The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-03-15
DISCUSS RACIAL ETHICS
Attitude OF National Council OF
Women ON Negro Problem.

Among the resolutions passed at the tri
enn1al meeting Of the National Council OF
Women was the following on the negro stu
alton:
Women we urge upon all women everywhere
in the United States the Importance or helplng
to develop and advance the mental ana moral
condition of colored people by rendering ald
to the support of kndergartens ana DAY
nurseries in the south as occasion may per-
NIT.
given a prominent place, bringing out con-
sricuously the contrast in the attitude OF
the council and the General Federation OF
Womens Clubs, which Is in such throes over
its solution Of the color question
The National Association Of Colored Women
was admitted and cordially welcomed to the
National Council during the executive meet
ing in Minneapolis last year The report OF
tile president Of |he Association of Colored
Women, Mrs. Josephine S. Yates, showed a
membership of about ten thousand women; at
has local branches in twenty-s1X states; III
eight OF these, as in Illinois, Ohio, Missouri,
Michigan, Alabama, ETC., a state 1ederatloO
exists, and in several of the larger cities, as
Cleveland St. Louis, and elsewhere, q CIT!
federation. y
| Dr. Anna II. Shaw gave an address that at
tracted much attention, in which she dealt
with the race problem both in the states ana
| in the island possessions. She declared tnat
| it was not alone a matter for settlement in
| the south. The north and the whole country
was affected by it, and the problem was ma
tional in character. 1.-The south, = she said,
| must not bear the responsibilities for its ad-
just ment alone. 1t is not question or
black or white or north and south, but hui
man question. .'Fr E. "-"
During my recent journey through the
| West Indies Il found the same race prejudices
growing among the people of our new colonial
possessions. The trouble is that the men
who go from the United States to those
| islands do not understand the nature OF the
Inhabitants. They should be intelligent ana
| sympathetic; but they are not. For instance,
I asked the American head of a large cor
poration about his hands. Lazy dogs he
replied, Il hate all Cubans They are not
worth powder enough to blow them to hades. >
| Is it surprising the people Of the islands hate
! the Americans already? And they do hate
| the Americans ten times more than they did
| the Spaniards ,".
| 1T is hard for our own people to go down
! there and work under the heat of the sun at
midday These people suffer the same only
| we seem to forget it. They work at night;
| sieer during the day. Consequently Ameri-
| cans believe them lazy. Racial bitterness IS
| growing, and the next half century will see
| tie problem forced upon u.s.
An evening was given specially to the dis"
cusson Of ''The Ethics of Race Relationship"
| the speakers being both white and colored
women. Mrs. Betty Francis made a strong
plea fer justice to colored Americans. She
| said in Fart: "y" il %a*s- ~. -
The condition of the colored people in this
country makes it imperative that the majority
secure industrial training. Education and
industry have been the chief bulwarks in this
grand civilization. By them and them alone
will the great mass of ignorance and poverty
of race be elevated. This is true of all
| races. The masses must be not only educa-
tionally and industrially trained, but must
be industrialy employed. l wish to emphasize
| here that the colored youth is being trained
| industrlally.5
| But the opportunity for using this training
! is limited, SO far as the colOred boy or girl
| is concerned. Men and women of the Anglo
| Saxon race throw down their tools when the
| person of color enters. He is debarred be-
arena of which the American nation is SO
4 proud. ~ n #r% .s5@ Z
! trust am not too liberal in stating that
| the colored race in this country is doing as
| well as any other race would do under similar
circumstances With many avenues OF
| employment closed against him. I often Won
der he IS donig so well.
1t is for the amelioration of this particular
condition that I appeal to you night-that
! the doors of all industries and trades be
opened to the technically trained men and
women of our race, that the same opportunity
| be given them that is given other races. We
| come completely acknowledging your power
| to aid, and trusting to your generosity to
dn 90