The Denver star., 1915-02-20
National Business League
Starts Big Campaign.
TIME FOR UNITED ACTION.
Influential Organization Directs Presi-
Call For Observance of National
Health Week Beginning Sunday.
March 21-Must Lower Death Rate.

Tuskegee Institute. Ala.-After con
sidering the whole matter carefully
am authorized by the executive com
mittee of the National Negro Business
league to invite the various orga MIA
rions named below as well us others
to be named later TO mite with the
league in observing a national health
week from March y to u. Inclusive
namely: Daily and weekly newspapers
health journals. the National Medic3i
association. the National Association
of Graduate Nurses. the National As
sociation of Coored Womens clubs
the National League on Urban Condi
tons Among Negroes. the National As
sociation of Teachers In Colored
Schools. the National Negro Press as
sociation. th, bishop and other officers
of coiored religious denomina tious
state medical associations, annual
church conferences and associations
secret society organizations. colored in
>urance companies. farmers confer
ences. farmers Improvement societies
churches. schools and other local or
In Alabam:i Louisiana. North Caro-
lima and other states special health
days have ut one time or another been
observed. For some years the Virginia
Organization society. under the leader
ship of Major X. Il. Motion, has observ
ed health or clean up week. 1t is
thought to be well to unite all these
efforts into a national movement and
join the movement on to the Virginia
effort. 1t is thought the race will vel
come this opportunity to unite all these
efforts in one great national health
movement and thus gain the benefit of
the momentum and the enthusiasm
that will come from the great united
health movement.
Without health and until we reduce
our high death rate it will be impossi-
BILE for us to have permanent success
In business. in property getting. in ac-
quiring education or to show other evil
dences of progress. Without health
and long life all else fails.
The following facts will illustrate
of this health movement:
We nnd that 10000 Negroes in the
south alone arc seriously Ill all the
time. The annual cost Of the sickness
Of these 450 900 persons IL 5000. .000
One hundred and twelve thousand Ne
gro workers in the south alone are sick
all the time Their annual loss in
earnings is s45. 100000. Forty-five per
cent Of the annual deaths among Ne
groes is preventable. Two hundred
and twenty-five thousand Negro work
ers in the south alone die annually
One hundred thousand Of these deaths
can be prevented.
The annual funeral expenses Of col
ored people in the south alone amount
to $5O.OOOOOO. Six million tlve hun
dred thousand dollars of this amount
could be saved. Sickness and death
cost our race in the south alone 800.
600 annually. Fifty thousand dollars
Of this amount could be saved. We
must reduce our high death rate. de
throne disease and enthrone health
and long life. We may differ on other
subjects. but there is no room for diff
ference here. Let US make a strong.
long. united pull together. Other facts
will appear in the weekly press and In
circulars from week to week. and in
formation will be gladly furnished.
Yours truly.
BOOKER T. WASHINGTON.
President National Negro Business