Evening star., 1945-08-15
200 Jam Hearing to Protest
Play Area Segregation Legality

NV S01ss HSAS
Play Area Segr'
BY HERMAN r. SCHADEN.
A turn-away crowd of more than
200 established a new attendance
record for District Recreation
Board meetings yesterday as the
board let down the bars to those
opposing racial segregation in rec
reation-a practice that originated
with the first Fairgrounds In 1905.
1t was hearing called specifically
at the behest of those who protested
against the boards newly adopted
bylaw spelling out a policy of long
accepted separate recreation facil-
tiles, and they made the most OF
the opportunity.
They stayed for three hours-from
the time Chairman Harry S. Wender
laid the meeting open to them
until Mrs. Alice C.. Hunter, board
secretary, proposed an amendment
to the segregation" regulation in
the boards bylaws.
Praises Star Articles.
Prefacing her remarks with the
statement that The Stars recent
articles on the recreation problem
have been elightening, therefore
good" Mrs. Hunter said "as board
members hope we have read and
assimilated the opinions of the in
dividuals interviewed, and that out
OF the whole we seriously realize
the responsibility resting upon us. "
The only colored member of the
board, Mrs. Hunter read from by
laws Section 2, Paragraph 2 of
Chapter 4 the regulation adopted
by the board June II, which brought
protest from some quarters. 1t
reads:
Recreation programs for white
residents shall be conducted in re-
gions A-F and in designated CITY,
wide centers. Recreation programs
for Negro residents shall be con-
Quoted in regions OK and in
designated city-wide centers."
Proposes Amendment.
Mrs. Hunter proposed that to the
regulation should be affixed the fol-
lowing:
Provided that nothing in these
regulations shall be deemed to make
any public facility unavailable to
responsible groups and organizations
which may wish in their use of
such facilities to permit the at
tendance and participation of any
citizen belonging to the same. or to
prevent any citizen living in the
community served by facility max
ing voluntary use thereof, if they
so desire"
Chairman Wender said the board
would act on the amendment at its
next meeting in September.
The meeting was orderly, singu-
larly free of personalities which
might rise in any debate. There
were one or two verbal exchanges
to match the temperature of the
room. But when the meeting broke
up with suggestion by the Rev.
Stanford j. Harris, pastor of Mount
Vernon Methodist Church, that the
entire board resign" Chairman
Wender was smiling and the audi
ence was in good humor.
Whimsical Call for Order.
Once when a hearty ovation was
given a speaker, Mr.. Wender called
for order with the whimsical ex-
PLANTATION that this is no popu-
larity contest"
The case for the non-segregation
Element was presented by Dean Will
liam H. Hastie of the Howard Uni
versity Law School. He summarized
the points brought out by several
speakers for the newly organized
Citizens Committee Against Segre-
CATION in Recreation, composed of
80 white and colored organizations.
In his preliminary remarks, Mr..
Hastie said Citizens Committee
speakers would enlarge on these
issues we deem important:
% There is no legal justification
for the regulation in question, (2)
the effect of the boards ruling is to
force a discontinuance Of unSegre-
gated use of recreational facilities
which has occurred frequently and
repeatedly under the jurisdiction of
this board and its predecessors. (3)
the boards ruling imposes embar-
rassment and unjust hardship upon
numerous organizations with both
colored and white members and "a
1--WE are entitled to look to govern
mental agencies-in Washington, the
National Capital, to set an example
of decent and democratic behavior
for the Nation
| Citizen Group Spokesman.
Ernest F. Henry, Recreation Com
mittee chairman of the Federation
of Citizens Associations, acted as
spokesman for 10 affiliated organ
izations and proposed to answer
arguments against segregation with
statement endorsing continua-
ton of the dual recreation system.
J. B. Tate, president of the Wash
ington chapter of the National Law
yers' Guild, attacked the board S
position that segregation was hand
ed down to it by law.
He pointed out that Senator Bur-
ton, Republican, of Ohio, in charge
of the bill creating the Recreation
Board, moved and the Senate
agreed to strike out" a section of
the original bill providing for the
board to recognize coordinate au-
thority of white and colored person.
mel in the administration, operation
and conduct of the respective pro-
grams to be adopted by the board" "
Rose Park Tennis Courts.
1t. Col. James s. Schramm, 1900
Thirtieth street NV, was peeved
because the Rose Park tennis courts
we're designated for use of colored
persons only.
For the past two years we and
our children have been playing ten
mis- on the courts there" he said.
Under the supervision of the most
able and agreeable Negro playground
superintendent, we have taken our
turn with our neighbors, some Me-