The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-10-14
WHAT MANNER OF MEN?

L
In the burning of three homes for Negroes brings
into sharp focus again the vicious preudices in the
minds of many Detroters. Here we have men and
women who have banded together in the South De-
troit Community Improvement League with the
boldly ayowed purpose of preventing the sale OF
homes to Negroes in their neghborhood. Last week
the group filed suit in Circuit court to bar Negroes
from the subdivision, but through their president
thew have discaimed any responsibility for the burn
inps. The fact too that Detroit policemen may be
closely connected with the burnngs is only another
indication of the rotten fabric of our civic life.
The immediate cause of the actions (the suit and
the burnings) was the announcement that property
IN the area had been purchased by Negro company
which was constructing and remodeling homes Tor
Negro occupancy. The desperate need for housing
for Negroes has given wide publicity, but as usual
when the possibility of Negroes entering neigh
borhood arose, bigoted and misguided whites organ
lied to shut them out.
1t would be revealing from psychological point
Of view to know what manner of men these are -
these ordinary men who drawn together in South
Detroit at the Sojourner Truth project, where the
Chinese family wanted to move, everywhere in the
city, in fact to bar non-whtes Can their preJudlces
be laid to faulty education at home at school and at
church? Do our schools take an active enough part
in teaching tolerance? Do our churches advocate
strongly enough Tie pIdCllSc Va IHC "
man? Is it significant that the meeting place OF
this South Detroit group was church?
There are other institutions and individuals be-
side the church, the home and the school which must
share the responsibility for the acts of these men,
Our Mayor who appealed to the prejudices of the
citizens in the last election and sanctioned theirl
cause must shoulder great part of the blame So
must the City Council and the Housing Commission
which by word and deed have catered to the bgotry
of many white Detroiters
Yet the responsibility goes beyond these Off
Gals to those who elected them. The apathy and
caution of many of our wel-meaning citizens must
be overcome if interracal conditions are to show
any real improvement Men of good will must accept
their responsibility to their communities in standing
firmly for the right the forces of preJudlces and
unreason will continue to prevail Our frightened
liberals must have the courage of their convictions
democracy is to be more than high sounding slogan
The church. the school and the home must live up
to their true functions.
Our children Negro and white suffer from the
bgotry of their parents. AS Lillian Smith has
pointed out so clearly no child growing up in seq
regated society can grow up normally. Detroit must
meet the challenge of its race problem head on or
the situation will become increasingly acute Partial
measures will no longer suffice We repeat what we
have always maintained: Appeasement of bigots
brings only disaster. Our city is headed toward that
disaster if there is not strong leadership in the di-
rection of democratic living for all regardless of
race, creed or color. What happened in Germany
can happen here