Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1930-06-28


American Federation of Labor. Thus.
Randolph has gone several steps
ahead Of Lemus. while Harper Is
many leaps ahead of both.
Locke's Importance once promised
growth and Towering in succeeding
volumes of "The New Negro" but the
promise remains unfulfilled. Mrs.
Malone has been generous with gifts
of money, but the enterprise in which
she is engaged seems to me to be OF
negligible value, Notwithstanding that
it has been the means of founding
whole dynasty of Aframerican
"Madames." Mr. Kelly Miller's i'm
portance is negative.
Robert R. Motion survives: Carl
Murphy impresses me as a man OF +
real Importance, for with his the
Baltimore American he Yields
a telling influence. But since all
newspaper publishers and editors are
of more or less Importance and it be-
ing impossible at all times to gauge
their relative value, we must reluc-
family forbear naming any OF them.
Anthony Overton is another banker,
whose Importance to certain sec
ton of our social structure is unde-
niable. but who. like my good friend,
Julian D. Rainey, is of little impor-
lance to the masses Of Negro workers
who seek emancipation from the
tryannous cverlordship Of the system
Overton and Rainey are engaged In
perpetuating. Both gentlemen Will
step aside. A. Philip Randolph Will
please remain, but j. A. Rogers and
Augusta Savage will kindly retire.
Rogers is still a significant force IN
Aframerican journalism, but jour-
nalistS as such are only little more
important than preachers. Unless
they are leaders as well as writer's,
they are worthless. Now, j. A. Rogers
was once an excellent leader OF revo-
lutionary thought among Negroes,
but his self exile in Europe tor which
7 admit a sneaking enviousness) mas
rendered his leadership all but In.
nocuous. He still has the power, but
is too far away from the scene OF
combat effectively to use it.
Augusta Savage Is good sculp-
tress; Arthur A. Schomburg however,
is more important. She goes ana ne
STAYS. George S. Schuyler. James z.
Shepard. Henry o. Tanner. Robert l..
Vann. Maggie L. Walker, DR.. William
Warfield, Charles H. Wesley. Clifton
r. Wharton, Walter F. White. and P.
Bernard Young will all fall out;
Carter G.. Woodson and Monroe N.
Work will move up to fill in the va,
cancies left by these gentlemen ana
the lady.
Schuyler is unquestionably impor.
tant in the eyes Of large section OF
literate Aframerica, but he is, like
those who fell out with him, not so
vitality nor Immediately important to
tie well being of the majority OF his
fellow Negroes as those who remain
in line. Schuyler, Vann, and Young
were the hardest to eliminate; Schuy-
Ter, because with his column IN the
Pittsburgh Courier. he has potential
tiles of splendid leadership. and Vann
and Young, editors mad publishers OF
the Courier and the Norfolk Journal
and Guide. respectively. are subjected
to the same criticism which disquall-
fled Murphy.
Mrs. Maggie Walker is in many
ways an extraordinary woman; more
over, have hearty admiration Tor
her: But I doubt whether her work
is of genuine Importance to the Ne
gro as whole.
My list of the thirteen most impor-
tant Negroes in the United States
stands: l. George w; Carver. scien.
fist; 2. Oscar DePriest, Congressman;
8. William E. Burghardt Du Bots, So
biologist, author. editor: 4. Solomon
Harper, Communist organizer and
agitator: S. ALBION l.. Holsey. organ
izer of Negro business; 6. Charles S.
Johnson. sociologist. investigator; T.
Mordecai w. Johnson, university
president; 8. Ernest E. Just. BIOLOGIST;
9. Robert r. Motion. principal indus
trial school,; 10. A. Philip Randolph.
labor organizer; II. Arthur A. Schom-
burg, collector Of books by and about
Negroes: IL. Carter G.. Woodson, his
torian and editor: Is. Monroe N.
Work, historian and editor.
In addition to being actually !ri-