The Omaha guide., 1936-09-12
Continues Plea
For "New DeaF'
IN The South

Of North Carolina for a "NeV
Deal" in the southern educationa
set-up before the Institute on Re.
gioral Development here, contin
ues as follows: 1.-THE constitution
Of most of our southern states pro
vide tina the public school systems
be separate and equal. We have
done pretty well by the separate
part but not so we'll with the equa.
part. Negroes r becoming great
ly concerned over this question OF
graduate training, and we may be
sure that they will continue to push
us vigorously ON the matter OF
equality in the school system. In
fact, the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People
has already determined to bring
this thing to a show down.
Several solutions of this pro-
blem have been proposed. /. Pro-
viding tuition subsidies for gradu-
ate work outside the South. West
Virginia and Missouri use this
System, | believe. The outside tut
ton is based on the difference be-
tween what the Negro student
would pay if he could go to his
own state university and the tut
ton which he pays outside. When
other factors such as cost of
transportation, higher living costs
in the North, and inconvience. etc.
are considered, i is easy to see that
this is a poor substitute for Justice.
II the southern states choose this
~ the way out, they may as we'll
lace the fact that Negroes will de-
mand a larger and larger subsidy,
so that the number of graduate
Students increases we shall after a
few years reach the point where it
is really extravaganza to continue
this method of tuition subsidies.
Y. Adding graduate work to the
present separate Negro colleges.
This does not look very promising.
that is, if we are really trying to
provide first-class training for Ne
gro students. | doubt if there is a
single Negro state Institution in
the South which is really prepared
to undertake graduate work. There
may be n Or two private institu-
lions which are qualified. Further
more, the cost of providing gradu-
ate and professional training in
every southern state would be stag
gering( viewed from present
standards of financial support for
Negro colleges. North Carolina.
for example, maintains five Negro
colleges-a Liberal Arts College. an
Agricultural and Technical College.
and three Teachers Colleges. The
total support which the state gives
these five schools would not be en-
ough to operate one good graduate
school. In recent years the state
has been giving the Liberal Arts
College for Negroes at Durham
land | presume this would be the
logical place to establish graduate
work in this state) only about $685.
600 a year. Even if the appropria-
ton to this college were doubled,
it would not be sufficient to main
tain a creditable graduate school.
~.."3. Admission of Negro graduate
students to existing white gradu-
ate schools in the South. 1t is GER
tainly a violation Of the usual ETH
quette in such matters to "a this,
but l should like to point out that
this is in some ways the simplest
and most economical solution to the
problem. Whether it can happen in
the near future is another matter.
1t might be workable in the upper
and border states but the folkways
and attitudes in the lower South
probably preclude such a possibil-
ity for a long time to come. The
social implications are, of course,
laden with dynamite and I doubt
that it is worth our while to try to
go ahead on the assumption that
any such arrangement is going to
prevail generally throughout the
South in the near future. But I will
say this: the N. A. A. c. P. is push
ing this question to a show down.
1t has succeeded in a suit to COM
pei the University of Maryland
Law school to admit a Negro stu
ing worship. Visitors, friends and
I IA