The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1942-05-16
TOO MUCH IGNORANT TALK

The Nesrois relationship to this
war Is a Subject OF many fireside
talks. table conversation. and sub
ject for lectures on the part OF
many Negroes The talk would be
all right II there was any attempt
to analyze the issues. This talk. for
the most part shows ignorance On
the part OF the masses and ire
sponsibility on the part OF the lead
ers Of Negroes.
The other day prominent
clergyman from Chicago was speak
ing TO a large group OF people. He
was applauding in his speech the
victory OF the japanese people The
Negro people themselves. unthink-
ingly. gave the speaker a great
ovation For one who is very serious
about the Negroes relationship 20
this war. the speaker was silly and
played the people in the audience
very cheap, He set himself up as
leader with no responsibility for
directing them into constructive
action. All he gave them was de-
structive attitudes. making them
feel that their democracy depended
upon the paternalism of some group
and the group that was the most
paternalistic was the group TO
which the Negro owed his allegi-
ance.
How the speaker ever arrived at
the notion that thetJapsnese people
had fondness for Negro people is
a mystery. The Japanese people
consider the Negro people an in
ferior race. TIE Jspenese have no
love of any kind for negroid peo-
pies. whether they are American
Negroes or Africans. That fact ought
to be driven into the minds Of the
10 or IA millions Of Negro people
-iR.this- copntry-The- Leadership
ought to know that to whip the
Negroes into a frenzy over
Japanese victory is definitely for
feiting the leaders right to lead
The people will ultimately turn
upon Negro leaders who have no
more insight and can take no more
responsibility for leading in the
right direction than some OF our
leaders are doing in this period.
In the first place, this war is not
race war nor is It a color war. l;
IS peoples war. OF course the
war is wrong. If some international
economic planning and justice had
been followed Is years ago, there
would hardly be any use for the
war today. But everybody has good
"hindsight." The issue before US
now is. will we be dominated by
Axis powers or will we work to
build a democratic economy? The
former would relegate the Negro
TO position Of abject slavery.
There would be no rights OF any
kind, no opportunities for educa-
ton. He would be driven and beaten
into submission by the militaristic
system of Axis powers. Democracy
has stood for discrimination, pro-
scription, and oppression for a large
part of its population. 1t has stood
for these things to happen TO the
majority Of the Negro people. Yet,
the Negro people, along with all
the other denied and oppressed
groups in our American society,
have chance to liberate themselves
because in America we do have a
framework OF democracy. This
framework Of democracy in America
puts the power Of liberation in the
hands Of the masses once they be-
come aware. Therefore, it seems
to me that anybody who tries to
say anything else is selling the
Negro a spurious bill of goods.
The destiny Of IA million Negroes
in America is tied up with the des-
tiny Of l20 million other Americans.
The Negro people should not per-
NIT themselves. or anybody else to
separate their destiny from the des-
tiny OF all the American people
With this as a premise the Negro
has every right and justification
during this war to fight against
discrimination and to fight against
the lack Of economic opportunity.
because discrimination and lack OF
economic opportunity will help us