The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-01-22
THE FACTS
M OUR NEWS

THE MAYORS NEW INTER.
RACIAL COMMITTEE -. Last
week Mayor Jeffries asked the
Common Council TO approve an tn
terracial committee with . budget
Of fifteen thousand dollars ISIS, O0O,.
The Common Council approved
this request without hesitancy.
Thus. we have an official inter-
racial committee Of Detroit for the
first time In Its recent history. The
appointment Of this committee Is
very significant step for all OF
the citizens Of Detroit.
The composition of the committee
is worthy OF note at this time. II
is made up OF SIX city department
heads and five public members
tcitizens). II has been long recog-
mixed by Negro leadership that gov
eminent must set . good example
Of fair practice in employment and
treatment Of all Of its citizens be-
fore IL can demand that private in
dustry employ people without re-
gard to race and color. The way
this committee Is now set up, when
ever there Is . problem involving
discrimination and unequal treat
ment In the city government on &C.
count Of race and color, Il can be
thrown directly into the laps Of
the city department heads from the
Interracial committee itself be-
cause. as Is obvious. the Interracial
committee and the city department
heads are one to . very encourag-
ing degree. The idea of putting city
department heads on an Interracial
committee showed great insight and
awareness of the Negro problem on
the part OF Mayor 'Jeffries. IL would
have been easier for him to have
asked the council TO appoint and
establish officially an Interracial
committee Of citizens who have no
official connection with city gov
eminent. Such . committees hapds
would have been tied as far IS
handling some Of the very knOtty
problems Negro citizens face In this
community. The present committee
can deal with matters Of race dis
elimination and unequal treatment
in the police department, in the
Board Of Education. Department OF
Public Welfare. Housing commits
sion and Board Of Health.
The five public members on the
committee are in q position to bring
70 the whole committee the think
ing and feeling Of the citizens Of
Detroit about any program or lack
Of program that the city depart
ments may be pursuing any given
time. Negro representation on the
committee Is adequate and intelli-
gent. The Negro representatives on
the committee are concerned ac-
lively about the welfare Of the
100000 Negro citizens of Detroit.
These Negro representatives on the
committee are intelligent enough
to see that any program carried on
by the city Of Detroit must serve
all Of the people without regard
to race. creed and color.
The committee also, because OF its
composition, gives for the first time
Negro organizations an opportunity
to pin down some Of their COM
and charges considered by the City
Of Detroit. Heretofore. the COM
plants OF Negro organizations and
leaders have been flung out at the
public In . nebulous manner. This
is not altogether the faults of these
organizations and leaders because
there was no definite clearing house
where the truth OF falsity Of these
charges could be tested by the facts.
Further, city department heads
have in the past been able to dodge
their responsibility by pointing to
the evils in another city depart
ment Now, with the arrangement
worked out by the Mayor, all city
department heads are In a position
to be forced to face their individual
sins and the sins of their depart
ments simultaneously, providing
Negro organizations and leadership
use sagacity and responsibility
where the matters Of race are con-
cerned In the advancement Of our
people.
There will be those in leadership
among Negroes and liberal groups
who will say the committee will
do nothing. and they will be right
IL VIC SllNlIS ttlClllSClNCS w HOtIl~
ing. A committee OF this compost
ton will be very happy to do moth
ing IL the active and responsible
individuals and organizations leave
the whole course OF the committee
to its own ways. This present COM
mittee can be the most effective in
strument for Justice. progress and
good will among the races In De-
troit II the citizens who are really
concerned give Il work to do, be-
cause these citizens see wrongs that
must be corrected by all the people.
The success Of this committee will,
to q largo extent, determine some
Of the techniques for interracial ac-
tivity In Detroit after this war
No one with any comprehension
about Detrot's manifold problems
growing out of racial misunder-
standing will see the committee as
cure-all. Everyone. however, who
is sincerely concerned about the
unity Of our great city will ap-
preciate the judgment and concern
shown by the mayor in appointing
the type of committee he appointed