The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-02-27
BY REV. JOHN @. WALKER
Pastor Of Second Congregational
Church

and Signthc0nt changes are taxing
place and we can never hope TO re-
turn to the conditions which pre-
vailed before the outbreak Of the
present conflict.
As q matter Of fact, the more we
recall what went on In the twenties
and thirties and the problems
which emerged In those decades, the
less we desire o return to those
times. We realize that there were
80 many ur1solved problems and so
many hopeless injustices that there
can be no expectation Of o peaceful
world until the prevailing wrongs
and injustices Of those days are
righted.
During the month Of February
the American people are asked by
Presidential proclamation to give
particular heed to the problems Of
race relations and religious minor
tiles. Thoughtful people realize that
even In supposedly democratic
America there Is q vast amount OF
racial prejudice and injustice and
there are grave dangers Of unwar-
ranted religious criticism and un-
necessary religious strife. The Sur
vey Graphic" has been publishing
recently some very significant num-
bers entitled, 1.-THE Calling Amer
lea" series. Certainly one Of the
most important and one Of the most
widely read In the series was the
one entitled "Color: Unfinished
Business Of Democracy" That very
title Is challenge to our best
thinking and our most strenuous
endeaVors.
We all know In general outline at
least the story Of what James Trus.
low Adams has called "The Amer
lean Dream" Our American ideal
has been "a better, richer and hap
pier life for all our citizens Of every
race which is the greatest contri-
button we have as yet made to the
thought and welfare Of the world"
The sad part Of this story Is that
we have allowed many years and
even decades to 60 by without max
ing any very significant advances
toward the attainment Of that ideal
with regard to our fellow citizens
Of the Negro race.
It Is true, Of course, that our Me-
gro friends have made most start
ling and wonderful progress these
last eighty years. They have made
signal contributions to our Amer
lean culture but 1t seems to me
that they have often had to make
these contributions In spite Of the
dead weight Of prevailing racial In
justices and prejudices. AS Amer
lean citizens and at q time when
we are engaged In q struggle to save
democracy, we ought to be heartily
ashamed Of the fact that we allow
race discrimination and segregation
to such o marked degree in this
country. Our record with regard to
the treatment Of our Negro friends
Is such as to make us blush In the
presence Of many other nationals.
There are many countries like Great
Britain, Brazil, Russia and others
where people simply cannot UNDER
stand the prejudices that exist In
this country. They can't imagine
why people like Paul Robson and
Marian Anderson should suffer the
indignities and discourtesies they
do In their native land. OF course
our enemies are using the evidence
against us In their propaganda and
with telling effects In certain quar-
tiers. We shall have to do something
sooner or later about our poll taxes
about our "Jim Grow" methods o!
travel in Southern states, about
widespread discrimination nortt
and south, about the miserable pov.
erty Of the share troopers who, ir
some cases, are not much better Of
than their grandparents were be,
fore the days Of the Civil War
about the loss Of life occasioned BIZ
lynching parties and the lack o.
any serious action on the part q
legal authorities to apprehend those
who have been guilty of the crime
Of lynching.
We can hardly wonder that oul
Negro boys In uniform have certain
misgivings about fighting for dem.
ocracy abroad. II you ask them they
can give you good many instances
and some Of them serious and ira.
gic, where we failed to fulfill, or or
occasion even to honor the demo,
cratic ideal by lip service, here ir
America. The time to get on Will
"the unfinished business Of dem.
ocracy" is now. II our Negro friends
are to have their fair share of jus.
tice and opportunity there is M
time like the present. We ought tx
do everything possible to- see to Il
that barriers are broken down, ever
handed Justice is observed, race re.
strictions are set aside and every
man, whether white or black, 4
given honor and privilege and op.
portunity according to his JUS
merits.
A good place to begin Is with thu
man in uniform, the man who il
prepared to fight and suffer, anC
die If need be, for the land III
loves. Are you going to make hin
ride in q Jim Grow" car at homt
and fight for freedom and democ
racy abroad? Once upon q time tn.
Great Powers let Japan take Man
churia and wrote on the transac
ton with a feeble protest or twI
despite appeals for help and justic'
on the part OF China. Years late
the Chinese minister In London saiI
N comment on the long series o
SHIFTED Nations defeats In tn
Orient beginning with Pearl Harbo
on December 2, 1891, THE sky
black with chickens coming hom
to roost." These are days when q de
termlned effort to right old wrong
suffered by our Negro fell0W-cifl
Gems viii save Us from judgment 3
come. It can never be ether tina
wise 70 be just and fair and on
Negro soldiers deserve far more con
/ sidePnfi0n and Justice than thu