The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1943-05-29

| Allied Nations II
AS 'Racists ARH
II would be wonderful n man
could act for the loce OF God and
not because he fears death: Il would
be q fne thing II We could act in
justice because Of q love for JUS
ticetice: IL would have been q fine
thing II we had worried about the
poor and the dispossessed before
there were too many Of them and
the banks failed and the factories
closed; II would have been q fine
thing il We had brought the Ne
groes to this country as free asso-
ciates OF free men to join freely in
the colonization Of this land This
would have been q country wonder
ful beyond any words. beyond any
preexisting example. had We been
just to the Indians, charitably. and
fraternally just to the Negroes. the
Mexicans. the japanese. the Chin
csc, the Puerto RicanS the Fill
pinos who lave lived within the
frohtiers Of our land
We were not even Just TO the
Ane white-skins who came to this
country from certified white coun-
tries such as Poland. Italy. Ireland.
We did no. even treat fraternally
the bohunks, the wops, the micks.
We permitted the most appalling
human wastage to accompany the
building Of our country. And just
ST. long as the country was ex-
panding. just so long as you could
ge. rich II you worked. nobody
counted the broken lives, nobody
calculated the wastage. We said
It cannot be as bad as all that; look
at the Irish. We said. They have
fought through. they have wor out
Look at di Maggie. The Portuguese
and the Greeks. We said. look at
them: they're not all selling apples.
Look at La Guardia.
Well you cannot pick UP the
pieces. We broke lot Of hearts.
The immigration from Europe made
us, and We broke 4 lot Of hearts.
But that's all over That's water
over the dam. The immigrants from
Europe are Americans now. Yes
most Of the Jews too. We've eo'
what we've Got: we've lost whs'
we've lost. What's The trouble
\ Whst R0es % ~ vUmx3 We sveI
started to werfy about the poor
once We NV that the rhetoric
weren't running. We had the Ney
Deal and Labor Unions and Ii
SEC. And now We have The war.
| Precisely. II Is because we nov
have tire war tina. we cannot pos
sibly avoid evaluating our attitud
Of racial superiority 70 men within
our land whose skin is yellow. o
bronzed, or black. We can forge
about the immigrstio from Europ
because the immigrants have be
come Americans We cannot - be
cause OF the war - forget that TIT
Negroes in America are not pre-
cisely happy, that the Mexicans Ii
Ar erica are not hss that TIT
Chinese in America are not anxtou
to do the laundry or cook for an
other HUNDRED years that the Jap
an.se in America hav, been driver
irto isolation. We cannot forget TIA
the Hawaiianx, the Puerto Ricans
the Filipinos have all been exploited
for private American Interests. VI
cannot forge. that this war Is
serious war and tina. 1t is impossid
to play tricks in this war and .
Aght for justice while allowing ID
Justice to prevail in our own IA
tional life.
For one thing. the Germans ~i
not permit US to forget II. The Gel
mans will not permit the Chimes
tie Mexicans. the Negroes TO fo'
ge.-even II they themselves woul
, like 10 forget-that Americans {
no. consider them TO be 'fEothei
, under the skin" The Germans Al
at work. our own conscience IS
work. the anguish OF tlSose vi
suffer discrimination Is al wor
/. There is no way by which We ca
4 figh. on through the WIZ and IN
|, TIE peace unheeding thfs challeni
y OF anger. this challen &c Of suffe
! irg. this challenge OF consc!enc
0 We have now. durin { the war.
make up our minds once fo- a
whether or not We mean 20 mai
y Il possible FOX men, whose skin
!. v;sibly diFe-en. in color from Of
4 skin. TO i've in our country in re
! freedom, in effec Eve freedom
: opportunity. in ihdispu.able cor
. munity OF justice.
:, We will no. de6 lie tha. we inter
I, justice until We knows few
:, us Knoxville 'k,justice our natiT
, has tolerated IN the past We W
no. decide The immediate prsc:.c
:. action that mist be taken 20 erea
:" justice until we know with pres
sion the incGs:!ce NAT persists
our nation tpiay We viii no.
:. able 10 direct our government un
. we know TIE history OF past /
- justices, the condition OF prese
: injustice 'fsat Is why Carey NJ
/" Williams Is written Brothers Y
- der the Skhn' all the facts q
:, there. the, most unpleasant facts
a and mar ls why We mus: read VIII
~ he has 'Hritten