St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1942-04-24
VOL. 8, NO. SO
N. Y. Daily Paper Writer
Attacks Discrimination
Against Negro Boys & Girls
BY ALBERT DEUTsCH IN PM

4NS" Vim GAP144 kOOGAIC
of New York is faced with an en-
barrassing paradox. Section 40 OF
its splendid Civil Rights Law en-
titles all persons to "the full and
equal accommodations, advantages
facilities and privileges of any
place of public accommodation, re-
sort or amusement" It is illegal
to bar anybody from any hotel
saloon, ice cream parlor or restaur-
ant on account of race, color OF
creed. The law also prohibits dis
elimination by theaters, hospitals,
skating Kinks, pool parlors or edu-
cational institutions.
But the State of New York not
only tolerates racial discrimination
in charitable institutions; it per-
mits such places to be subsidized
by public tax funds.
State Assemblyman William T.
Andrews of this city has introduced
a bill in Albany intended to correct
the inconsistency. His bill amends
the Civil Rights Act so as to pro-
hibit discrimination against any
race on the part of children's in
situations supported directly or in
directly, in whole or in part, by
public funds or by contributions
solicited from the public. It is
hoped the Legislature will pass this
bill before it adjourns.
The situation would be bad
enough if Notwithstanding facil-
tiles were adequate to handle all
Negro kids in need of institutional
care. But there are not nearly
enough. Negro children, mainly
because of the unfavorable social
and economic conditions suffered
by the race at large, are most bad
ly in need of special agency care.
They get the least.
New York City alone pays out at
least a million dollars year to 10
private child-caring agencies that
bar Negro kids from their services.
1t might surprise a lot of people
to learn that many of these private
agencies get most of their financial
support from the public treasury.
They are paid a certain amount per
week for each child accepted as a
public charge. Some agencies are
almost entirely subsidized in this
way.
Instead of improving, the race
bias problem in children's agencies
has been getting worse in many
respects. One of the best-known
institutions in New York, Chill
dren's Village at Dobbs Ferry for
problem boys and girls, used to
take in both Negroes and whites
until a few years ago. Now it is
restricted to whites. It receives
large subsidies from the city of
New York.
Because facilities are lacking for
needy and neglected Negro kids,
they often have to be sent to re-
form schools although they have
violated no law. Some don't need
institutional care at all. What they
need is placement in good family
homes. But here again many Ne
gro children are out of luck; they
have to be sent to institutions be-
cause there aren't enough home
finding agencies willing to handle
their cases.
New York City can remove this
evil without waiting for state ac-
ton. The Grace Discrimination
Amendment" sponsored by the
City-wide Citizens Committee on
Harlem may come up for adoption
today before the Board of EST
mate. If it is adopted, the city will
stop paying subsidies to child-car-
ing agencies that refuse to accept
Negroes of their own religious
faith.