The Detroit times., 1917-12-18
LITTLE PAL


Dert Williams. the famous come
dian now appearing IN Detroit with
-The Follies, tells in the current
Issue OF the American magazine the
story OF his success on the stage,
and devotes considerable space &c
ths prejudice that exists against
him because be n Negro He
says, In part:
People sometimes ask ne y would
not give anything % be white T an
Ewer. In the words cf the song most
emphatically, NO How do know
mani ] might be a sand hos bur
rowing away and losing mv hea 'th
for eight dollars day ! might ee
street car conductor a. Sit ny tIh
week. There is many "a Whifa r sn
less fortunate and less wen equipped
than I am. In truth have nn+er
been able 10 discover that there was
anything disgraceful iu being cole
ored man but J have found 10 inccn-
venient--iu America
NY father was Dane lie Inff
Copenhagen some years ago and be-
came Danish consul in Nassau There
ho married my mother. Wrn was aatl
Spanish and half African. Iter moth
ar was brought over from AFRICA ana
destined for the Spanish Main but
thanks 20 an Enghsh frigate that .n-
tercepted the vessel she was hrot 'u.
che never reached her destination
She went % tho British West INDIES
instead. where she married a spanish
Williams. OF course IL obviously
not Danish name Nobody tn Amer
lea knows my real name and, "
can prevent 70. nobody ever viii. Ih1t
was the only promise ] made 20 ny
father I LEFT the West Indies Wher
was q youngster and came with
my parents By way OF Panama fo
San Pedro. California, now Los An-
seies Harbor.
ing on the stage AZ FIRST. nor any
very definite ambition except % get
an education. ! went thru high
school IN southern California and
WAS going % Leland Stanford un,ver-
sity. bunch ~ u.s. three white
boys and myself th0t 10 WovId hr
nice and easy 10 make spending
money BY touring thru The smaii
towns on the coast In a bus and give
ing entertainment. That bus tour
was the beginnirs - several iisas-
Francisco without a stitch OF cipth
ing. literally without stitch as
The few rags ] wore 90 spare the h1s-
City ~ tho police had 20 be burned
for reasons that every body viii. lu-
derrtand who has read ~ the nKrer-
fences or tho soldiers in fhe frrrrfee
II was then that frEf ran mo- ars nat
the humiliruons and Der-~~ut. .u fr
have 10 be faced by every person M
colored blood. no matter what h
brains. education. or thn iuteerItv M
his conduct How many times rat.
hotel keepers said % me- CT know
you. Williarr, and 7 like YOU and
would Ike rothinE better dian
have you stay hero. but you see va
have southern gentlemen in the hoUr.
and they would object"
Frankly, ( can't understand vhet
n is all about y breathe ike ntf.-r
people eat iiko thcm-if you put ua
az dinner table you can hs
sonably sure that won't us. tte ,.
cream fork FOR roy Bai1d r.
Ike other people. ] guess fh.
trouble must be- that u f.nt
IKE them. They Fay ~ 81 matter
race prejudice But ~ 20 wr.
dice a baby would have it ana
will never nnd it fu hlfy
20 be iuculuated on people
thing. 7 hvae noticed that fhf.
prejudice" is not to BE- r.ur1 r
pic who ara sure enough ~ f...r
position 20 be able fn d~fr
example. the Fudest fnuef e.s.f
most democratic man arrr r
ihc King ~ England the fefr king
Edward VIII. shall newer f..srt
how frightened Wne h.f.r
time I sang f0r him f trr
ms % his position H'
titlcat King of .ff.t. H..f
Ireland. Emperor ~ fUHs n.I
paro more ~ thHw rrf
Knocked togcthtr hni tur
out on my forehead auf fr
the easiest most rrap.r
prcciativa ardience aur
wish I was Irr-y iu tf
my stories and Dr. uer r
mo 20 come o. tln palace .U..
twice week 90 fcu .frc rtIrF
So MmN "a