The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-11-17

= @0'l E-S-4zAU OF the emotion
Horace White al debris that
rounds the
problem. This is true for both Ne
gro and white Detroiters.
The white Detroiters think Of
solution Of the Negro Housing
problem as involving an invasion
of their "neighborhoods" by Ne
groes. This kind of thinking on
the part Of whites Is SO far from
the truth that II seems absolutely
silly by many Negroes. The
whites further re-enforce their
refusal to think about the hous-
ing needs Of Negroes by pointing
10 the rundown condition Of
some Negro neighborhoods.
Negroes look at restrictive cove
nants and the fact that they must
continue 10 live behind a ghetto
wall and get emotional about the
housing problem. The emotional
ism that we Negroes display over
our housing plight prevents our
thinking and planning 10 do some
thing about the housing problem of
Negroes,
Actually we In Detroit are q
little further with the thinking
of our people about the Negro
housing problem than Negroes
blame whites for housing plight"
and whites resent Negroes NOV
ing into neishborhood." Here Is
where our mayor can contribute
something to the solution of the
problem. Mayor Jeffries Is In the
best position to contribute at this
point. Negroes as well as whites
need to understand that Detroit
has the capacity to provide good
housing for all Of its people. De-
troiters need to be made to see
very clearly that housing is a
vital necessity for the progress
sive on-gOing of our city. The
need for housing should not go
untitled because our citizens have
merely feeling rather than think
ing.
The mayor must strip racism
from the housing problem. Be-
cause race has no place in pro-
Slding good housing for people,
Race has nothing to do with pro-
Viding good automobiles for peo-
PIE. Race has nothing 10 do with
providing electricity 10 people The
people who would keep our slums
for their own profit and the con-
sequent destruction of some hui
manity will always bring race into
the picture. The moment race is
brought into the housing picture a
solution is impossible.
. The mayor Of Detroit must say
that the great majority of Ne
groes In Detroit are not con-
cerned about invading any neigh
borhood. What Negroes want and
must have IL Detroit Is to re-
main vital Is chance TO live In
decency. Negroes are not seek
ing anything at anytime but their
own fulfillment. Even this they
seek as citizens first and any
thing else second.
The mayor is in a position TO
seek the aid Of private capital IN
helping TO provide much needed
housing for Negroes in Detroit
= he mayor is in a position to fur
ther emphasize that the way 10
meet the need Of many thousands
of Negroes is not by seeking a
government appropriation. A gov
eminent appropriation for some
low-coSt housing projects will only
reach the need of a few people.
The great majority Of people will
be without housing If more than
Slum clearance is not done.
The mayor. because of his be-
lief in the capacity of private
builders 10 provide most Of the
housing for our people. must now
lead private builders into
methods whereby they can ex-
press their capacity to build
much needed housing. The
mayor has long ago demonstrated
his ability to think with men and
10 lead men In a direction of a
solution Of hard problems. Hous-
ing calls for this ability Of his to
be applied now. Nobody else In
Detroit is as able I'd give to De-
troit and the nation some
methods for dealing with the
very confused problem Of hous-
ing for Negroes as is Mayor JEFF
fries. All Of our great northern
cities are confronted with this
problem. None Of these cities can
seek an answer In race adjust
ment first, the answer must come
from adjusting housing needs.
After the housing needs are met
then our large northern cities
can begin to work on race ad-
juStmentS per Sc. This is not to
say that race adjustment efforts
must not continue. Race adjust
ment efforts do not however,
exist in isolation from housing in
Detroit.
Negro leaders must lead into
different methods Of getting the
Negro housing problem solved.
This will consist primarily Of hav-
ing Negro leaders discard so much
loose talk and much of their ire
sponsible strategy" The mayor
must have Negro leaders to know
him well enough to know that he
is free from race bias to the extent
that he would not make any move
to the detriment of any racial
group in our population. Some Of
us know this but not enough sf US
know IL first hand. We must how
ever.
The leaders Of Detroit. both
black and white. are ready to fol-
low the mayor TO tackle the prob
lem Of housing These leaders
know that race is only an escape
from the housing problem of those
people who are frightened or Who
have predatory interest in things
as they are The administration of
Mayor Jeffries must make prog
ress toward solution OF the Ne
gro housing problem.
II can and I believe II will.