The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-03-04
THE FACTS
m OUR NEWS
A PROGRAM ron DETROITs
INTER-RACIAL COMMITTEE

INTER-RACIAL COMMITTEE
Conservatives ana liberals argue
that The one problem Detroit mus,
deal with above all other pressing
problems n HOUSING for the
working people Of Detroit. A grea,
many Of these working people hap
pen % be Negroes. The tight bot.
tle-neck" ct this moment II In the
matter Of housfnE the Negro work.
ers Of Detroit. There Il some money
10 build more houses. The alloca.
ton OF 1000 units for Negro occu.
pancy has been made. They are
stuck between the Federal Public
Housing agency and the Detroi,
Housing - commission. In other
words. they have not been built
because there IL no land on which
they may be built without "creatinc
trouble" Some whites would OBJ
iect to building a project OF any
kind. but would certainly raise
he'll X Negroes were going to
live In any such project.
Here lies the answer to the ques-
ton. "Whv r. the Federal Govern
ment putting up the TEMPORARY
houses on scattered vacant lots in
Nero neighborhoods?" The Fed
eral Government r. doing II because
Detroit has refused TO allow anv
Negro expansion on vacant land.
The Detroit Housing commission
wrongly has agreed In this PROGRAM.
Consequently. all that could be
done was to agree to All up all Of
the available vacant land In the Ne
FRO section. This was done with
hone that the situation will become
sufficiently grave to get some action
from the powers that be. That sit
uation Is upon us now.
II is clear to ell housing people In
Detroit that Just filing up the va
can't land in the Negro sections OF
the city Is no answer to the housinp
n-oblem OF Negroes or anybody
When all the vacant land is filled
with TEMPORARY dwellings we are
still goino to have very deolor-
able housing situation confron''nc
many NEGRO defense workers. The
Vrter-racal committees can tackle
'h's one II thew will to.
There are about II rites on which
a nublic housing project could be
built at this time. None will be
built on any Of these sites. however
NEGROES cannot be allowed TO live
IN the projects because some whites
will object.
Here Is a real Job For the INTER
Racial committees. II these inter-
committees could uIan
prog-am IN conjunction with IN"
housing authorities. both Federal
and local. to see to II that power
Pul Detro'ters were behind . pro-
rram 20 house all our peopIe re-
yardlrss Of race. these committees
'vou'd he going a long wsv In helm
Ing to prevent riots and irtcr-rsrc
''rre-rrs IN Detroit. plots are COM
'~- su-ir II cur r'tv " we bren ~
Mis- siIIv snd s.'fsh s.tituSe W.
NV h've toward housing all our
workers,
The fret THINE thsse ~rauv ir'~--
'acial corr~''ttses should unS.rta'--
Il the hard chrI'rr~ir task that ar
'vr peoDle r,ust Re fouscd whrro
'hcv can he housed without reg?rd
10 race and color. The next stew
would be to announce . project
for the first come first
served on the basis OF need. Th~<.
inter-racial committees should be-
yin 70 work In the matters Of edu-
cation and the building Of rood vii,
FOR such . project. In other worSs
nur inter-rsclaI committees woulS
'~etch fascism Of tho America
Nr"r1 with sound democracy. Thi"
lind o. thing wou'd Do one ~ two
'hio~s-it wonld rr,ke It possibIe -
hu,id mr"h- neeHcS h"-sinv on va
rsnt sites without "crestir~
'-orhle" Srch a move nav have
- show some Of Tire SINISTER forr-~
heh'rd the move ~ prevent any
r"-' Democracy NJ this time.
II such = pro~ram nv the irt.--
-acisI r~-r-,'tt"es nrodu".s ~~.-'t-
IN % ~e'atjonship tn CONCRFrr
nr"h'er's. we will have evolved
social Technique In corruvritv o.
gsni,at'on that will stand us ~
~ood stead IN wears 10 ~ome. -
me preseut Time. we are doing or'-
"sl"~aniyin~" about the irter-r,r'~'
rrob'eps. S'o~pos do helm. " ~
Ser tn he effective. h"'vever. 49,
r,uet re t-vin~ tn sell n d~''-'t~
~roduct. An irt"r-rs"'a' prch'"'-
" = concrete thirr-t tas sh"-~
"rd e~'sts IN space and tive: The
mysticism ~ an irter-rsciaI prob
L-~, Il ONLY fear ana greed.
Unless these great Ventures into
W. realm ~ inter-racial relation
ships take forr, w terms OF what
ceople want MOST. these advent
rres will become d'~heart.r',v.
frustrating and hone killing gibber-
'sh. The leaders OF .hese new move
rents must see this. The leade-s
FOR social security programs end
the like could have gotten nowhere
excApt thew PROMULGATED concrete
and desired ideas Of the neople Thc
people want inter-racisI activity
around the conc~et-ness that Is the
ca~se of their suffering.
Our slogans and speeches Of good
will we must have, but In order to