeffrey Perkins Case. A citizens group is vigorously protesting to the Safety Director the recent killing by police of a fleeing traffic violator. These attacks — and ail of them justified — upon local law enforcement and police administration are sure signs that police-public relations have seriously deteriorated. In order to be effective, police must have the support of the public. To gain that support police must first have the respect of the people. And support and respect for police practices and procedures, and law enforcement in general, can be gained only when'police serve the public in a manner that merits support and resect. In recent months Cleveland police have been guilty of committing acts that cause a large segment of the population to develop deep-seated dislike for the Department. The editors of this newspaper do not claim to be experts on law enforcement, but it is our studied opinion that unless positive action is taken to change the public's attitude toward, the Department, effective law enforcement will suffer. THE CLEVELAND CALL-POST

Attack Civil Rights Act of 1960 Already Hardly before the ink was dry on the 1960 Civil Rights Bill that allegedly protects and insures the Negro citizens' right to vote in this widely espoused democracy of our U. S. Attorney General Williams Rodgers under the authority of the new piece of legislation asked to inspect the voting rolls in four counties In the deep South where no Negroes are registered although thousands are of voting age, reside there. No sooner than the announcement was made that the U. S. Attorney General intended to act Louisiana's Attorney General and Gov. Patterson of Alabama hoMered like stuck pigs that it was a wanton attack on states rights and it impunged the integrity of the South to imply that anything was wrong with the fact that eligible, voting age Negroes were not registered. Both threatened legal action against the U. S. Attorney General. So right off the bat the above mentioned political opportunists set out and proved just what the critics said all the time — the 1960 Civil Rights Bill isn't worth the paper its written on. How much longer are the people of the United States going to put up with the 'political hoodlums' who thumb their noses at the U. S. Supreme Court, the President and the Congress, who are trying to protect the voting rights of non-white American citizens? Is the leadership of the United States too gutless, too spineless, too cowardly to stand up to these so called 'politicians of white supremacy' who threaten to make a mockery of democracy ar.d shame us, the 'moral leaders of the free world' before the universe? Why can't the Negro citizen get relief and protection from the 'political hoodlums' that infest the South? When labor rocketers went too far the public, Congress and everybody got into the act and demanded that the excesses of labor be Curbed. Hurriedly and quickly legislation was passed. In two tries now Congress hasn't come up with anything effective to insure and protect the Negro's right to vote in the deep South. Two weak as water Civil Rights bills aimed at protecting the voting rights of Negroes in the South, after all the sound and fury on Civil Rights are still no better off, no better protected. In many enlightened Southern communities Negroes are registering and voting with little or no trouble. But in many other breas where the 'political hoodlum' and 'political racketeer' operate, thousands of voting age Negroes are intimidated, threatened with violence and sometimes murdered for trying to register and vote. THE LOUISIANA WEEKLY

Nearo Press Creed.™* N **~ ^ ** ^ ~ W WiCCVf# rtie United States of America eon best lead f*e world away from racial and notional antagosism when it occorde every men, regardless of race, color * creed, bis •“•man end legal rights. Hating no mail, fotfr ' Neerw Pross strivos to halo every man in He firm belief that all are hurt so long «• any ant Is hold back

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON Better Than Gold By The Union Baptist Alliance

VOICE FROM THE GALLERY

Negro Youth to Be Commended

By Andrew W. Ramsey

to make the observation among thinking people, both Negro and white, that Negro youth has weighed the adult Negro leadership in the balance and found it wanting. , It is also very a la mode to cite

the courage and militancy of the Negro lunch counter sitdowners as a proof that Negro youth has come of age, and has resolved to obtain for itseld the rights which its forebears have patiently done without.

This new ap- RAMSEY predation of Ne youth has almost, but no quite, succeeded in wiping out the constant plaint that Negro youth is largely delinquent and generally headed for nowhere in particular. There is enough truth in these extremes of points of view to warrant our taking a critical view of Negro youth today. Before undertaking such a perilous task, this writer would like to state us his text the old bromide that generalities including this one are generally wrong. This writer has no quarrel with those who contend that the militancy of certain groups of Negro youth is an indication that that segment of young Negio America in indeed fed up with the slow legalistic methods being employed by the more militant segment of Negro and white adults to batter down the walls of jimerow, and by inference it implies a loss of faith in the traditional Negro leadership. That this portion of Negro youth

has courage and foresight is as undeniable as it is commendable. SIMILARLY THIS WRITER cannot deny that Negro youth is more often caught in the web of delinquency than the youth of other ethnic and national origin groups of our body politic. There are sociological explanations why this is so but those explanations do not serve to make the facts any more palatable. With these concessions out of Che way, we may now take a look at the vast majority of Negro youth which is neither productively militant nor patently delinquent. It is the observation of the Voice from the Gallery that too large a portion of the Negro youth of today lacks the ambition and the zeal which will prepare them for the roles which they would normally be expected to play in our expanding democracy. The excessive number of Negro high school drop-outs and the excessive number of failures in school subjects from excessive absences, lack of study rather than the lack of ability together with the failure of many of superior native ability to make the honor roll are indicative of serious problems among Negro youth in general. The general low morale of too large a segment of Negro youth is perfectly matched by the indifference of their parents. In general the parents of this group of Negro youth feel no concern when their children fail to make the honor roll, fail In their school subjects or even drop out at school to loaf on the street corners .Teachers of Negro youth frequently complain that they never see the parents of these under-performing youths at FT A meeting and that i: is very difficult to get these par-

ents to visit the schoo’ to help in determing the cause of the negative attitudes. Perhaps the parents are so busy maintaining themselves on a high economic level, o.- attempting to keep up with, the Joiises that they have little time to worry about the problems of their Johnny’s and Mary’s, or perhaps the parents have been so spirit-broken by the inequities of our socio-economic system that they are persuaded that the Negro will never jise in the American scheme of things and have transmitted that attitude on to their youngsters in much the same way as the die-hard .southern segregationists pass on to their youth the doctrine of white supremacy. Perhaps again it is partially the fault ot the adult Negro community which lauds and enthusiastically supports the winning Negro athletic team and adulates the individual Negro basketball, football boxing or track star while failing to take notice of the achievements of Negro scholars. It is much easier to sell the average Negro a ticket to a benefit basketball game than it is to sell him on contributing a red cent to a scholarship fund to aid able but impecunious youths. Any and all of the foregoing* might be the cause or causes of the underperformance of a large percentage of Negro youth. And unless the cause is found and the' situation corrected the brave new leaders of Negro youth are goin^ t to have to carry a tremendous load' in their march toward human dignity.

REV. J. T. HIGHBAUGH, Editor

(LARGER LESSON: Matt. 6:19-34, Luke 12:13-34. LESSON PRINT: Matt. 6:19-21, 24-34. MEMORY VERSE: Matt 6:20-21.) What an opportunity we have to travel through Christ’s great Inaugural AdIress together. From here on we sha’l know people and life much better, for in John 14:6 He is the very life Himself. Therefore, let us divide the lesson as follows: I. Split personalities of our day, Matt. 6:19-24, Luke 12-13-21; II. Why Worry mv child—why worry. Matt. 6:25-32, Luke 13:22-30; III. Putting first things first, Matt 0:33-34, Luke 12:31-31. SPLIT PERSONALITIES IN OUR DAY. Are you not reading ther papers concerning those persons who are mentally cracking up in our modern times? A psychiatrist at Indianapolis Memorial Clinic told me last week that present times are too fast for = our feeble minds, so life is shaking us to pieces. He referred to the In ge number of people in hospitals that have nothing whatsoever the matter with their bodies but are mentally incapable of coping with our fast moving age. This Scripture gives the reason for our mental Delemma. We are confused and frustrated in three ways: fA) We are trying to lay up treasures for ourselves on earth and in Heaven. (B) We are trying to look both ways, on earth and in the skies. (C> We are trying to serve two masters—God and mammon. Let’ look at these mo e closely. We organize our American life to think of the sacred and the secii’ar. On Sunday we don our Sunday attire and go to church and hear the sermon, and then feel ourselves fine and holy people that night. But from Monday to Saturday we are at it again trying to make a living. Often to do that and meet the competition of our neighbor, we cut a few corners. So we live our lives with a blurred and condemned Our hearts cannot be in two places at the same time. Also we are victims of our outlook, we have tried to live like Lot Lot loved the solitude of Abraham’s home. I imagine he prayed the old man’s Sprayers, he learned as a boy. But when he got in Sodom on his own, the well watered fields of Canaan lured him. So he pitched his tent where he could watch the caravans go by. He pitched his tent toward Sodom, and you cannot beat that outlook any more than Lot could. If you watch Sodom you’ll do as Lot did. Your eye must be single on these great spiritual values or you will be swamped. And laatly we turn out idol worshippers. We start assuming that man’s life consists in the overflow of things. Luke 12:15 Moffatt. Note here that covetousness is an interpretation that life is an overflow of things. And that possession of things is ownership. WHY WORRY* CHILD — WHY WORRY. “Worry is our major ill,” says Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. And he merely echoes what the great Mayo Clinic has been trumpeting for the last quarter of a century. Anxiety is public enemy No. 1. Through this song God speaks to us in accents clear and

strong: If you walk with the Lord In the light of His word What a glory He sheds on the way If you do His good will He abides with us still And with all who will Trust and obey

Trust and obey For there’s no other way To be Happy in Jesus But to trust and obey. PUTTING FIRST THINGS FIRST. Well, this is it. Have you been walking it) circles trying to find a goal? Or have you been asking what am I here for? Why was I born? Some pseudo-philosophers

Jielp your I HEART If UNO

help YOUR h e A r t

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have told you “Look for the thrills” or “Pack down some cold cash, boys” or “Let’s get a cold one” or something of that sort. But here Jesus hits the full urge of life. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you ” Matt. 6:33. The kingdom of God - is God’s rule within us. It is that sense of human surrender that makes possibe of God taking over our inner motives and attitudes, and His righteousness means His pattern of conduct and everything else necessary shall be added. Once His conduct patterns are taken over, our habits fall in line with our inner selves and we are on our way to human and divine harmony. The stars in their courses obey Him the birds wing their way to Him, the lilies of the fild grow accordingly. Only has man, graciously given his liberty, run away. I do not know the poet but I think he picked up from the birds our real troubleSaid the robin to the sparrow 1 should really like to know Why these anxious human beings Rush about and worry so. Said the sparrow to the robin Friend, I think that it must be That they have no Heavenly Father Such as cares for you and me.

A Newspaper route is good training Help your child start a Recorder voute in your neighborhood. The Recorder Classified Ad Section is growing bigger each week. Use Recorder Classified Ads. Read Recorder Classified Ads.

Letters to the Editor. Whites Won't Allow Blacks In Africa to Be Called Africans

(EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter was originally submitted to The New York Times, according to its author.) Dear Mr. Editor: Because the use of harmful names hinders the development of, healthy attitudes and peaceful relations between peoples, it is necessary to adaddress this open letter to yoy. Your frequent use of the name “Negro” for the indigenous people of Africa has aroused considerable concern and growing resentment. It is hard to understand and impossible to accept this usage, particularly in view of the statement made by Alan Paton in the article “ ‘As Blind As Samson Was’ ” published in your Magazine Section of Anril 10 last. Explaining the attitude of the present apartheid minority ruler of the Union of South Africa, who, although a relatively recent immigrant from Ho.lland, “actually called himself the ‘Afrikaner’, the ‘man of Africa’,” Mr. Paton stated the following: He even refuses to grant the black African the use of the word “African”. The black African used to be a “Kaffir,” today he is a “native” or a “Buntu”. But he, like the Afrikaner, wants to be called a “man of Africa.” Doubtless, Mr. Paton used the adjective “black” in order to identify the indigenous inhabitants of South Africa.

Hangs Ton SboaH Know

CLEMENT.

,. TVie first negro in oyer

80 YEARS TO OCCUPY A MAJOR

MUNICIPAL POST IN ATLANTA.GA. /

THIS PRESIDENT OF ATLANTA UN IV.

WAS ELECTED TO THE BD.QF E0UC.QN MAY 13,1953

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But it must be pointed out here that this is a loose term which cannot be wholly separated from its racist overtones. In that same issue of your Magazine Section, at the bottom of page 10 under the caption “APARTHEID”, the term “Bantu” is interpreted thus: ?“Here Bantu* (i.e-p Negroes), line up to have compulsory identification pictures made”. To follow this apartheid usage is, albeit unconsciously, to give aid, comfort, and support to that reactionary regime of horrible oppression and massacre of the African people. A truly democratic and hunjan attitude requires that all such offensive and smearing names, including “Negro”, be scrupulously avoided, and that the over-all name African, as designated by the people themselves, be used and respected in accordance with their human rights and their unalienable right of self-determina-tion. This attempt to foist the name “Negro” upon the African people brings into bold relief the true nature of this term. It is clear that the name “Negro” remains suffused with the stigma of rat^st inferiority, and is loaded with contempt, degradation, hate and hostile intent. It is futile then to continue to try to deodorize or to dignify it. When its all too easy further corruptions into “Negress,” “nigger” and the like are duly considered, it should clearly be seen that it has now become necessary to reject and abolish its use entirely. Our Committee requests, therefore, that you adopt the usage of the proper over-all name African for all indigenous people of Africa. It urges you also to adopt, as a suitable alternative to the offensive name “Negro”, the name Afroamerican for people of African ancestry in this country. A good example has been given for some time now by thinking, forward-looking Latin Americans who use the terms Afrobrasileiro, Afrocuban, etc., in place of the noxious term “Negro”. Your newspaper is credited, in Mencken’s American Language with being among the first and most important to accede to the request to capitalize the word “Negro”. It is our earnest hope that you will now likewise be among the first to take the final step necessary to accord to the African peoples, and to the people of African descent, the names which appropriately express their true historical heritage of land, history, and culture, as herein already indicated and requested. It would be appreciated if we could receive your response before May 29th, so we may announce it at the Public Lecture-Discussion on The Name “Negro”: Its Origin, Purpose, And Evil Use, which will be held on Sunday afternoon, May 29, at 4 o’clock, in the Auditorium of the United Mutual Life Insurance Co., at

310 Lenox Avenue, New York

City.

Thank you in anticipation of your consideration and

early reply.

Very truly yours, COMMITTEE TO

PRESENT THE TRUTH

ABOUT THE NAME

“NEGRO”.

Richard B. Moore, Chairman

Ike Should Poy More Attention to Affairs at Home To the Editor: % I think it deserves repeating that this country is in a critical condition. Instead of investing so much of his time and energy in the affairs of Khrushchev and Russia, our great Inader should devote more of his efforts to improving the conditions of his own people and country. According to repo ts. Premier Khrushchev is quite cordial in his dealtions with France’s President DeGaulle and Britain’s Prime Monister Macmillan, but at the same time he refuses to have dealings of any kind with President Eisenhower. It should be apparent to any observant person that the Eisenhower policies have brought our people into ter- . rib’e disrepute. The people of this country should lose no time in repudiating these disgrace ful policies. It also should be plain to evaryone that • if we continue giving our alliance to Eisenhower‘s leadership our doom is not far off. Mistakes are defined as human frailties. It takes human bravery to admit these failures It takes human bravery to admit these failures and even and even more bravery to exhaust every means possib’e to correct them President Eisenhower seems bent on plunging this nation into the final conflict Let hope that he fails in sense whatsoever of fairness ing his back on such leadership. The coming election will provide a fair indication of which way the tide is tuening. George Maxwell, 860 West loth.

SAFETY CHfcCKED

INDIANA ASSN. OF CHIEFS OF POLICE AUTOMOBILE DEALERS ASSN. OF INDIANA Cooperating with INDIANA OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY

YOUR car may be one out of each eight on Hoosier streets and highways which has a mechanical defect that could cause an accident. During the month of May, every Indiana community will provide a VEHICLE SAFETY-CHECK Program. It is free and voluntary and can save your life or prevent injury or property damage. The Indiana Office of Traffic Safety asks you to “Check Your Car— Check Accidents.”