The guardian. [volume] (Boston, Mass.) 1901-1960, 1946-05-04
ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM

ON THE ROAD TO FREEDOM
If colored Americans on the road to freedom don't
begin broaden their horizon beyond the defense of their
civil rights and go about against all fascs sooner
later they destined to drop back to rearguard
position
Any person with passing knowledge of the social
sciences realize that live in interdependent world
What effects other minorities affects What helps labor
helps What breeds anti-Semtism breeds anti-color
prejudice Yet you'd know from lot of the ag
tation in circles On the contrary, some coored
Americans playing with dynamite by hating and dis
paraging Jews
Z mnot talking out of a book when l warn them to
call halt on this practice know from experience how
dangerous and downright studio it is. In bat
ties in Washington against Jim Crow stood in much
better light because Jews and white Christians rallied to
support. And not just with words. For example
the needle trades unions New York. largely composed
by Jews have contributed very very generously to tn
FEPC fight
Despite this overt goodwill educated and uneducated
colored folks babbe on, like broken record about Jew
ish landlords" and "Jewish storekeepers and other al
legged varieties of Jewish tightwards" Frankly wish
had kept diary of experiences with Jews and non-Jews
If had, I'm sure could list just many pleasant
perience with Jews with coored white Christians
Any kindergarten graduate should know by that
group has concession greed and trickery.
So what does it all add up to? Well an Army wins
battles by constantly improving its strategy. When it
doesn't advance with sufficient speed takes stock of mis-
takes and revamps its plans and CALLS FOR REIN
FORCEMENTS. Today colored people are not advanc-
ing fast enough the balyhoo to the contrary rcthwth
standing If we don't want to be caught short with an
American Fuehrer, like the Italian and German anti
fascsts, we've got to evauate past techniques and
future goals and add some batallions.
And that's where all other believers in fair play in
GLIDING Jewish neighbors into the picture Up
to now we haven't sought and organized sufficient sup
port from people who fundamentally share aims I've
told you about the Jewish trade unonists in New York
Well duplicate this type of friendly relationship
in many communities throughout the nation. We
can call in the too and the Mexican
Americans and all the people who tagged with hoary
serotypes and plagued with discrimination And we can
recruit support among white Gentles also Many them
feel as keenly about Jim Crow as we do
But let me remind you of one little point Our appeal
to Jews and the others Rankn's blacklist will come
with i'll grace keep nourshing own pet preu-
dices If keep believing the fairy tales that "Jews
everything" IT, in other words we keep on aping
Mr.. Hitler
We have against jim Crow The strongest
kind OF case, based scientific findings But we weaken
our moral position in the eyes of the world show that
bascaly we're different fro oppressors 1t is en-
couragng to note that the public opinion poll of Fortune
magazine some months revealed that there less anti
Semtsm among colored folks than among other groups
in the population But that's not good enough We should
get rid of it ALL Let's not risk defeat by playing patty
cake with the antSemtes and native fascs Too much
at stake The whole structure of racisnn and imperial
ism hangs in the balance
Let's cleanse our own hearts before we declare a
holy war on the Bbos Let's get rid of the in our
own eye before condemn the professional bgos Let's
end all signs Of This danmabe antSemtsm among our
selves Then we can get on with the real job Then will
the lines be clearly drawn.-A. Phillip Randolph for APA