The Omaha guide., 1945-02-10

any Individual needs as a stimulus
to effort and which the Negro musl
have, if he is to do himself justice
and find his place in our total cult
ural PICTURE.
| put the emphasis on what the
Negro has to give, because the white
man needs to be jolted out of his
fixation that the giving is all on his
side. The fear which the average
white person, especially the working
man, has of Negro competition, is
due to a normal resentment of trans
ition and sudden change, especially
when tey are as rapid and tumult-
uous as tie worldwide social %revolu-
ton which now has us all in its
grip The best way to meet that
natural fear is to put more emphasis
on the positive side of our emotion
al attitudes, so that we shall Learn.
to think of the Negro, not as a
threat, but as a source of enrichment
in the sensitive and stimulating area
of human relationships.
Now for the details Of the mach
merry that has been set up thus far
for the Wendell l.. WilIkie Awards.
The two committee chairmen- DIR.
Douglas 5. Freeman, the eminent
historian and Editor of the Rich
mond News-Leader, who is chair
man of the honorary committee, and
Mr.. Mark Etheridge, Publisher of
The Courier Journal and The Louis
vile Times, who is chairman of the
journalistic fommittee-decSded to
name the awards after Mr.. Willkie
because he was full of enthusiasm
about the idea and was helpful until
a few weeks before his death in set+
ing up the nationwide organization.
We were stunned by this sudden los,
and nobody was a greater loser BY
this national catastrophe than the
Negro population. We hoped that
the love and respect which he had
won among your people by his big,
hearted efforts on their behalf,
would have a memorial in this CO.
operative enterprise; we felt tina,
his influence would extend a bless
ing upon wi endeavors which his
untimely death will only augment
and Sanctify as the years 60 by.
1t seemed important to Mr.. Will
Ike and to us that a group Of dis
tmgulshed citizens representing both
races, should lend dignity to the en-
terprise. The honorary committee,
in addition to DR.. Freeman, the chair
man, consists of the following mem
bership: DR.. Frank Aydelotte, direc-
tor of the Institute for Advanced
Study Of Princeton University; DR..
w. E. B. Dubois, anthropologis,.
now director of special research of
the National Association for the Ad
vancement of Colored People; d..
Robert g. Sproul, President Of the
University of California; Charming
H. Tobias of the National Council
OF the Young Mems Christian AS
ISOLATION and Carl Van Doren. the
well-known author. | serve as the
secretary-treasurer to this group.
In addition, there is a working
committee Of journalists, whose 0
ter is not yet completed on a region
al basis but Mr.. Ethridge has select
the following local chairmen: DR..
Paul Bellamy, Editor of the Cleve-
land Plain Dealer; Marquis Childs.
columnist, Washington, DC; Geo
rye Cornish New York Herald-Tri-
bune; Virginius Dabney, Editor OF
the Richmond Times DISPATCH
Marshall Field, Publisher OF the
Chicago Sun; Palmer Hoyt, Pub
Usher OF the Portland Oregonian.
M. Lyons, Boston Globe
McGilI Editor of the Allan
ia Constitution; Basil L. Walters.
Detroit Free Press, and Harrington
Publisher of the Aim,
(Oklahoma) Times-D Democrat.
All material that seems eligible !
the awards, will first be SUI !
to the nearest geographical /
representative by the publishers ana
editors of the local Negro press. In
otner words the major responsible |
ny OF selection rests primarily with
the publishers and editors Of the Ne.
gro newspapers and magazines.
One thing that | was asked h.,
distinguished Negro writer wa
whether material published By a Ne
gro writer in the white press would
be eligible for these awards. After
considering this matter, the commi,-
lee decided that this would not CON
tribute to our main idea, namely.
closer indignation of the white
and the Negro press and, therefore.
we have decided that it would Be
better to ~confine the awards j. -