Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1929-01-26
THE SOLUTION OF AN
EMBARRASSING SITUATION.

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PRODUCED recently in the Board OF
Aldermen by Alderman Henry W.
Woody of Jefferson Ward has caused
much harm in that it has given to
the people Of the State and Country
an erroneous impression OF the
relationship existing here between
white and colored people.
It has aroused the colored people
in a way that nothing else could
have done by causing them to be
iieve that 1t is an effort to persecute
and antagonize them. The success
of the Jefferson Ward alderman in
almost overriding and defeating
the conservative judgment Of some
of our ablest and most influential
white and colored citizens was q
bad omen and 1t nearly ruptured
the welded friendship and kindly
relationship between the. races,
which has been the result OF years
OF careful nursing and culture.
What further steps should be
taken in this matter? The impress
ion created was that the colored
people of this city were desirous OF
securing homes in exclusive white
neighborhoods, that whenever oppor
tunities presented themselves, they
could readily be induced to purchase
property alongside Of white lam
lily. Nothing could be further from
the truth.
No colored citizen here so far as
we know would own a residence
IN Monument Avenue, adjoining
white residence. How can we dispel
this Impressions? We are Of the
opinion that our people should call
a halt and refuse to lease or pur
chase any property in a block in
which there is white residence and
no colored residence. l." ~ 49,
Let us stop paying high prices for
wornout houses Of white people,
whose owners are DESTROYS of pur
CHASING new. modern houses in one
of the attractive additions which
have been prepared for white resi-
dents here by white capitalists who
are making thousands of dollars at
the expense of the humble colored
citizen. as we'll as the migrating
white citizen,
Let them be forced to seek white
purchasers or tenants. When they
find they cannot secure either, they
will be in an attitude 10 respect
the tights. titles and interests of the
Colored citizens without any racial
feeling. There is another way to
handle the situation and that is to
reouire these white real estate
agents, who have been inducing
colored folks to purchase this pro
perty to first secure the approval Oh
all white property owners in a BLOCK
in which they purpose to sell this
property. =,
LET this be the rule to be followed
during the next two years anu
hundreds of white people will appear
in behalf of colored folks interests,
who would otherwise oppose them.
There is no need of attempting to
regulate this situation by law. II
is an economic situation and IT
cannot be regulated by law. There
is still another remedy. Let us
further reduce the colored popula
ton hereabouts by migration, Let
every colored family who can do so
move. to northern and western
localities.
There are thousands Oh acres VI
land. in California adjacent to
growing and progressive cities. We
have consistently opposed this migra
ton policy, urging colored folks 70
remain here. But where intolerance
is asserting itself in the face OF
strained financial and industrial re
lationship it will improve the condi
ton of those who go, and those who
remain to bring this situation about
1t is fact that housing conditions
for white residents have been In
creased many fold, while those for
the colored people have been limited
to such houses adjacent to the