The Omaha guide., 1946-04-13
medium.
INFLUENCE ON OTHER
AMERICANS


medium.
INFLUENCE ON OTHER
AMERICANS
Who else, you may inquire, be-
sides Negroes reads the Negro
Press, and what influence does it
xert on ace relations, or upon
the thinkisg of other people, upon
legislation, or upon the whole
American way of life?
1t is difficult to answer that
question except TO say That almost
every Negro newspaper of merit
has a substantial list of white
subscribers, and this includes a
number Of colleges, universities,
and public libraries. Occasional
studies have shown that even in
the South white people buy in
considerable amounts the Negro
newspapers from the newsstands.
Occasionally we receive from
white readers letters ofapproval,
just as We frequently receive let
tiers of disapproval. We have this
experience with our own people.
Some of u papers are anatheme
to colored readers because of what
is considered radicalism or sen
sationalism, and others are anan-
thema because of what is cons;-
dered conservatism.
The war increased racial ten
sions in the United States. This
fact revealed that a great many
white people yer reading the
Ngro Press, some out of interest
in tn content, some out of Curl
osity, and others out of concern
for possible trouble because of
the candor with which our press
was dealing with discriminatory
practices which were excluding
Negroes from participation in the
war effort, except the draft for
military duty.
LOYALTY UNDIMINISHED
In the early stages of the war it
was discovered that one Of the
most assidious patrons on the Ne
gro Press was the FBI. 1t was a
rare day that one Of our papers
did not receive a new subscription
or a visit from the FBI. The edu-
cation of this agency in the tech
injustices heaped upon an Amer
lean minority solely on account
OF color must have been extensive
and unprecedented. The fact that
years of watching and distilling
Of every line, every word printed
in the Negro Press that could by
any process Of reasoning have
been classified as REASONABLE
brought not one single arrest, nor
one single act of suppression,
constituted ~irrefutable proof of
the undiminished patriotism of
the American Negro at a time
when sabotage of the war effort
vas running rampant in circles
outside of the Negro race.
NO CLAIMS TO PERFECTION
We make no claims to perfec-
ton. The Negro Press is made up
of humans whose emotional
reactions are similar to those OF
people whose skins are of differ
ent fermentation. Among us are
Republicans, Democrats, Protes-
tants and Catholics, conservatives
and radicals. Different members
of our press hold different views
on methods and techniques for
extricating the race from the net
work of discriminatory devices
designed to keep us in a perman-
ent status of second class citizen
ship. But there is no difference of
opinion on the part of any of the
members of the Negro Press as
to the necessity for rising above
second class citizenship, and the
determination to do so.
THE MAIN TASK NOW
The main task Of the Negro
Press in this changing world is
to disseminate the truth as to the
true status of race relations in
America; as to the extent that
democracy includes, or touches.
Americas minority groups; to
point out the injustices in the
administration of law, and to obev
and decry all efforts to perpetu-
ate a system in America under
which our minorities are denied
equality of opportunity in the
lawful pursuit of life, liberty and
happiness.
There is a woeful lack of in
formation in this country concer-