Hartford chronicle., 1946-07-20

long. 1t could lena uellHlIely
 high social flavor to whatever
 neighborhood it took place in;
 giving others less fortunate so-
 cially something to emulate in the
 way of behavior, manner and
 dress. It could most surely en-
 nance the prestige and popularity
 of the hall in which it was staged;
 and we have at least one or two
 that could really stand some en- hancing.
 Somebody must Pioneer
 I know, of course, that the
 AKA's, like many another Boston
 group, have a number of valid
 arguments in favor of taking
 their for mal to the Sheraton or
 to some other place that utilizes
 frequently the services of active
 janitors, in which the paint does
 not drop off to garnish the salad.
 where police protection is such
 as to guarantee an orderly, en-
 joyable evening. These argu-
 ments are good; I appreciate
 them. But they aren't good
 enough. Buildings like our But
 Ter Hall are caught in the middle
 of vicious circle; they are not
 kept as attractive as the AKA
 and other groups would like be-
 cause they do not get enough pa tronage from groups like the AKA to maintain them properly
 (There are a few ether small fac tors that could be added here: bad management, lack of vision. ct cetera, ct cetera, ad infinitum, but the basic pattern of the cir cle remains unchanged). But those arguments are not good enough; somebody, some groups,
 must have sufficient interest in the welfare of the ALL of us to pioneer; to start the parade to- ward the improvement of our own facilities until they reach the point that they compare favor ably with those of other groups. I believe that there are just as good pioneers in the Boston AKA today as there ever were in the days of Harriet Tubman and So- journer Truth. I just didn't see them when the Formal went to the Sheraton. There is one other argument-l a far dumber one-that some few 1 of the happy unready souls will | offer: that in going to places like the Sheraton they are conducting a crusade in social freedom, that they are making sure the walls of discrimination are not allowed to rise. This argument is a falla- cious one and silly on it's very face. You are not opening up anything. Because a group of college women and the profes- l 5Ional-man escorts can go to the Sheraton or the Statler or the Parker House does not mean in my sense that next week the Sons and Daughters of Who Done It I- ,an go to the same place. Even f the succeeding groups are even 'etter-behaved and socially nicer han the group on the AKA level, II hey just don't get reservation. f AND THE HOTELS CLEVERLY USE THE GROUPS LIKE THE AKA TO PROVE THAT THEY DON'T PRACTICE DISCRIMIN- ATION! So there is no argument ( here at all to offset this grave 1 lisesrvice that our leading people ( Ire doing to the bulk of their fel- , ow fugitives from a social limbo. { to Nowhere
 In case all of this seems to be I l tempest in a teapot, forget the 1 thought. It is really important. { n the days following the aboli- ion of slavery (and even earlier ' n sections like Massachusetts, l he emancipated Negro built him. l ;elf many large structures. They ] were cooperative ventures, usual ( y done through the fraternal or ( lers. Huge buildings, sometimes many stories high, were erected; ' hey were ours; they were ire ] Iuently free from debt and en- irely our own, permanent monu- rents to the thrift and sacrifice of a great and much-abused peo- Y