The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1919-04-05
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION
FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF
COLORED PEOPLE.
THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR
THE ADVANCEMENT OF COL
ORED PEOPLE.
Our First Conference.
ARTICLE 3.
CBy Mary white OvingtonI

yited, the Charity Organization Hall.
New York City was secured, and, on
the evening of May 80, the conference
opened with an informal reception.
The next morning our deliberations
began.
We have had Annual Conferences
since 1909, but / doubt whether any
have been so full OF questioning sur
prise, amounting swiftly to enthusi-
asm, on the part of the white people
in attendance. These men and wo-
men, engaged in religious, social and
educational work, for the first time
met the Negro who demands not a
pittance, but his full rights in the
commonwealth. They received a slim
enjoyed. They did not want to leave
the meetings. We conferred all the
time, formally and informally, and
the Association gained in those days
many of the earnest and uncompro-
missing men and women who have
since worked unfalteringly in its
cause. Mr.. William Hayes Ward, SEN
ior editor of the Independent, opened
the Conference and Mr.. Charles Rus
sell, always the friend of those who
struggle for opportunity, presided at
the stormy session at the close. The
full proceedings have been published
by the Association.
Out of this conference we formed
a committee of forty and secured the
services of Miss Frances Blascoer as
secretary. We were greatly hamper
ed by lack of funds. Important Ma
tional work would present itself which
we were unable to handle. But our
secretary was an excellent organizer
and at the end of year we had held
four mass meetings, had distributed
thousands of pamphlets, and num-
bered our membership in the hun.
dreds In May, 1910, we held our sec
ond conference in New York, and
again our meetings were attended by
earnest, interested people. 1t was then
that we organized a permanent body
to be known as the National Associa-
tion for the advancement of Colored
people. Its officers were:
National President, Moorfield Sto-
rey. Boston, Chairman of the EXecu-
tive Committee, William English Wall
ing; Treasurer, Oswald Garrison Viii
lard; Executive Secretary, Frances
Blascoer; Director of Publicity and
Research, DR.. W. E. B. Dubois.
The securing of a sufficient finan-
cial support to warrant our calling
DR.. Dubois from Atlanta University
to an executive office in the Associa-
ton was the most important work of
the second Conference.
When Dr. Dubois came to us we
were brought closely in touch with
an organization of Colored people
formed in 1905 at Niagara and known
as the Niagara Movement This or
ganization had held important confer
ences at Niagara, Harpers Ferry and
Boston and had attempted a work OF
legal redress along very much the
lines upon which the National Asso-
citation for the Advancement of Col
ored people was working. It's plat
form as presented in a statement in
1905 ran as follows:
Freedom of speech and criticism
an unfettered and unsubsidized press
manhood suffrage; the abolition of all
caste distinctions based simply on
Race and Color, the recognition OF
the principle of human brotherhood
as a practical present creed; the rec.
ognition of the highest and best train.
ing as the monopoly of no class or
race; belief in the dignity of labor
united effort to realize these ideals
under wise and courageous leadership
In 1910 it had conducted important
civil rights cases and had in its mem
bership some of the ablest Colored
lawyers in the country, with Mr.. w
Ashbie Hawkins, who has since
worked with our Association on the
Baltimore Segregation Acts, as its
treasurer.
The Niagara Movement, hampered
as it was by lack of funds and by a
membership confined to our Race
only, continued to push slowly on, but
when the larger possibilities of this
new Association were clear, the mem
bers of the Niagara Movement were
advised to join, as the platforms were
practically identical. Many of thC
most prominent members of the Nj
agara Movement thus brought thei
energy and ability into the service o
the Association, and eight are nov
serving on its Board of Directors
Adv LIN