The Omaha guide., 1942-04-25

OF the position for which Pickens
was about to be ousted.
At the board meeting last Mon.
day, the motion to merely notify
Pickens that his stand differed
from that officially taken by the
NAACP was made by Carl Muir
ply, editor Of the Afro-American
newspapers, and seconded by Isa-
dore Martin.
Prior to the vote, Pickens reat
a prepared statement to the board
which told of his long associati7
with the NAACP, the reason fer
this present Connection with the
treasury department, his fight a
gainst segregation and reiterated
his praise Of both Fort Huachuca
an dthe 99th.
His statement said in part:
Il have been fighting for my
race, never hostile to my country,
for nearly half hundred years
For 40 years I have repeatedly
risked my life in the fight against
undemocratic and unnecessary
public determinations based on
race; 33 years of that time in the
Service Of the association, the first
II Years without pay of any sort
(while was College professor or
officiaD and the last % years on
whatever wages the board found
it convenient to pay.
Therefore it was not less aston
ishing to me than it seems to be to
almost everybody else, when r.
ceived letter from the secretary
| indicating that some of the board
members who were at the Febr-
uary, 1912, meeting, Were of The
opinion that one article of mine
after 40 years Of article writing,
had one phrase in it which advo-
Gated segregation The secrcl-
ary's letter did not say one phrase,
but I learned later from the news
papers and others that the critic
lied phrase was: that the army is
planning to win the war, in spite
Of segregation or of those who op-
pose segregation The substance
of impartial phrase Seems to me,
and always has seemed to me, SO
simply true that it hardly needs to
be stated.
Il who wrote it, have Some idea
Of what it means to say: in spite
of the pros and cons on any DOM
este problem, it is the business of
the army, especially in time Of
war; that it is neither the duty
nor the capacity Of the army TO
Settle our peace-time social prob
lens, even in peace time; that re-
gardless Of who favors segrega-
ton or who opposes it, all of lis
together must support the army N
doing its job; and that this war.
the greatest of all our wars, en-
hances the logic and the Sense of
that position Pro-segregation-
lists and anti-segregationists, peace
time opponents, should be war
time comrades. In that article it
is very clearly indicated that the
writer is with the anti-segregat-
ionists, but Indicated only incident
ally, for it did not seem necessary,
after 40 years, to say SO at all.
ur domestic struggles should not
be abandoned, but Should be tenn
pered and directed in such wise as
to give no aid or comfort or hope
to the enemy
"As it now happens, the great
est enemy of our country is also
the greatest enemy Of the Negro
race. The situation calls for hon
esty, for frankness, for straight
shooting, and no shenannigans.
We do not abandoned our domestic
issues; We control them So that
they may not betray US. If the
whites are wise they will relax
their opposition to Negroes. If
the Negroes are wise, they will not
expect the whites to do all the re
laxing. Priorities must be given
to the plans for the defense of the
United States as whole. NJ
passion or emotoni can shake tile
fact that no domestic issue, now
ever dear to it's own propagandis s
can be more than secondary to the
great national and International in
, terests. Individual freedom natur-
ally impresses the Individual more
but his intelligence says that lie
cannot have it and lose national
freedom.
white Americans have The
right to fight for their opinions;
colored Americans have the right
to fight for their opinions. In
opposing opinions in a democracy,
which is right and which is
wrong? If both sides speak, both