The Omaha guide., 1946-03-09
society or religion.

society or religion.
Nationalism, in our case, would either seek an ultimate
homeland somewhere in Africa, or in failing, develop an
intense pride of race among us here in the United States
that would create black belts throughout the land in which
Negro businesses, Negro churches, Negro institutions, Ne
gro schools, Negro this and Negro that, would be a goal, the
fountainhead Of the idea that there is no inferiority in
color, but equality, if not superiority.
Pride of color, this school contends, and as was pointed
out by Marcus Garvey and earlier prophets, is as important
to the Negro in his development as pride of color is to the
white man. To allow the propaganda to be spread that
there is inferiority in being black or any of the various
hues which identify US, is fatal to us as a racial unit. This
school points out that intermarriage is Is fatal to the long
evity of the Negro as a racial stock in America, a $ well as in
the world, as it is to the white manand would have us arm
ourselves against it.
Coal of IntegratiOnGList Mainly Political
The Integrationalists want no racial identity. Theirs is
a goal which is largely if not wholly, political. They want
to be identified as citizens. The color designation is to
them. a vulgar manifestation of knowledge of our racial
history in slavery and to eliminate such a designation, they
advocate intermarriage, and social equality. necessarily
they labor in the vineyard, busily hacking away at the trees
which block out the sky. In the South they chop the trees
of ballot denial because of color an din Texas and Georgia
have won important battles before the United 5ia;es Su
premc Court which outlawed the Texas White Primary law
and forced Georgia into line in the admittance of Negroes
to the polling booths.
They are busy hammering away at the poll tax which bars
Negroes from voting in most of the southern states. They
have pressed for antilynching legislation, ana lately. the
tight has been shifted to the enactment of a federal law out
having discrimination in employment because Of race,
creed or color. The idea is to force those who ny inclin-
alton or by training discriminate against Negroes to drop
these practices and to accept US as equals in lie matter of
earning a livelihood upon penalty of fines or imprison-
ment. The Senate fiibuster which successfully killed the
FEPC is an instance of the state of mind that exists on the
matter of legislation for racial equality.
White Man LegisIaes against Himself
The proponents of the theory of indignation seem not TO
have considered seriously that the white man is being asked
to pass laws to force himself from doing the things he
wants to do-the things he has trained himself to do to a
minority group. Where a few, as in the Senate. we're will
ing to go along ION this thing for various reasons. some
noble, some purely political, the Bilbo, Eastland, Connal-
ly and Ellender crowd provided the extra weight 20 control
the status quo-which they obligingly did. thus preventing
the unprecedented to come to pass.
Somewhere, a happy medium must be reached on the
question of Integrationaism vs. Nationalism as the proper
manner to solve our dilemma. There must be merit in
each, because the majority of our school and college
trained persons are squarely in the indignation camp, while
the great masses of us cling consciously or unconsciousIy
to nationalistic viewpoints. This is seen in the fact that
the greatest fear of an integrationaEst is that som. mounte-
bank Negro, or for that matter, a sincere propne: of the
people, will get on a soap box and rally millions OF neglect
ed, yes, scdEned little Negroes into an overwhelming
movement as demonstrated by Carvey. Our approach
should be flexible enough to absorb a tremendous defeat
like that encountered in the FEPC fight and vet. tolerate
the normal, natural aspirations of a people committing the
common sin OF not wanting to give up or lose Their racial
identity through absorption, assimilation, miscegnation or
any of the channels through which some of Their leaders
would guide them.