The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1943-06-05
The
EVENING
HOUR
BY FRED HART WILLIAMS
Orr Heritage

-! h''N ~ VaHH'f."c a
- 49, -. :. - }.
Our Heritage
NO MATTER what detractors
- may say to the contrary. there
IL much that is fine Sin the char
acter % colored men and women
OF America Take us II You must
as hcing 81 distinctive type Of
America. classify us as you will,
there Is somewhere IN the re-
mote rcccsses of our being an in
herent faith LOYALTY and nobility
possibly handed down to us by
|the ancients Of our race
Even With the bitterness and
despair Tho accompaniment Of ex-
coriaiion and royllemert because
Of difference N piemcntation
and race has moi completely
cradicaied. definite traits Of char
acfcr iha is the heritage 81 Afric
kings
True there sill remain among
us ienorance and illiteracy not
Of orr making. but Of conditions
int slightly coated with tho We
necr ~ so-called democracy.
There Is. unfortunately. that lack
a. cohesion absent in us-that
something which binds certain
races and nationalists. in the
common bond OF oneness and nm
i'y sending thom on 10 infinite
heights Of greatness. But within
uc there is an unquenchahle fire
70 overcome the obstacles created
nv circumstances over which we
have no control But the intensity
Of rs heat and the s'eadiness Of
ITS glow IS gradually melting
away The corrugated crust OF
color and racial hatred
or courage We have q IN
abundance. Those who may aucs-
ton this have hut TO ricturize
The unceasinF and incessant
struggle Of people that have
for three quarters ~ century
travelled the haie.sircwn road OF
prejudice lsnominy discrimination
and eorrcrafior
Marking this lonesome and
ionolv road we have paused "a
mircle he blood of our warriors
with those other Americans Of
whittier skin. In this traverse along
tho road of travail black mon and
Hack women have nns'intcdly
hem shoulders and hacks in un-
ieniitinr toll with Willingness
ami comparable pride with those
o. another race lahorine In the
making Of Americas expansion
and greatness No we do not
lack In courage. nor in faith and
in hope for another day and bet
ter dav
There is determination TOO
Ivnched burned at stake shot in
tho back brutality rejected at ev-
cry nIrn We SIM have that
'comc-backncss which II I'M
noticed by YOU Is that something
within us that squares our ach-
inr shoulders HTS orr heads
levels our owes sending us cour-
aeoonslv and hravcly on
Within us TOO. Is the unqucnch-
allie fire ~ religious zeal. liken-
cd unio that oven the Romans
conturios aeo could not oucnoh IN
their efforts ~ eliminate eradi-
caie and destroy, Tho flaming
and glorious blaze Of Christianity
which was beginning to cnlirhien
tho rcmotesi REGIONS Of an idola-
irous and pagan world This then
e. another form of courage we
hold to- Spiritual courage the
something that impelled black
chattel 10 mt their eyes heaven
ward and IN the secret recesses
OF plantation and field lift their
voices TO fervently, and hopefully
chant Just One More River To
Cross"
There is no doubt. some among
ne those who would repel the
thought Of an enforced servitude
Bu there arc more OF us who
realize that this period Of slav-
CRY. Of lashinas, torture and I'M
willing ravishment OF black bod