The Dayton forum. [volume] (Dayton, Ohio) 1913-1949, 1937-12-10
AN OPEN LETTER
To the Editor Of The Forum:

The Columbus Dispatch for Sun
dav, December S, 1887, devoted
page and half Of the sport section
to the listing Of the basketball
schedules for each Dayton High
School, except one, appeared in this
list. Dunbar was omitted. Whether
this omission is result Of an over
sight on whether it was done inten-
tionally, is matter which should be
Investigated.
If the schenule Of Dunbar was in-
tentionally omitted, the way is being
paved for greater inroads probab-
ly it has already been paved and
soon we will find the school being
omitted from more important &C
tiyities.
For example Quoting an editorial,
"The Chickens Come Home to Roost,
which appears in the Crisis for De-
eember, 1891.
Not very many years ago the
coiored citizens Of Indianapolis lis
tened to the persuasive arguments of
the school segregationists, both white
and black, and the result was the
erection of the Attueks High School
sfor Negro childrenl. Hardly had
the new 100000 plant been opened
when Negro parents discovered to
their dismay that some fifteen cour-
ses available TO students in other
high schools of the city we're not
to be offered at Attucks.
Now comes suit against the
board of education, the superintend-
ent Of schools and Others, seeking q
writ of mandamus to compel the ad-
mission Of a Negro student to Tech
nieal high school where a course IN
physiography il offered. The suit
was filed BY f. Louis Moors, chair
man Of the legal committee Of the
Indianapolis branch of the NAACP,
for the parents Of the prospective
student.
I'm discussing the suit editorially,
the indianapolis Recorder declares:
s"With the filing Of a suit against
the school board, attention is fo-
cused again on the evils Of separ-
ate system highly eolored with will
full neglect
.sThe Recorder then recites that
the Indiana school law permits sep
crate schools in the discretion OF
school boards, but specifies the ia
cilities and training must be equal
It contends that Negro children have
been So neglected iii the separate
school system Of the city that they
cannot be said to be receiving equal
treatment
"The Crisis cannot permit this
wide-open invitation to say I'VE told
you So pass by, because the oftener
the lesson is hammered home the
better The history of education in
this country shows that separate
schools for Negroes are NEVER
equal to those for whites. Always
there develops swilful neglect Ac-
cording to our information there are
only two city separate systems where
the Negro schools ALMOST equal the
white, and those are Washington.
DC, and st. Louis, Mo. The State
Of Kansas has its own peculiar sys-
tenn (as Kansas would) where Me-
gro elementary schools are separate
and all Others are mixed, except in
the city of Kansas City, Kans. Under
this system the Negro children re-
ceive approximately but not abso-
Lutte equality.
"The moral is that colored folk in
states which az iot hdsS ihoitudeoiJ
separate school systems either must
resist segregated schools by every
means in their power or become re-
signed to inferior education for their
children. And this does not mean
that Negro teachers and administra--
tors are inferior, but that the whole
system Of administration is such that
the children are denied their birth
right.
There is no more important sub
iect before Negroes in this country
than proper and adequate education
for their children in the public