The southern news., 1944-09-16
Says Roosevelt Could
Stop Discrimination
Ii He Desired To

CHICAGO - "If Negroes knew
the true story of how our boys are
being mistreated in the armed
forces. not a one would vote a
Democratic ticket again." declared
Robert L. Ephraim, president and
founder of the Negro World Alli-
ance, here last week in an inter-
view at his headquarters at Ga
West Randolph Street.
THE disgraceful record of Negro
soldiers being shot down like dogs
by white civilians and white menf-
bers of the military. not only in
the deep South but Aisewhere, is
one which President Roosevelt, as
Commander SinaC Ctstaf f<Sttr armed
forces. can alone assume the re-
sponsibility for" he continued.
Ephraim's Negro World Alliance,
founded in 1888. allied itself
strongly with the cause of Ethi-
opia, then about to be attacked
by Italy. In the ensuing years the
organization gained in membership
until In 1945, during several
demonstrations, its membership
was estimated at close to 10000
members, many of whom were
Chicagoans. Today. he said, his
roster has over 1000 active mem
| bers in the Chicago area.
Recently relieved from active
army duty and transferred to the
enlisted reserve, Ephraim pointed
out that as private. and later a
first sergeant, he had been in the
following army training camps:
Fargo, North Dakota; Fort Smell
ing, Minnesota; Keesler Field,
Mississippi Camp Lee, Virginia;
the Richmond Army Air Base;
and at Langley Field, Virginia.
With a military certificate en-
titling him to a commission,
Ephraim said the story of adverse
conditions affecting the Negro
serviceman are the same both in
the North and in the South.
Thousands of Negroes are bit
ter at President Roosevelt's per-
sistent refusal to do something
about the way our colored service
men are being treated" he said,
'and Mr.. Roosevelt is not ignorant
of what Is going on. The Negro
press, delegations from various or
ganizations. and the ordinary citi-
zen who has husband son,
brother, nephew or cousin in the
armed forces, write him daily. Yet
he does nothing. 1t is his job to
see that Americans are not dis
eliminated against because of race
and color, especially when they
Iare sacrificing their lives for the
country of their birth.
This administration" he point
ed out lis guilty of a criminal
waste of manpower and at the
same time, tries to cover up for
the slipshod manner in which
manpower is distributed by claim
ing shortages here and there.
have seen Negroes with college
degrees hauling logs in the
swamps of Mississippi. l have seen
these same men deliberately held
back in promotions they clearly
had earned
Il have seen Negro soldiers" he
| oSSCAtSul III lHe service Tor elRnt-
cen months and not reclassified.
They sent Negroes at Kessler Field
in Mississippi. to clerical school
who could not read or write their
names. They, on the other hand,
sent Negroes with college degrees,
background and training, to the
cooks and bakers school,"
Ephraim, whose record in pub
lie life has been militant in the
service of his people, feels that the
revelation of New Deal duplicity
on the Negro in the armed forces
would do more than anything else
to wean away hesitant Negro vot-
ers from the Democratic Party
Through his organization and a
small tabloid newspaper, "TNT",
Ephraim is carrying on a private
campaign to educate Negroes to
the danger in following the Demo-
cratic bandwagon in 1914.