The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1938-08-06
WPA Shows Status
Of Rural Negroes

washington. u The ilrsl
Negro m relief. although better of
han nj. urban brothers, IS faced
win greater difficulties han MS
white nelghbors. who need aid
This fact. and other disclosures
related 70 the rural Negro on r.
l.et was made public in a recent
study by ne works Progress Ad-
uinistrsiicn and assembled ia a
monograph entitled Effects o. he
works Program on Rural Relief
Ae investigation on which inis
lispori s. based VAS made BY me
WPA Dl,i-ion ~ Social Research.
The mater study MAS conducted In
sample counties in Montana.
South pskora wisconsin lows
West vtginia North Carolins sid
G.orgis Only IN North Carolina
aid Georgia was any st'emp, made
10 break down The findings az pc
tween Negroes and whites.
In private Industry" the report
observes Negroes earnings sycf
a2ee sidersbly less han ,hoss
az whites bH' on ne Works Pro-
gram ma, ditfersn between ;hsi-
esrn;ngs and those - Whites vas
10, 50 gsea' White heads az house
ho'd. mployed on he works Pro-
gram reported smaller average
earnings han ia vhi'e~ employed
ia priya'e industry htf Negroes
en- vioved on tho Wogss Program
Tsrowed average earnings greater
than 'knse received - Negroes
empipyed n private indasfsy'
Before he survey Was started
social Serylcs research workers n
the WpA had discovered that an
examination o, the family and per-
soma, rats OF Tho Negroes on re-
l,et ~ disclosed striking differ
sn's- from hose % whites For one
20 ns 'hes found that ne hard
ships o, Negroes arose. IN par.
from 'amAy and marital difficulties
with arosen families and the re-
s1l'ar social and economic hanG.-
caps mots general among the col
ofed group Widowed Negroes were
found 70 20 relatively more nume--
Gus IN ne relief and non-relief
Ie9a'a.ions This WAS especially
'lue among widowed Negro vo-
men
A rather striking fact brought
eu, by relief census OF Ociob n.
1879. was that OF an Negroes en-
relief under the age ~ Is. the ia
jorify were females Narrower.
bare six percent 81 he male Negro
workers on relief rolls in ls33 were
inexperienced workers this is.
those seeking employment who ad
reformed 10 eainful work during
nc pas len wears This census al.
so revealed that about one-Arh Of
the female workers IN urban areas
and one-lhird in rural areas were
inexperienced.
Formal education 81 he Negroes
on relief WAS qui'o imled ne
census also showed In urban CON-
mrni,ies one-ienih and in rural
communities one-six'h ~ he Ne
rro workers on the rolls in Msrcn
1888 had not comple'ed a. nlcn 4 !.
one year of schooling Relatively
hall as many Negroes as Whites
had obtained eight or more years
~ education IN school
With liitle or no education or
training and with restricted cco-
romic opportunity ~ compa u
with the white persons ON relief.
The Negro had 10 iurn 10 uns.lli.d
labor 10 earn living. Thus. jwo-
thirds Of The male and nine-tcrihs
of the female Negro workers re-
ported unskilled occupaiions.
"A partial explanation. the 9 ID
lished study states, was found in
the type OF work 10 which women
heads OF households were uslaliy
assigned on the Works Program.
Some Of the sewing work, in which
tho majority were employed. Wa
classified AS semi-skiled. whereas
The women engaged in this work
had usually heen employed In do
nestle service or farm labor. class
ID az unskilled
At The time of the survey North