The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1943-12-18
Urban LEAGUE,
AFL MEETING
WILL Be HOT

WASHINGTON. ID. Clamp
The forthcoming conference here
between officisls OF the National
Urban League and the American
Federation or Labor bears watch
eng. ip~the opinion OF many OBJ
servers.
TheS announcement was released
hast week by league officials in New
York following an exchange Of cor
tespondence between executive sec.
rotary. Lester B. Granger ot the
social work organization. snA vii.
Ham Green. president OF tn labor
organization.
While no specific object ks were
Get forth in the snnouneSTen;. II
Is not likely that the two groups
sole purpose OF correcting state
rnents and positions attributed by
one TO the other. II is reasonable
20 assume. therefore. that an ascnda
VIII be drawn up tina; should pro-
vide for a free and open discus
sion OF how best Negroes may be
organized into the labor movement.
Efforts Thwarted
II was during debate al The an
nual AFL convention on he reso-
luton OF A. Philip Randolph. Broth
erhood OF Shopping Car Porters.
seeking 10 establish committee
on discrimination in the federation
that President Green declared that
prominent Negro organizations had
repeatedly thwarted the efforts OF
the ALL in its organizing attempts
among Negroes.
AT international Harvester COM
pany in Chicago" he declared 10
the convention I'VE sought to or
ganixe theSe ,Negro) employees ;.
and found that the representatives
OF the Urban League and the repre-
sentatives OF the so-called National
Association for the Advancement
OF Colored People. and other repre-
sentstives Of Negro organizations
In America, appeared in Chicago
and opposed the ALL representa-
tives in their effort to organize the
Negroes into the ALL As q result"
he added, these Negroes voted to
stay out OF the ALL"
Green said that not only were
they prevented from organizing Ne.
srses. but that those groups encour-
aged Negroes 10 sign up with the
Congress Of Industrial OrganizaA
tionx
Il was the exceptions takehSsto
the Green statement by the Urban
League that has brought about the
conferences.
Few people doubt that the Clio
has shown more real In its organiz-
ing drives among Negroes than has
the ALL The recent Clio conven-
ton reported some 100000 Negroes
On the books In addition, Il has
two Negro members on the execu-
tive council. q national committee
20 abolish discrimination within its
own ranks and q membership that
- On The whole. serious In it, In
tint 70 accord equal treatment to
1egro felIow-workerx
On the other hand. no Satisfactory
Agurs n available ~ to the Negro
uaAmbership in the ALL Though
the Sleeping Car Porters 10 the
only international authorized. there
n no INSTRUMENTATION committee
and little concern on the part OF
the top-ranking officisls to do any
thing about wiping out the various
constitutional and ritualistic bars
%. Negro membership. In short,
there II much room for improve
ment
Time was when the Urban league
had 20 withstand the open charge
that invariably it betrayed the best
Interests OF Negroes by discourage
ing attempts at organization and
militance. II its acceptance Of the
challenge now does not make clear
fts role today. certainly the spoken
word Of William Green that the
league has Disseminated in favor
Of the clio should give substantial
tion to the new thinking in league
circles.