St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1944-12-29

the tail end of the economic p
we should be able to make our
ment for pressure to bring about
some change in the employment
situation as concerns us, especially
in communities where our buying
power keeps nonresident mer-
chants in high-priced cars, down.
town offices, country homes, yachts
and toy train sets.
Once in a while, as in Harlem,
Chicago Cleveland, and several
other big cities with large Negro
populations, we act up and scare
the white merchant or business man
into hiring one or two Negroes as
fronts" dummy managers, floor
men, etc., but even with that, he
(the white merchant) knows he's
still far ahead and that we are still
playing a dismal game of catch up.
Centering the Blame
Part of the blame for this situa-
ton rests squarely on the shoulders
of some of our great race rights
organizations-namely, the Nation
al Association for the Advancement
of Colored People, and the National
Urban League. These two organi-
cations by their very names and
nature should long ago have taken
the lead in teaching our great
masses the strength of their pur-
chasing power and educating. them
to demand things concrete and
worthwhile that will establish US
on a firm and sound basis in our
attempt to compete economically
with other racial groups. It is to
be recognized, of course, that the
great issues and causes with which
the NAACP> and the Urban League
have been concerned over the dec
AIDES are of profound Importance
IN their far-reaching intentions, but
what we want is something we can
put our hands on NOW.
1t would seem that the NAACP
by its very title would have long
ago set up a propaganda agency
or bureau to help promote and in
splre Negro-owned businesses and
enterprises. An association for
"The Advancement of Colored Peo-
pie" could hardly be such unless it
recognized our economic status and
acted accordingly.
Figures on Negro Consumption
David ]. Sullivan, head of the
Negro Market organization, in an
address delivered Dec. 5 to the New
York chapter of the American
Marketing Association at the Ho-
tel Sheraton on Broadway, gave
the following figures of the Negro
consumer, prefacing his remarks
with the U. S. Department of Com
merce statement in 1920 that Me-
gro purchasing power was "two
and half billion or more" for that
year:
Actually, according to Mr.. Sui
Ivan, 10,464,1S1 Negroes in 1920
had a gross income of $3,O55, 400
600. In 1925 it was $3,113, 800, 900.
In 1929 it was $4,166,9OO,OOO, and
in 1885, $3,343,14O,OOO. Sullivan
said that his organization found
that in 1910 when this country was
mobilizing for war, Negro gross
income was 4,678,54O,OOO, and in
194S, with war-born prosperity, Ne
gro income was $1O,29O, 0OO, 900.
Thus, according to Mr.. Sullivan, the
Negro market is bigger in size than
the entire Dominion of Canada bv
Approximately As per cent, accord
ing to the estimated Negro popu-
lation of 1S,19O,543 in 1913. The
U. S. Negro population was blessed
with over $3.50 million more in
come in 1913.
Holding On to Earnings
l am inclined, as are all we'll
thinking persons, to laud the eff
forts of the NAACP and the Urban
League to the fullest in their eff
forts to back permanent Fair EN-
ployment Practice (FEPC) legis-
lation by law. This creates more
jobs for Negroes, opens more ave-
nues of opportunity. But to what
avail is all this effort, time and
money spent if there is no one to
teach the Negro by example to
hold on to some of what he earns
instead of giving it all back to the