The Colorado statesman., 1911-09-23
RACIAL PRIDE
Is Urged by Booker 7. Wash
lngton.
PATR0NlZE RACIAL TRADE
PLEAps WITH ORGANIZATION TO
TEACH MEMBERS OF RACE
sELF CONTROL.

|
crowd Of 1000 persons. the address be-
ing delivered in connection with the
encampment of this colored Knights OF
Pythias. He took the position that
the colored man should give the col
ored man the preference in business,
just as the white man gives the white
man the preference.
He urged the colored people to en-
courage thrift, industry and honesty
in their everyday life, and said that
while the colored people labor under
many handicaps and disadvantages in
this country they ought to turn these
handicaps to their own advantage and
work out the problems that confront
them.
Mr.. Washington was introduced by
E. G. Tirdrington, Indiana grand chan
cellor of the knights of Pythias, who
referred to him as the greatest living
negro and the leader of the negro race.
Mr.. Washington said in part:
"At the present time there are GER
tain functions which a fraternal or
ganization can perform for the race af-
ter a manner that no other body can
do. One of the functions of this organ
ization is to teach pride of race. to
teach our people to have faith in them
selves. No race of people can prosper
unless that race is proud OF itself,
proud of its past and of its present.
have no sympathy or patience with
any black man of America who Is
not proud of the fact that he is an
American negro. There are in some
parts of the country am sorry to say,
some colored people who are so weak
and shortsighted that they would pre-
fer to be third-rate white people rath-
er than first-rate colored people. The
Knights of Pythias teach us by pre-
cept and by example that there is as
much glory in being a first-class col
ored man as In being a first-class white
man.
I'VE are as a nation within ma
ton in this country. There are more
black people in the United States than
the entire population of Canada. The
number of black people in this country
is greater than the total population of
Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. The
number is greater than the entire pop
ulation of Mexico. We should be proud
of our race. Just as the Englishman,
as the Frenchman, the German and the
Irishman are proud of their races. so
should we be proud of our race.
1--WE should be proud to belong to
a race that has struggle ahead. and
which has a problem for every day in
the year. History shows that when
race has no struggle and no problem
to solve 1T finally disappears.
whenever you get two black men
and two white men together you have
race problem.
while we should be the last to
draw the color line, at the same time
we should see to 1t that in every wise
and legitimate way our people are
taught to patronize racial enterprise.
II colored man has a grocery store
he should receive his share of racial
patronage. II he has a shoe store he
should get some of our dollars. If
colored man is a builder and contrac-
| tor he should get chance to build
some of our houses and churches. If
colored man conducts bank or
real estate concern he should get some
of our money.
1.-THE trouble with our people is this
| There are shoe stores in every city
where, when negro woman stops to
buy a pair of shoes, she cannot have
them tried on or fitted. They will not
permit her to be fitted in the store.
She must either take them home or
they will be sent out to her and she
Ats them on herself. Yet If a colored
man opened a shoe store in that town
the colored people would pass his place
and go right back to the store where
the colored woman could not have her
shoes fitted.
"There are millinery stores where
colored woman casnot have a hat
fitted She must try it on at home.
| Yet, If a colored milliner opened
store in the neighborhood, the colored
women would pass it by and go right
back to the store where they are not
allowed to try on hat.
Another part of the work of fra
ternal organization In this generation
is to teach our people how to govern
themselves, to direct, to control them
selves. This means the teaching of
the race to subordinate selfish and mar
row ambitions in the interest of the
general welfare.
Some people say that the negro
cannot govern negroes; that they will
not follow leader or a foreman OF
their own race. They say the colored
man must have white boss l say
this is not true. The colored man does
not need a white boss at any time.
'It is a function of fraternal or
ganization to teach orr people to have
respect for racial workers, racial lead
ership; to teach our people to hold up
the hands of those who have the re-
sponsibility of leadership and racial
guidance thrust upon them. This or
ganization in the past has held up the
hands of its leaders. and l predict and