The Mississippi enterprise. (Jackson, Miss.) 1938-current, 1944-02-19
Legislators Get Plea For
Expanded Negro Education
Ask That Negroes Be Given
Equal Educational Opportunities
AS Required BY Law

Demands for a greatly expanded
Negro education program which
would include raising Aicorn A. and
81 college 10 university status, es-
Enlistment 81 agricultural high
schools for Negroes in an counties
and the same rate Of pay Tor Negro
teachers as for whites was formally
before the Mississippi legislature
Wednesday.
A petition. which It's signers de-
clare was adopted az a statewide
mass meeting" al Central Methodist
church in jackson, outlines a ten
point Negro education program and
is addressed to Governor Tom Bal
ley and members Of the legislature.
The petition contends that there
are only five counties in the state
which have agricultural high
schools for Negroes, though there
is an agricultural high school in
every county in this state for
whites"
Figures Of the Abs division Of
the State Department of Educa-
ton, reveal that the state has but
Is agricultural high schools for
white students and six for colored.
Of the 16 white AIS plants, ten are
consolidated with junior colleges.
A total of AZ counties of the
states 30 levy a tax for support of
some AIS, Knox Broom, director
of the AHS-Junior College divis-
ion of the state department of ed
ucation, said Wednesday, and stu
dents can come from any other
counties, through payment by the
counties or students of fees deter
mined by state law. The same pro-
cedure applies to colored students,
he said.
Plans to expand the Coahoma
County Negro Abs into the states
first Negro junior college have been
blocked by the war and inability
to get materials, Mr.. Broom said,
but plans are going ahead to make
the institution full colored junior
college after the war.
The ten points asked by the Ne
gro petition are:
l. "That the Negro be given
equal educational opportunities in
Mississippi as the. law requires"
2. THAT all Negro schools run
s to 8 months eah year.
8. THAT Negro teachers be al
lowed the same pay paid other
teachers doing the same grade of
work"
5. "That an agricultural high
schol for Negroes be established in
every county of this state"
6. THAT Negroes be given the
advantage of consolidated rural
schools in every county"
Z. THAT another Negro teacher
training school of college status be
established in the delta and that
the work of Alcorn and Jackson
colleges be greatly enlarged and
g. THAT the home for Negro de-
relict youth be established at Oak
ley as heretofore provided and
planned" the petition earlier con-
tends that there is a movement to
transfer the unbuilt Negro reform
atory from Oakley to Parchman.
8. THAT the Negro deaf and
dumb school be greatly improved,
enlarged and teachers paid in keep
ing with the type of work they
are required to do and trades be
taught all pupils"
10. 1--WE ask that a medical, den
tai, pharmaceutical and nurse train
ing school be established in the
state for the training of Negro doc
tors, dentists, pharmacists and
nurses"
1t adds that until such a college
is established, the state should pay
the railroad fare and tuition of any
Negroes who take professional
course or do postgraduate work
IN some other state that admits Ne
gro students for work not done in
Negro schools"
The petition warns that while
Negroes are needed in the present
war, they will be more badly need
ed in the future, because, the pc
Lltlon says, this is mot war to
end wars but that there will be
another war within few years af-
ter the close of this one, since
Germany and Japan now have 20
100000 children being trained daily
for the next war;"
The petition is signed by 'the
on resolutions" S. w
Miller, Rev. w. H. Blackman, Rev.
R. w. Woullard. N. r. Berger and
Rev. c. N. Ireland.