The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1914-12-19
As to Race Segregation

Negroes object to a%ssociating with
one %another?" why do they seek to
force themselves on white people?"
The answer to this two-fold question
is simple: Negroes do not object to
~associating with one another; Negroes
do not seek to force themselves on
white people. When Negroes as
semble In any public place where
white also assemble, they will invari-
ably, IL given free choice, s%eggegate
themselves. Let me instance our To-
cal Teachers Institute.
That body consists Of about eleven
hundred teachers, about 10 per cent of
whom are Negroes. A stranger visit
ing the Institute would be struck by
the fact that all the Negro teachers
sit together, and would wonder, per-
haps, If Jim Crowism prevails. Jim
Crowism does not prevail, and is not
even suggested. The Negro teachers
have deliberately segregated them
selves. They have selected a part of
the hall where they invariably sit,
and they show no inclination whatever
either to get away from themselves
or to force themselves on anybody.
Yet those same teachers would warm
ly resent any effort from an external,
ource to ~seggregate them.
AS a matter of fact a few years ago
such an effort was made, when a
committee of white principals brought
in a report requesting that the white
teachers sit where they please; all
Negro teachers sit in Section D." Now
Section d is much better situated for
seeing and hearing han the seats
where the Negroe teachers sit, but
the Negroes were highly indignant at
the report and refused to be segre-
gated. Only one teacher ever did go
down to occupy Section d. And so
the questions which really came up
for solution are these: "a why will
Negroes, if left to a free choice in
variably segregate themselves; and
(2)- why will they invariably resent
forcible segregation? The answers
to these questions reflect fundamental
aspects of human nature, and the one
! phenomenon is as natural as the other.
I Prof. Franklin H. Giddings, the soci-
, ologist has theorized intelligently and
convincingly as to the psychic bases
of the group, and he argues that in
; dividuals tend to group themselves to-
gether on the basis of Consciousness
r of kind" or 'like-mindedness." This
|. simple principle is ably elaborated by
v him in his works on sociology, and
largely accounts for a great many
: groups both large and small. 1t &C
r counts for the fact hat Negroes and
others segregate themselves naturally
t 1t also leaves inference very clear tina
i if the ardent segregationists woult
{ only exercise a little scientific sense
= and would. intelligently acquaint them
selves with the psychic laws underly
! ing human behavior, without being 81
# anxious to remake and improve the
d universe, many of these questions
o would work themselves u naturally
y and normally.
4 Now, while Negroes will freely ant
r. willingly segregate themselves, on &C
II count of consciousness of kind per
sonal friendships, or community of in
t, ~terests they nevertheless do not lik'
IT t ohave segregation forced upon them
- L Ills 10 hOI DCNduDC lhCN w wi I'm
to be together, nor yet because the
desire to force themselves on any
body. 1t is because of a condition a
- old as humanity itself-namely, tn
tendency to resent an insult.
Negroes profoundly sense the fac
n that far more is involved in involul
n tary segregation than the mere matte
of keeping the two races apart. 1t il
D wolves the assumption of superiorit
y on the part of the group trying to el
force segregation, and requires th
- other group to acquiesce in the do,
trine of it's own inferiority. This a
knowledgement no considerable grou
will make; and this without regard I
!. any consideration of race; it is tru
and valid as regards all races. TIL
average individual will not admit an
1t is too much to expect him to adm
that another individual is natural
and racially his superior, without ~
Z gard to education, morals, or economi
d status.
;, So the resistance to forcible and II
al voluntary segregation is based on
fundamental aspect of human natur
IS and will s remain as long as a vestig
e of proper pride inspires and illumine
d the human heart. Not the segregi
II ton itself, but the implications thu
go along with it-that is what all me
,r in all climes always will resent. An
this resentment is in no way weakene
k. by the fact that the anne individual
if left alone would naturally and VIC
UNFAIRLY segregate themselves. Thos
Rk who believe that some people are s
perior to others on purely racii
~ grounds, without regard to merit {
MI demerit, sin or virtue, character {
intellect, they; are perfectly consls
ent in advocating segregation. b.
those who accept the larger ideal
the brotherhood Of man and hav
faith in the power of education, mora
ity and religion, through evolution,
lift all men up, they regard segreg
tion as being trivial, s~ervile, sens
less and unworthy.
w. E. GRIFFEN.