The broad ax. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1895-19??, 1922-05-13

washington -. - liz S'i aiiiuai
session of the National Race Con-
-gress Of America has passed into his
tory. and the people are much better
of for having attended it, and / have
been raised a few pegs higher III
civilization, and have been shouting
ever since have been here. This has
been really a National meeting and
almost international, for | have met
men from Africa. one man from In
dia. and then they were here from all
parts of the country, and it seems to
me that the people will never get
through praising DIR. w. H. Jernagin,
the president for the heroic work he
is doing here for his own race, saying
nothing about mine.
II is not a boys job to meet this
race discrimination, race prejudice,
race hatred. race antipathy or any
thing else that is connected with race.
You must just keep your thinking cap
on all the time and keep your think
tank in operation to keep from run
ming over at the mouth.
Believing that something should be
done to help in this mighty uplitt
problem. DR.. w. H. Jernagin seven
years ago called together the leaders
men who were the thinkers of the
race, and told them why they should
have a great organization looking for
ward to the protection OF the race,
and believe me. they agreed with him,
hence the organization was formed,
and DR.. Jernagin was the first presi-
dent. and Bishop l. N. Ross, vice
president. Wonderful has been the
progress made from time to time, and
the scope of work has been made
wider and wider, until it is extending
into almost every phase of racial life.
Before telling you all / have in mind
to say this week. want to pay my
respects to DR.. w. H. Jernagin, presi-
dent of the Congress and pastor of
the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. He
is a native of Mississippi, and served
his early life down there in the
swamps, preparing for bigger things.
He got a vision down there. He had
seen men of his race go to the top
and then brought down at the mouth
of a shotgun. He had seen James
Hill, secretary of state; Blanche K.
Bruce, and Hiram Revels, United
States Senators-well he had just
seen. He saw them out, and he be-
lieves that Negroes are going back
into Congress and other places where
man is required.
From Mississippi, with large fam
lily, wife and four girls, he found his
way to Oklahoma where he was called
to take charge of large church, and
at the same time to get some more
vision, some more information and in
spiration, and with all this in him, he
was one day notified that he had been
called to the Mt. Carmel Baptist
Church, little church and small
membership, but bless your soul,
honey, II is now one of the largest
churches in the city with a fine build
ing, large membership and an agrees
sive pastor.
This young man took hold of the
opportunity before him, and you may
bet your head to a ginger cake that
he took hold of it in many ways, espe-
cially in the bringing together the
Race Congress, for this is doing some
real constructive work.
But now, want to dive right into
one of the things that it has done,
because l think you should have the
direct information. One day, when
DR.. Jernagin was busy getting out a
sermon for Sunday a man came to
him and told him that he saw a
woman crying, because one son had
been lynched between Warrenton and
Norlina, North Carolina, and the other
who had escaped to Canada had been
arrested, and would be brought back
to this country and lynched also. DR..
Jernagin got up. laid his gospel aside
and rushed to the human cry, believ-
ing that ne would be doing the will
of his Lord and Master.
AS soon as he got the particulars, he
got in telegraphic communication with
lawyers over yonder in Canada, told
him or them to take charge of the
case, and the National Race Congress
would be responsible. The fee was
telegraphed to them, and the young
man was turned loose to be re-