Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1923-09-08
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North Carolina Woman. Mrs. T. W.
Beckett, Tells OF Work at Race
Relations Conference. B

Kansas City, Kana-Mrs. Thomas
w. Bickett, widow OF the Governor
Beckett of North Carolina. soaking at
the sessions OF the race relations con
ference being held here by the Nation
al Association for the Advancement,
Of Colored People, today told OF the
history and work OF the Interracial
Committees throughout the South, in
and bringing about better relations pt
tween colored and white people Mrs.
Beckett appeared at the race relations
conference as representative of the
Inter-racial Committees of whose
Woman's Committee she is Chairman.
Her address was as follows:
"As member of the Commission on
.Inter-Racial Cooperation and as Chair
man of the Woman's Committee Of the
Commission it gives me pleasure TO pre-
sent to the National Organization for
the. Advancement of Colored People 4
short history of the formation a.,,.
work Of this Commission.
Shortly after the Armistice dis
trust and suspicion famed by propa-
ganda Of various sorts seemed abroad
in our land and mob violence, which
had greatly decreased during the war,
broke out afresh. 1t was in this crisis
that the Commission on IntertRracial
Cooperation came into existence. AT
the center of this group were John J
Eagan, manufacturer and churchman
Rev. w. w. Alexander, Y. NJ. c. A.
War Representative and DR.. N. Ashby
Jones, noted minister of Atlanta Out
Of the thought and prayer Of such men
and others equally consecrated the
Commission was born. It's members
ship was made up of leading educators
ministers, professional and business
men from every state in the South, in
Guiding many prominent Negroes
State committees were organizer
especially where the situation was
acute and with the cooperation of the
Y. M. OLA machinery and financed
by the War Work Council. Better
feeling Immediately became noticeable
and having proved its efficacy in this
crisis the. Commission determined to
enlarge its sphere and seek to perma-
nently improve race conditions and
pnt them upon a Christian basis.
ITO this end committees have been
set up in every State and eight hun
dred Counties. Threatened lynchings
and riots have been prevented. injustic
es have been corrected, cooperation
for mutual welfare has been brought
about and more friendly relations es-
tablished especially in communities
where conditions were critical.
AN interesting recent development
IS the enlisting of leading women o:
the South to cooperate with the vari-
Gus state committees and to promote
the study of this question in their civI.
and religious organizations. In every
case the women have made strong pro
nouncements against mob violence and
In favor of justice to the Negro. espec
tally the Negro women and children
The personnel of the committee has
increased from forty men to over
and fifty men and women. a
large number of these belonging TO
the Negro race and who contribute
largely to the councils of the Commits
sion.
I'VE are long, long way from solv
ing the race problem in the South but
we have made hopeful beginning. AS
thoughtful. white men and
women we are seeking through our civ
ic and religious organizations to meet
n a spirit Of cooperation the leading
men and women OF the Negro race IN
the community in which we live. We
are cooperating in study of Negro con-
munity life. in housing and sanitation
better neighborhood conditions, educ
tional opportunities and the, needs of
Negro women and children especially
We are becoming increasingly consc,.
Gus Of the fact that as those In author
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