The Chicago whip. (Chicago, Ill.) 1919-19??, 1921-05-21
W. A. WALLACE DEFENDS
BACK TO AFRICA.

"BACk III AFklCA
A phrase that seems to have the
same effect upon some OF the editor
ial writer's of one of our Worlds
greatest weeklies as red flag before
a bull. They see something that I'M
usually attracts their eye and they
butt into it with head down without
reason or thought, and accomplish
nothing but super effort, that causes
them brain fever, enuncating a null
/ tiple of false conclusions and present
ing lot OF fallacious statements that
would be unworthy of attention, were
they not palmed off for Editorials in
a race paper of wide circulation. styl-
ing itself the "World's greatest" For
that reason | consider it well, through
the columns of the races most loyal
paper to correct those fallacies and
present to the msled public the true
doctrine OF what they are pleased to
call the. Back to Africa. but in fact
is the Universal Negro Improvement
Association, and stands for and advo-
Gates the following things
Only a fool would
take exception, to administer to and
assist the needy in practical way,
| by creating industrial opportunities
through cooperation of small finance.
| Only one who wants to be dependent
all the time can be blind to the advan-
tages of that. To assist in civilizing
the backward tribes of Africa, and in /
the development of Independent Ne
gro nations and Communities. For |
what are collections taken to send |
Missionaries to these fields, if not to
L
Just a by play for to furnish jobs for |
some preacher or teacher OF the black |
folks, to open the doors OF Commerce |
for the alien races; or is it to help the |
native to realize his own ability and |
come forth and use means at his hand |
to develop himself and his own coun- |
try? To work for the protection OF |
the Negro wherever he is and enable |
him to lift from his shoulders the yolk |
of oppression, economically, indust-
rally, commercially, politically and |
educationa1ly. To conduct a world !
wide commercial and industrial inter-
course for the good of the peoples, to
work for better conditions in all COM
munities where Negroes live. This Is
the program 1t cannot be carried out
by asking people to stand up and
count noses as to who wants to 90
back to Africa. Although there are
hundreds OF thousands OF Negroes to
day who would willingly go back il
the way was now possible, rather than
stay here and i'll other countries and .
suffer the prosecutions, injustice and
humiliation they are suffering. The
presumption of the ignorance of others
based upon the lack of knowledge |
possesses by the Editor OF a great |
World weekly is sufficient evidence i'll |
itself of his inefficiency to Judge as
to whether any one should go back to
Africa, or anywhere else to better their
condition. Any one who IS a student
at all of history must admit that all
Negroes came originally from Africa,
as the Italians have come from Italy, |
the German from Germany, etc, and /
though American citizens by choice, |
yet can and do refer to their fatherland
with a racial pride But in the wisdom
of this Negro Editor the Negro is
crazy if he even thinks about refer
ing to or talk about going back
whence he was brought. "Oh consis-
tency thou art a jewel. He would
have them to continue always to re
tain the submissive, cringng and
servile spirit instillcd in him by an
alien race and bow and scrape to that
race rather than have him recognize
in his own a leadership for advance
ment to higher and nobler manhood.
backed up by doing things for himself
along the line of definite program.
What has the white man to gam IN
going to Africa? If he has anything
to gain going there and depressing the
native to gain it, surely the Negro has
much more to gain by going there
and cooperating with the Native.
Surely he cannot find much lower
grade of civilization than is manifested
here in Georgia and the other South
ern States where the mass OF our
people now live.
His own government is already set up in
Africa, the program Of this provisional gov
eminent is assistance 10 that established gov
eminent in the Development OF itself to such
an eXtant that II makes the residence OF t9ae
parts more eonRenial and preferable than ihat
] OF these and other parts OF like nature. ana
that assistance IS cordially welcomed and en-
couraged For some time Liberia has been
offering to American Negroes (25) twenty
| five acres OF land free if they would come
over prepared to develop the same. And no"
! the door is wider open than ever Tor using |
our finance in building up the industries oil the |
country and opening up the commerce to the |
world through the operation Of steamboat lines |
/ as the Black Star Line a subsidiary oil TINS |
organization Is uollR.
The Negro who cannot realize that world |
wide racial consciousness has within 1t the /
possibilities OF accomplishing more for the |
race than any other program, should wake up |
from his Rip Van Wrinkle slumbers and be
come acquainted with the fact that the Negro
OF today is (20) twenty years ahead OF the |
time when he went to sleep. II it has meant |
anything for the illiterate Negro OF America |
to come in contact with the literate white OF |
! America, surely it ought to mean more to the |
Native black African illiterate TO come in con |
tact with the lterate black brother OF Amer
| lea. There is something in the make up OF |
man that rebels at the old order OF things and |
demands a change and that something is in |
the mass Of the Negro OF today, who say |
| away with that old time rot, this old time |
| Negro is handing out Of impossibility of the |
| Negro doing for himself and people at least |
| as much others have done for theirs by be |
| ginning to do that something now. That some |
where along the line the generations to. come
| will enjoy the full fruit thereof We may be |
| classed by ourselves as (l009o) one hundred |
per cent American but first we were 1907 |
1 Negro or African and we should become that
| now, as the white and other are
aiming to be 1000 identical with their race
| variety. Many have Eyes but see not and
! Ears and hear not 1t is time for us now TO
use both Eyes and Ears and speak with knowl-
| edge rather than a running at the mouth |
| trying to please imaginary friends and stretch |
ing point hunting for argument against a
/ "a