The Northwest enterprise. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1931-1952, 1940-01-05

was my misfortune to form an ac-
quaintance with one of the local
sepia society girls. I said mis-
fortune" because it was she who
caused me to labor under a delu-
sion that for months kept me out
of circulation and probably caused
me to miss many a good piece of
news. Through conversations with
this glittering glamour girl, I ga
thered that the Seattle Negro may
be short of trumps on such minor
essentials as race pride, militancy
and organization, but when it
comes to society, the Seattle Me-
gro has a standard that would
make the blue-bloods of Boston
bow their heads in shame.
So vivid picture did she paint
of the sepia socialites, who, ac-
cording to what I was told, also
constitutes the Negro intelligent
STA, that decided the hoi polloi of
society circles must look down on
newspaper men as the scum of
the earth. Consequently, when I
learned that these society stall
warts and intellectual gibralters
lived in the East End, was re-
luctant to even venture into the
community; and the mere thought
of peeping behind the sacred por-
tails of society caused me to quake
in my heel-less shoes. Indeed,
stood in awe of these people with
tilted noses and elevated eyelashes
singing sixteen-cylinder words
around like nobody's business.
Because I had heard so much
about these high-pressure thinkers
and past masters of the art of put
ting the zig" on the common rab-
BILE seeking membership with the
upper crust of the sepia social pie,
1 looked around for the monu-
ments of achievement which sure
ly must exist as evidence of such
an outstanding array of intelli-
gent leadership. don't know how
many years it will take me to
learn that I am not supposed to
expect results from those who fall
in the category of the "Represen-
tative Negro Group" I am per-
haps one of the few people who
labor under such a delusion, but
then, 1 am not a member of the
Negro Intelligence Bureau, there
fore the only reaction to my in
siduous expectations is a circular
motion in the direction of my tenn
pie. 1t means there's nothing
there.
An incomplete inventory of the
races contributions to posterity
revealed that: in a community
predominantly inhabited by Ne
groes (including the alleged pio-
neers, leaders and thinkers) we
can boast of a Y.W.C.A. going
along smoothly; a Y.MC.A. not
going at all because our leaders
don't care enough for our boys to
dish their petty differences and
get down to business; one grocery
store making rapid business pro-
gress in spite of the fact that most
Negroes are striding rapidly in
the direction of stores which re-
fuse to hire colored help; one gro
Gerry store which exists as a dis
grace to the business ability of
our sterling leadership; two beer
taverns and the same number of
beauty parlors; one restaurant and
one bakery; several apartment
houses and the churches. I don't
count the lottery business which
has been in existence for years in
this neighborhood of select sepias,
because it is maintained by Orien-
tails.
In this community lives the
cream of the crop, growing sour
as time staggers on. This includes:
one physician, two dentists, the
heads of social agencies, the mini
sters, fraternal leaders and other
business geniuses and intellectual
dreadnaughts.
In 1889 our leaders produced
for the good of the race: no youth
program (long a necessity, no
efforts for a recreation center of