St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1941-10-17
Gilligan Scores
Race Prejudice
In Democracy

tives of Negro organizations of the
Twin Cities attended the Twin
Cities Conference on the Training
and Employment of Negroes for
National Defense Industries Thurs
day, October 8, at the University
of Minnesota. Others in attend
ance included rs white social work.
ers, teachers, employers in the de-
Tense industries and government
and state officials. Governor Har-
old E. Stassen, in his address of
welcome to the conference, said, in
part, 81 deem it privilege to join
with the President and the Cover
nors of fifteen states, where SINH
lar conferences have been held, and
call upon Minnesota employers to
provide equitable employment and
participation in defense industries
to all qualified workers without
regard to race, creed or color, in
the firm belief that the American
Way of Life can be successfully
defended only with the help and
support of all groups within our
borders"
Gilligan Sounds Keynote
The keynote address of the con-
ference was given by the Reverend
Francis J. Gilligan, outstanding
and outspoken Catholic liberal, who
made an impassioned plea for full
participation of the Negro in the
defense industries and all phases
of American life.
ORDNANCE PLANT HAS
THINGS WELL IN HAND
In a letter to Governor Harold
E. Stassen, Charles L. Horn, presi-
dent of the Federal Cartridge Co.,
prime contractors for the Twin City
Ordnance plant at New Brighton,
who was invited, said, relative to
Conference on Training and En-
ployment of Negroes for Defense
Industries, I think we Twin City
Ordnance) have that matter well
in hand. At the present time we are
doing all we can to give them
jobs"
Washington Speaks
C. w. Washington, executive Sec
rotary of the Minneapolis Urban
League was the first Negro speak
er on the conference program. Mr..
Washington read a well prepared
address on "The Twin Cities Ne
gro Occupational Picture" In his
address the Minneapolis Urban
League executive, pointed out that
the Negro has never been well in
tegrated in the various occupations
in the Twin Cities. In the con-
Guiding statement of his paper Mr..
Washington said, 81 do not mean
to say that industrial democracy is
just around the corner so far as
the Twin City Negro is concerned,
because the examples to which I
refer are far too isolated for any
such optimism. I do believe, how
ever, that a well planned and CO.
ordinated movement on the part of
Negro organizations and fair
minded representatives of employ
ers, trade unions, and by all means
the Division of Employment Sc
curity, can eradicate the barriers
and restrictions that have for gen.
erations kept the Negro worker
within an inch of the breadline."
M. Leo Bohanon, director of Social
Service, Division of Public Relief,
Minneapolis Department of Public
Welfare, served as the chairman
for the panel discussion on "Train-
ing Needs and Employment OPP
portunities." Speakers on this
panel included Harold Void, Su-
pervising Interviewer, Minneapo-
lis Local Office, Minnesota Divi-
sion of Employment; Miss Flor
ence Burton, Chief of the Division
of Women and Children, State De-
partment of Labor and Industry;
John F. Thomas, Area Personnel
Director, Minnesota Youth Admin
istration, and Miss I. Myrtle Car
den, Director of the Halle @.
Brown Community House, st. Paul.
Mr.. Thomas scored those respon-
sible for the .parodoxical situation
that Negro youth often finds him
self, that of being unable to quail
ify for certain skilled jobs, because
he has been urged to take training
for traditional Negro jobs" and
thereby has not been given train
ing in many of the skilled occupa-
tions. Both Miss Burton and Miss
Garden chided Mr.. Void for his
prejudiced statement which in eff
feet was that not many Negroes
are listed In tho SkiI1nd orcnnafions