St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1942-08-07
Excerpts from
Randolph Speech
at Los Angeles

CefS ana prime leader IN the Negro
march on Washington movement,
made an outstanding speech at the
N.A.A.C.P. national convention in
Los Angeles, late in July where he
received the Spingarn medal.
This newspaper reprints a por-
ton of the address from the Los
Angeles Tribune:
Answering the attack of Mrs.
Charlotte A. Bass, local newspa-
per editor, in her address before
the 33rd annual convocation of the
National Association for the Ad-
vancement of Colored People We'd
nesday night at Second Baptist
church, Randolph, who was award
ed the 9th Spingarn medal in "rec-
ognition of the dramatic culmina-
ton of his years of effort in the
mobilization of Negro mass opinion
in the March on Washington" de-
clared that the Communist line
which Mrs. Bass had advocated, is
opposed to the best interests of Ne
groes and designed only for the
salvation of Soviet Russia"
The handsome Spingarn medal
suspended from a gaily colored rib
bon about his neck, Randolph raised
the crowd to a fever of enthusi-
asm as he urged them to fight con-
ditions of discrimination and segre-
cation in the Government and de-
tense industry, the while they did
their part in this country's war on
the Axis.
Negroes with a sense of self
respect and manhood have no other
alternative except to fight this con-
dition. The Negroes fight for his
rights is not intended for the en-
barrassment of the Government.
We consider that the Government
has already embarrassed itself-by
failing to practice what it breaches
about democracy ," Randolph
declared.
Cheered and Applauded
Attacked by Mrs. Bass for his
program of mass protest against
Government sanctioned oppres-
sions, which she said is leading the
Negro astray and crippling the war
effort, Randolph was cheered and
applauded in his reply by the crowd
of almost 1000 which overfowed
to the sidewalks surrounding the
church, almost a thousand being
turned away.
Entitled "The Negroes Struggle
for Power" Randolph's speech was
a conclusive document on the Race
in this country and in relation to
the world. Read, for the most part,
the original text of the speech was
departed from occasionally by the
speaker as he extemporized on
more important points.
Linking the Negroes problem
with that of colored peoples the
world over, Randolph stated it as
"the problem of discrimination,
segregation, and jim crow in our
economic, political and social life,"
which he said, "is everywhere" e.
in the subjugation and oppression
of the darker races in the undeveI-
oped countries of the world by the
great white power nations, and the
exploitation of their land and labor.
Upon a black, yellow and brown
pillow of flesh, the old colonialism
and modern world imperialism
have been built" he declared.
An admission tactfully avoided
by white and Negro leaders, the
basis of ''the present struggle for
power of the great imperial nations
of the earth" in the battle of "the
lands and natural resources of the
people of COLOR" was cited by the
leader.
Monopoly Capitalism
Exploding theory that color
oppression and hatred is based on
racialism, Randolph declared "mo-
nopoly capitalism" to be the emo
tivation of the march of imperial
list powers into the territories of
the darker races"
Racial, like national hatreds
and prejudices, are not inherent;
-. they are acquired" he asserted.
Different races, nationalities
:. do not fight each other because
they hate each other; they hate
each other because they fight each
other.
Monopoly capitalism had its
birth" -. in the inability Of the
worker, because of competitive
wages" to "buy back the full prod
uct of his labor, increased because
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