The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1942-09-19
PORTRAIT OF DEEP SOUTH
SPEAKING TO NEGROES
ON MORALE

paken from Inc New iork Daily Iimes)
Listen colored folks
This is time for unity.
This is no time to be raising your hand
Wit questions about our native land
Niggers this In war,
Don't F you soSv vSo . s sns to keep .0 s IRE:
You ought to be thankful you live in place
And democracy and freedom. liberty
And - diets see, whats another?
Yeah that thing about brother-)
Yeah YOU ousha be thankful just
Talk OF brotherhood
oughta be thankful and stay in your place,
Listen colored folks
This is time unity.
Stop this hfthcolumn talk about wanting to vote
This Japanese-whine concerning Segregation
In the Army = In the Navy In defense jobs - IN the air.
you know there's enemies listening everywhere'
Don't you know defeatist talk about Jim Crow
Is exactly the kind OF talk that pulls morale down low!
And for Gods sake stop asking call mister!
tyou think I'D want niger to sister7
You ought TO be THANKFUL you have a claim
To be called American IN name)
Suppose the Japs ruled you
would you Think o
Would you like 10 be there!
Therere things sight that those could do
Than folks down South have thought up to do
Things worse than lynchngs
riding freight elevators
And no education
And segregation
And eating travelling Jim Grow
Worse than making cotton crops to stay in debt
than commissaries
And folks not calling mother Mrs.
And yes sir = yes nam - thanky nam
And having TO laugh a big belly laugh
When they tell niger joke
There's things those laps and Germans could think to DO
This $ Colored Folks
Where's your Unity
keep whining about
Equal votes
Equal education
EQUAL chance Jobs and pay
These little things you cali America. foundations
you know they're interior decorations!
You say you're confused'
That's strange = when my minds 50 o clear
/ can't what's hard for to face.
Do what you're told and stay In place
everything else to the dominant race
There's things worse cropping democracy
In a eroded and of Liberty
There's things - We gotta have Unity!
Or niger who wasn't looked after also did your
And like each other and stand by each other
Sure. And of them furrners
Going to cause trouble between u.s. No Stree
Now how about little singing,
H' How about some Of your good old songs
! never hear don't m think OF old nanny
Singing TO me when WAS va. ,h kd ola o.rm,..
God bless all, now Sing me a song
nd sung fine old songs
Iess stand and sing God Bless America"
And when YOU get home fall knees
And thank God for this great democracy
For liberty
And-unty
And others twhatever they arel and for
Making only in Christ like they In
church)
who said anybodys morale was low
Folks who don't what's
DO the,? Course they don't,
A man who'd raise such hue and
Oughta have skin branded with
A big black LIE
Amt right, folks?
Come on, Darkes time to start song
Time to open your mouths and below out strong
nd world you're good
An American as we are
And you'll fight o drop Of your blood for
but complaining about Red Cross separating
IT, you know they can't mix white and Niger blood!)
Yeah. we fight. you'll fight
And well fight
To the Jim Crow drop
To rid the world OF Hitlerism
And Nazism
And them other ISMS
And the American Way
SO that things forever
And
And
Just a they
down
here
today.
LILLIAN smith