Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-12-22
.LESL|E'S ATTITyllEE TO.
COLORED SOLDIERS

527 N. Second St.,
Richmond, Va, December z, 1917.
Mr.. John A. Sleicher,
Editor Leslie's Weekly,
Now York City, N. Y.
Dear Sir--1n the issue of Dccemper
Sth Of Leslie's Weekly appear
number OF pictures under tho head
Ing, Making Negro Soldiers at Camp
Pike and photographed by Edwin
Ralph Estep, Staff War Photograph
or. These pictures, while portraying
some OF the actual camp life Of the
soldiers. both white and colored, pub
lished with their descriptions under
neath, do all inJ,ui.'ce to thousands
CT Negro men i'll training for national
service at various environments and
lend unsavory Impressions to their
millions Of kindred and well wishers
throughout tho country. Not all Of
tho Negro men at these camps are Of
the coarse, crap-shooting. Zig" sort
and not all spend their rest periods
IN Jig dancing and gaming; not
few Of them enjoy monographs, mag
azines, wholesome recreation and
tho pleasure and the thoughts that
the white man in the same khaki or
olive drab enjoys. Numbers OF lnem
are grammar. high school and college
graduates. Many Of them are we'll
strained professional men-tlawyertA
doctors, school-teachers and men OF
high standing Of character and in
tegrity, whom not alone we az Me-
groes are proud to send as q contri-
button to the defense Of democracy
among nations and in the interest Of
n truer democracy at home, but of
whom millions of our white people,
who are i'll tho same struggle for free
dom, are Justly proud.
Similar pictures Of white men
might easily have been photographed
IN any cantonment III the South or
North. Similar ludicrous sayings and
actions might easily have been heard
or seen In any cantonment where
there are unlettered, bacllwoods white
men. tell you, MI. Editor, it is q
bit unfair to over ten millions OF
American citizens, handicapped in tho
march up the hill Of progress in this
country by black skins, prescribed,
Jim crowed" and Disseminated
agatrst,--yet bearing without dissen
sion and unmutteringly their share
OF the burden in this execrable whirI
pool Of ebbing blood, which has flow
ed and must flow from the civilized
people or today In stemming tho tide
OF despotism and establishing o. world
democracy. l say 1t is a bit unfair
TO publish the uncouth, the coarse
the ludfcrous and almost absurd OF
these people as typical. The coIored
soldier does want and needs the phono
4 an.
materials SO long have they been
denied him in the Libraries, schools,
theatres and places OF public benefits
and pleasures that it Is only natural
that a few. decidedly the minority
have been neglected and do need only
themselves ante a neighbour" ~
tHrtner denial will not remedy tho
situation. These men in Khaki along
with their training In military tao
tlcs should not be denied the educa-
tlon ana pleasures essential to a
good intelligent soldier. Such uues
tlon as What does the colored sol
dler want OF reading rooms phono.
graphs and writing materials?" and
inc answer given, aside from being un
ia1r are inimical to the work of
the Colored Division OF the Y, M. G..
a. and Red Cross Society in their
endeavors to provide wholesome
amusements and pleasures for these
Negro mon.
s Lesbos Weekly has long been con.
sidered by our people as a standard
magazine of right and fairness to
all people and propositions. If the
pictures were published to show the
comparative ease of life and satisfac-
ton that obtains among the colored
men In the camps or at Camp Pike
please In the name CT fairness to us
and the 5000 Negro men in that
camp make that explanation in one
or your succeeding issues. or publish
some pictures of the work of the Y.
M. Q. A. there among them, some
or the men at drill or something that
portrays the men differently, not az
an apology, but as tho patriotic duty
OF national magazine published in
"a nation at war.
! Respectfully yours
JASPER T. DUNCAN.