The national forum., 1910-10-08
The Forward Movement

politan A. M. E. Church Tuesday
night last was expressively distinct
i've, and gave promise of return to
its past high place in the days when
the minds of our men gave forth to
the world their greatest and best
thoughts in "Old Bethel"
Prof. Garnet Wilkinson, the pres
ident of this eminent association,
was very fortunate indeed in secur-
ing SO great a scientific sociologist
and SO rare philosopher as Prof.
| w. f. Burghardt Dubois to open
this seasons session. Professor Du-
Bois happily presented us with in
spring thoughts upon "The For
ward Movement" which he says we
must keep up or else fall back and
60 downward. He emphasized the
facts that with increasing wealth
and intelligence Oh the part of the
Negro had come disfranchisement,
separate cars and curtailed educa-
tional facilities. He said that, de-
spite the fact that Negro leaders
preached contentment on the part of
their race with present conditions,
there is widespread dissatisfaction
with conditions.
Following this further, Professor
Dubois said:
"It seems to me it is the business
of the Negro race to nail the wide
spread lie that they are content in
such a way that will-quietly or
noisly privately or in public, in
speech or public conversation-lose
no opportunity to let the people Of
the United States and the people OF
the world know that 10000, 900 hui
man beings in this country are not
willing to be classed less than men,"
With such statement DR.. w. E.
| R,lrphardt Dubois. Negro sociolo-
gist, in an address last night at the
Metropolitan A. M, E. Church be-
fore the members of the Bethel Lit
erary and Historical Society, urged
local Negroes to join in the move
ment for the further uplifting Of the
race. His subject was "The For
ward Movement"
1T is now time" he continued,
"after IS years of experiment, that
we should step forward in three def
mite directions. First, we should
seek to get systematic and definite
knowledge of ourselves; second, we
should seek to make a systematic
and continued protest against injus-
tice, and third, we should in every
direction increase our organized ell
deavor 1t does seem to me that this
program is not one of frightful or
forbidding radicaliSm, nor does it
exclude anything for which an hon
est opportunist rightly strives.
HAVE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION.
To-day we have for this purpose
in New York National Association
for the Advancement of Colored
People. And this association diff
ferentiates itself from other organ
izations in this one unusual respect,
that is, it is organized i'll conjunc-
ton with those who are working in
similar ways along other lines of
social uplift. We comprise among
us social workers and reformers in
terested in nearly every line of social
uplift. Hitherto the Negro in the
United States has had little interest
in the work OF these people. Strange
to say, he has rather sided with the
great capitalists and philanthropists,
and is even found speaking against
social reform, against races like the
Jews and against all people who are
fighting for cause. The time for
this foolishness has passed. These
are the people who are revolution
izing the world. We must recog-
nize that the cause of the Negro is
one with every cause of world uplift,
and one which employs the same
methods and uses the same argu-