Evening star., 1943-10-18
Equalization Of Pay
For CoIored Teachers
In South Increasing
BY the Associated Presa

| BY the Associated Press.
CHARLOTTE, N. c., Oct. 18.-
Not in these words, Of course. but
three years ago the Supreme Court
said to the South: You've got to pay
colored school teachers OF the same
experience the same salary you pay
white teachers for the same amount
OF work"
At that time the gap between the
pay of white and colored teachers
had already been narrowed over a
period OF years. Yet one estimate
was that 1t would take $25, ,0O0, 900
annually to achieve equalization.
Reaction ranged from speedy VOL
untary agreements in some COM
munities to the attitude OF one State
senator who grimly commented: IF
the Supreme Court does say that we
must pay the Negroes, how are they
going to make us do it?"
Since the Supreme Court spoke,
what has been done toward equaliza-
ton?
There are almost as many answers
as there are States which have sep
arate schools for white and colored
| children. But survey OF State
education ofhcials shows that con-
| siderable strides have been made.
Border States Are Best.
The most has been done in the
richer States and in the border
States, where the colored population
is proportionately small, and least
In the Deep South, with its heavy
colored populations.
Walter White, executive secretary
OF the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People, says
that the campaign for teacher paw
equalization has now reached II OF
the Is traditionally Southern States
and that in most of them the Local
school boards have followed the
mandates of the law as result OF
court action"
In others, however, he says, the
school boards have refused to give
in snd have taken different types of
steps in an attempt to circumvert
the true meaning OF the Fourteenth
! Amendment. This, he adds. has
| been done by rating systems and
! other methods.
The next step in the campaign" 4"
Mr.. White says, lis an attack on
these rating systems whereby Negro
teachers, for the most part, are
rated lower than white teachers of
! equivalent standing"
| First Case In Virginia.
The suit, which reached the Su-
/ preme Court, was instituted in Vir-
ginia. In November, 1899. a colored
school teacher in Norfolk, Melvin
o. Aston. brought legal action to
compel the city to pay him en- the
same scale as the white teachers.
He lost his suit in District Court
and appealed. Judge John j. Park
er OF the United States Circuit Court
OF Appeals reversed the lower court
with the comment:
This tunequal pay) is as clear a
discrimination on the ground OF
race as could we'll be imagined and
falls SQuarely within the inhibition
OF both the due process and the
! equal protection clauses of the l4th
amendment.
On October %. 1910. the Supreme
Court refused to review the case
This gave the green light to the
National Association for the Ad-
vsncement Of Colored People. which
had been waging the fight in tne
courts.
Suits Filed in Six States.
Since then, suits have been filed
in six States. and preliminary steps
for the filing of suits have sbeer
taken in four others.
Says the NAACP:
When the NAACP started its
campaign of employing the courts
as an opening wedge in its fgh,
against educational inequalities anc
determinations, many dire predc.
tlOns were made as to the effect OF