Evening star., 1947-10-29
As ssTHE EVENING STAR, Washington, D. c.
oc1oBER ~. sz.
Text of Report on Civil Rights
Hn D. C.. by Truman Committee
Discrimination in Nations Capital Hit
As Symbol of Failure of Democracy

I AS SymboI or foi'uf
| FOLLOWING is the tert OF the
; section on "Cipil Rights in the
| District OF Columbia" that toaS
! part OF todays report by the
Z Presidents Committee on CiDil
! Rights:
We have seen how, throughout thu
country. our practice lags behind
the American tradition OF freedom
and equality. A single communlt.
the Nations Capital-illustrate
dramatically the shortcomings IL
our record and the need for change
The District of Columbia shouls
symbolic to our own citizens ane
to the people of all countries oul
great tradition of civil liberty. In
stead, it is a graphic illustration o.
a failure of democracy. AS the sea
of our Federal Government unoel
the authority of Congress, the fali'
sure of the District is fallure o.
!. all of the people.
!. For Negro Americans, Wasitne'
4 ton is not just the Nations Capltal
i It is the point at which all puphe
! TRANSPORTATION into the South oe'
comes Jim Crow" II he stops III
Washington, a Negro may dlne IKE
other men in the Union Station. but
as soon as he steps out into tne
Capital. he leaves such democratic
nractices behind. With very few
exceptions, he is refused service al
downtown restaurants. he may mol
attend a downtown movie or play
and he has to 60 into the poorer
section of the city to find nights
lodging. The Negro who decides
to settle in the District must o1ten
find a home in an overcrowded, sub
standard area. He must often take
a Job below the level Of his ability
He must send his children to the
inferior public schools set aside fol
Negroes and entrust his famlly's
health to medical agencies Whlcf
give inferior service. In addition
he must endure the countless daily
humiliations that the system OF seq
regation imposes upon the one-thlre
of Washington that Is Negro.
The origin of the pattern OF dis
elimination in washington is partly
explained by its location in border
area where many Southern customs
prevail. Certain political and loca
pressure groups, and the admins
trative decisions of municipal OH
cials contribute to its persistence
Attempts to guarantee equal right'
on a segregated basis have tailed
In recent years the separate ant
UNEQUAL pattern has been extended
to areas where it had not previousl.
existed. Except where the Fedora
Government has made few lnde
pendent advances, as in Federa
employment and the use OF Feoera
recreational facilities, racial segre
CATION is rigid. 1t extends to luol
crous extremes. inconsistencies ar
evident: Constitution Hall, ownet
by the Daughters OF the American
Revolution, seats concert audience
without distinctions OF color, nu
allows no Negroes on its stage to giv'
regular commercial concerts. Or
the other hand, the commercial le'
ultimate theater has had Negro &C
tors on its stage but stubborn.
refuses to admit, Negro patrons.
nIscRIMINATION IN
EDUCATION.
The core of Washington's segre
gated society is its dual system o
public education. 1t operates unde
congressional legislation which as
sunnes thesfact Mssegregation, bu
nowhere makes itsmandatory. Tn
Board ofaEducaHon and whit
superintendent Of schools admins
ter two wholly separate school sys
TENS. The desire Of Congress II
insure equal facilities is implement
ed by a requirement that appropria
tions be allocated to white ant
Negro education in proportion to tn
numbers of children OF school age
But this has not been successful
Negro schools are inferior to whit
schools in almost every respect. Th'
white school buildings have ca
pacitv which Is n per cent create
than actual enrolment. In the col
ored schools enrolment exceed
building capacity by 8 per cent
Classes in the Negro schools are con
siderably larger and the teacnin
load of the Negro teachers consid
erablv heavier. Less than, l per cen
of all white school children, bu
over IS per cent Of colored children
receive only part-time instruction
Similar inequalities exist in schoo
buildings, equipment, textbook sup
plies, kindergarten classes, athletl
and recreational facilities.
The District superintendent o
schools recently answered cnarge
of inequality in school facilities Will
the statement that absolute equal
ity of educational opportunity l
impossible. Reasonable equalit
is the goal."' The condition
described above eloquently docu
ment the extent to which even "rea
sonable equality" is impossible In
segregated school system.
Official freezing of the segregated
school system is complete. Tn
Board of Education frowns on visit
by whites to Negro schools and b,
Negroes to white schools. Inter
cultural education programs ar
still-born because they are consid
cred a threat to the prevailing pat
tern. Interracial athletic and foren
sic competition is forbidden. Tw'
cases illustrate the lengths to which
the Districts officialdom goes to pre-
vent interracial contact. During thu
war the Office of Price Administra
ton asked permission to use a schoo
building at night for in-servic'
training of its clerks. The reques
was denied solely because the clas
would have included both white ant
colored employees. In the other cas-
q white girl was ordered to with
draw from a Negro vocational schoo
where she had enrolled for course
not offered by any other public
school in Washington.
Private universities in the Distric
have followed the lead of the public
schools. Two of the large univer
sites and most of the smaller school,