Twin-City herald., 1940-06-01

"Wings Over JORDAN was WIN 10
last week, the first big promotional en-
terprise among Negroes, since the lam
our baby show of several years back.
Unfortunately, this splendid aggre-
cation of radio stars came to MIME
apolis, and found that only 99o persons
were willing to hear them.
There are several reasons that may
be advanced for this.
One coming from those interested,
was to the effect that the cast carried
its own publicity man, and that he did
not know the set-up in Minneapolis,
and fumbled the ball.
One of several advanced by persons
on the sidelines was to the effect that
the sponsoring committee did not see
the right persons to put the program
, over properly.
That it was advertised in the daily
papers as a part of a program to aid
Negro Churches and Charities could
Mt have helped much, for it must be
admitted that Negroes in Minneapolis,
have done little help their churches,
less to help their charities.
While the effort may have been SIN
cere, church laymen, and charitably IN
clined persons knew very little about 1t,
and were not prepared to answer any
inouiries regarding it,
We know that there were at least siN
persons on the sponsoring committee,
but they all seemed to hide their light
under bushel, for aside from pleading
guilty to the fact that they were lead
ing citizens, they were not seemingly
active.
This does not necessarily breed crit
icism though, for it may have been that
they were modest, which is virtue
with all men.
Coming on the heels of the recent
fiaso leaders and leadership, we are al
most tempted to change our order, and
instead of asking for only leaders, ask
for some more leading citizens as wek
We believe that the main reason for
the failure lay in the approach.
For thirty years, Negroes have plead
ed or help for their churches when all
too often the pleaders wanted only a
ton of COAL
For an equally long time, solicitors
for colored charities have all too often
failed to wholly conceal the fact that
the charities solicited were more indi-
vidual than communal.
One cannot expect friendly persons
to continue generous, after it dawns on
them that they are being made suckers
of.
We hope that the next time the conf
mittee attempts a major promotion,
they will use another approach than
the hackneyed one.
While we believe in the sincerity
of the committee we would like to see
them take new tact, and bill some
thing as benefitting Minneapolis as a
whole, then perhaps whole Mime
apolis will be interested.
The N. A. A. c. P. ran afoul of the
Better Business Bureau during the
course of their membership campaign,
but were given clean bill of health.
This should help them achieve the goal
for which they have been striving.
They do deserve 1000 cooperation
from every citizen regardless of color.
Maybe we chirped too soon about
our Minneapolis youngsters, when we
mentioned the gang fight that almost
happened on the southside about three
weeks ago.
Since then, St. Paul youngsters had
their fling, and what fling. We un-
derstand that battle between the
pupils of two of the schools ragged for
three successive nights, and some real
casualties inflicted. Several, we have
been told had to be taken to hos
pital This fight had bad social angle,
for we understand it started over ath-
letic honors being hogged by one of
the darker brethern.