Evening star., 1925-05-06
RACE ISSUE RENDS
QU|NQUENN|AL HERE
Segregation of Seats for COL
ored Starts Fight-White
House Lunch in DiSCord.

Two issues. colored segregation and
White House tea invitations for Amer
lean patrons. disrupted the peace of
the International Council of Women.
holding its quinquennial convention
at the Washington Auditorium.
The first, which was started when
zoe colored jubilee singers refused 10
appear in the American music festival
last night because they alleged there
had been discrimination against mem
bers of their race in the distribution
of seats. received new impetus at an
indignation meeting of the America n
Federation of Colored Women in their
clubhouse, at Ills Rhode Island ave
nue..
The White House tea controversy
came into the limelight this afternoon
when a last-minute check-up of in
vitations to the tea this afternoon
showed it was impossible TO extend
them TO all the American patrons of
the quinquennial AS the result, in
vitations were issued TO foreign dele
gates, American State chairmen, and
1t may be possible to give one to a
single patron from each State. 1t is
understood that a committee of Amer
lean women visited the White House
in protest over this arrangement and
as a result II was announced that
President and Mrs. Coolidge extended
a special invitation to all the American
women attending the convention to a
reception tomorrow afternoon. The
American patrons are those who con-
tributed $100 or more to the expenses
of the quinqucnnial.
The American Federation of Col
ored Women, which claims to repre-
sent 10000, 900 colored women, not
only supported the stand of the jubilee
singers last night but voted to ban
their scheduled appearance at the
Howard Theater this afternoon. an
nounced by Halle Q. Brown of Wilber-
force University. wo had arranged for
an entertainment for the benefit of
foreign delegates.
Patrons Left Out.
The White House tea issue threat
ems to create even greater diScord.
There are now in Washington 103
women from the various States who
have contributed 500 or more to the
expenses of the quinquennial. The
supply of cards to- the White House
tea given by President and Mrs. Cool
idge was found to be insufficient to
provide for all the women in at
tendance.
1T was absolutely necessary to
provide for the foreign delegates,
said Mrs. Swiggert. We also have
provided tickets for the State chair
men. But if we must leave out a
single one of these patrons we must
leave out all.
'I understand that some of the pa
irons are very angry. In fact, j
have been told that some of them
have threatened to leave town. This
! is very different from the attitude of
the 20 American women who are ac-
tual delegates and altenateS to the
quinqennial. These women are en-
titled to tickets. but have refused
them in order to have them go as
far as possible among our guests.
See Added Insult.
I'VE consider an appearance at the
Howard Theater as segregation just
as much as a separate block of seats
in the Auditorium" said Mrs. Mary
Church Terrell, first president of the
American Federation and former
member of the District of Columbia
School Board. IF these negro singers
appear in any manner before the quin-
quennial, it will be expressly against
our orders and in deliberate rebellion.
1T is hard to imagine a greater
insult TO the cOlOTeQ people OI Tie
world" said Mrs. Mary Mcleod
Berthune, national president of the
organization. "It was a disgrace to
the United States in the presence of
these women from all over the world.
1t was a deliberate violation of the
constitution of the International
Council. That organization is based
upon absolute racial and religious
tolerance. That is the ideal which, /
presume, the majority of it's members
all over the world are working for.
We have not heard the last of this.
The foreign delegates, to whom
American segregation of colored
people is a strange, incomprehensible
thing, are very angry over it.
Have Paid Dues.
"The American Federation of
Colored Women will not withdraw
from the International Council. We
have paid our dues. We have COM
piled with all the requirements. Our
fight Is not with the council. This
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