The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1945-07-21

in.s behind them And sometimes
these siereotypes became strait
Jackets for our mlnd-shutting IT
away from freedom OF thought
Perhaps nothing demonstrates this
so we'll today as the questions
asked by an audience--any audi
ence-about race. A Ways the
same questions. There are "a Of
them. - stereotypes that close up
the American mind, blocking II
from fresh fields OF inquiry
Why the white man chose the
skin test" for superiority no one
quite knows There are all kinds
o. facile explanations but the
more profoun5 reasons FOR the
white man falling in love with
Ms own IMAGE ne have scarcely
guessed az. Some people are sat-
sized with the obvious exp,ana-
ton that the red skin OF the In
dian and the black skin OF the Ne
gro gave Us color conditioning
as these skins happened 20 belong
- two groups OF human beings
whose exploitation was advantage
Gus - US This historical accident
undoubtedly played its role but
one can hardly be content with
such an -eXp.anation Others are
satisfied with the sus sestion that
poverty and unemployment are al
he root Of racial prejudice and
tension
Need to Feel Superior
The more profound reasons We
barely perceive We know the
White nlan-certainly the white
Nord,c-has deep-roo;ed need 70
feel superior 10 others We Know
he has an emotional Insecurity. a
fear Of personal relationships. that
have contributed 10 an urgent
sense OF sin We know that our
family lie has often bred hate
love feelings that make for lnSe-
curi'v. for ambivalence in parent
child relationships Some o. us
believe this deep-sca;ed conflict
nav have driven the white Nordic
into recrcSSlve worship OF his
.n.V.Tl-lFna se,-iRte-a group ~fNaFcisH',
into a "self-love.' an infantIle de-
sire 20 De first: that all these fac
tors together-econonlc lnSecur-
itv, historical accidents. 4 sense o.
sin springinS from certain Puritan
concepts. and a feeling that he IA:
betrayed the Christianity he pro.
feSseS-have combined - plunge
him into a way Of life that is like
auckland This - a fed thai
needs further study by pSychia,
iriStS and snthropologi fol
there are things about the white
man We need 10 know
What we DO know. however. i.
this
In our attempts 10 segregate
ourselves from our own con-
science we have segregated not
only other human beings from
US but have segregated ourselves
from the heart Of religion. We
have cut ourselves away from
love and brotherhood. from
knowledge and understanding
from . common humanity. We
have made n false image Of our
skin color and are today wor-
shipping il. There are church
members today who worship
their skin color more devotedly
than they worship Jesus. We.
in Christian humility and truth.
cannot deny this. We know that
they have betrayed the teach
ingS Of Christ by giving their
color priority over the needs Of
human beings.
Jtm-Crow Jesus Christ
There are other ihlncS We knnu
today. also. about segregation No
only is il true that We Jim-Crov
Jesus Christ each time we jim
Crow any human being for IN,
spirit Of Jesus is IN every l.vint
soun but We Jim Grow our chill
dren. se2rerating them from ,hoS,
human experiences thar make
personality creative and rich AM