St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1943-10-22

GUS weapons OF war, tanks, an
explosives, or food and clothing for
soldiers on the firing line or the
needy civilian populations of the
countries freed from Axis oppres-
sion.
The launching of ships bearing
the name of eminent figures in the
life of this nation has for us tre-
mendous significance. For when
the name of a great citizen of color
is emblazOned on a ship, it is in
truth more than perfunctOry rec
OgnitiOn of the man. 1t is recogni-
ton of his race and it's place in
American life. It is an attempt and
praisewOrthy attempt to demon
strate the ideal of this democracy
even though that ideal has not been
completely achieved.
Appreciation of this circumstance
is paramount in any intelligent ap-
proach to the effective betterment
of the status of the Negro. In our
struggle for complete indignation
in the life of this nation we must
not forget that we are Americans;
that many of our problems are es-
sentially American problems and
that alien techniques and methods
tried and found more or less effec-
tive in foreign lands by religious,
racial and national minorities whose
history is far different from ours,
do not guarantee success and may
invite catastrophe.
We must contend for our rights
as Americans, willing and able to
bear the responsibilities of citizens,
anxious to render the utmost serv-
ice to our country, eager to give
our unquestioned loyalty for its
preservation and it's welfare.
Ours has been slow but steady
progress. And nowhere on the face
of the earth has the Negro achieved
so much as he has in America-not
in Brazil, nor in British Africa, nor
French, nor Portuguese; nor Bel
gian, nor in the West Indies only
in the United States of America
with all of it's limitations and all
of its pernicious prejudice, and all
of it clinging to the slave tradition
has there emerged among colored
people a Paul Robson, a Mary
Church Terrell, an Alain Locke, a
M arion Anderson, a Richard
Wright, Mary Mcleod Bethune,
a Roland Hayes, a William E. Du-
bois, Louis Wright, a Langston
Hughes, a Richard Barthe, a Jesse
Owens, to name but a few in the
contemporary world, nor a Booker
T. Washington, a Carver, an Err
nest Just, James Weldon Johnson
in the more recent past.
Withal its prejudice, its racial
antipathy, its Jim Crowism and
God knows America should be pro-
foundry ashamed of these perver-
siOns Of Democracy and Christian
ity, this nation has been quick to
accord honor, recognition, fame,
and in many cases wealth, to Amer
lean Negroes of exceptional gifts
and talents.
It is the progress of the Ameri-
can Negro that has stirred the
spirit of the Negro of Africa, and
awakened in him the longing for
The method which has enabled
US to come thus far may not be
spectacular, but it has been efec-
tive. It has been protest plus per-
formance, not just protest. It has
been the continuing demonstration
of our faith in our country and in
the ultimate sense of fairness of
the American people and judged by
the record, this has been the better
way.
freedom. It is the example of the
American Negro that has set in
motion and given strength to the
movement for autonomy within the
Empire among the people of the
West Indies.
Wherever there are men and