The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-02-03
THE FACTS
m OUR NEWS
By HORACE A. WHIIE

LIVING There are q great
many bad things one can say about
Detroit. There are q great many
discouraging aspects to life In De-
troit for the average citizen. no
matter what his color or race. For
fear that the leaders Of Detroit
may misunderstand again, let Il be
said Immediately that there are
some particular aspects TO life I'm
Detroit that bear heavily on the
Negro members Of our citizenship
at this time. We all know what
they are. We have talked about
them. we have agitated against
these particular aspects Of life. and
we shall continue TO do so until .
new set of circumstances effect .
change.
There Is another process in De-
'troit going on that few of us are
looking at with any clarity Of VI
sion. Right under our noses the
dream OF the United States is being
forged into reality right here in
Detroit.
Back In the Reconstruction days,
the forging of this dream was
started by the poor whites of the
South and the emancipated Ne
grOes Of the South. All over the
South there were small communi-
ties made up of poor whites and
Negroes, which communities after
the war started TO build toward
real democracy i'm these United
GNntne .,.l
in North Carolina, South Carolina.
/ Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky
found themselves free Of the over
lOrdship of the landlords. In the
eight years succeeding the war,
these people OF America in these
former slave states learned to read
and write together. They farmed
together; they built their little hos
pitfalls together; they listened to
the same preacher together. Yes
they dreamt of an America in
which all men were free, and free
enough to work out their salvation
together The former OverIOrds Of
both white and Negro workers in
the South entered into a national
political deal whereby the troops
that kept law and order in the
South during the days Immediately
after the war would be Withdrawn
from the South. This meant that
the former overlords could use
their COON squads. Ku Klux Khan
and night riders to establish their
rule.
The former overlords and the
former slave owners did establish
their rule. They established more.
They established confusion in the
minds of the common people. They
set black against white. and white
against black. They beat and muir
dered white men. because these
white men were working out pro-
grams Of mutual helpfulnesS with
their black neighbors. They ter
rorized whole Negro communities
because these Negro communities
found common cause with white
communities i'm their struggle for
freedom. The rule of the land,
owners and the great holders of
wealth in the South did not kill
the dream Of American democracy
in the minds Of the common peo-
pie. They only turned IL into a
nightmare - q m0mentary night
mare.
The industrialization Of the North
brought our momentary nightmare
back into focus, oand we began to
dream in an orderly fashion as
workers. Detroit, the great indus
trial empire that II Is. becomes
fitting matrix in which a part of
the dream of Americas being a
great democracy Is taking form in
terms Of reality.
We have thousands OF workers
coming TO Detroit from all over the
country. When they get here, they
discover that Detroit Is working
at something. Before these new
corners have been here very long,
they discover by way Of the sub
conscious that Detroit represents
what they have dreamed America
could be.
These newcomers 90 10 work in
a factory. They are introduced to
labor union. They discover. once
they have begun to understand the
union and what II stands for, that
the union is one of the vehicles
that they can give power to for
the realization of America as
place where democracy for all men
functions. These newcomers are
not bludge oned and forced to give
support TO the union; they are per-
suaded and educated by action to
appreciate its worth. They are not
in the union very long before they
hear something about the rights Of
all workers. At first this is just
saying, and then II becomes appar-
ent through the struggles of their
union that these words, rights OF
all workers." mean rights of Ne
gro workers, Chinese workers,
Jewish workers and American
white workers. The reality Of this
and the total meaning of this
frightcns some of the newcomers
and creates for moment conster-
nation and confusion. They are led
back, however, into the paths that
lead to free America by a per-
sistence Of their union in the fight
for the rights Of all workers.
Organized labor in Detroit. no
matter what one may point out
are its faults. is leading the work.
ers to think in terms of the dream
that men dreamt in the eight years
succeeding our great Civil War.
Organized labor understands this
clearly as the white and Negro
leaders did after the Civil War,
that if America is 10 be free. the
workers must be free enough to
work together regardless of their
color, for the mutual helpfulness Of
one another.
This process Of having the work.
ers understand the benefits of max
ing common cause with all other
workers about housing, against
discrimination, for better health.
for more inclusive education. and
for the right TO build up and feel
free. is the strongest element for
Detroit's greatness Of tomorrow.
The churches. the schools, and all
manner Of civic organizations have
caught the spirit of these workers.
There are those among us, and
there -.Will- always be those among
us, who will not see the forest for