Evening star., 1947-02-12
Barometer of Race Relations
Washington Is Depicted as Such by an Observer
of Experiment at u. S. Employment Service
Br Victor r. Dalp

With the coming OF peace, however,
the agitation hared up anew. Several
factors stimulates community interest
IN the situation. In the first place, the
local USES Offices, like other Offices
the country over, were crowded with
veterans seeking employment, or allow
ances. Many of these veterans, white
as well as colored, openly resented the
segregated Set-up at the local Office.
Many of them refused to stay in sep
arate lines or to observe other Segre-
gated practices at the local Office. There
was constant friction between them
and the building guards. The situation
was unhealthy. Secondly, the two strong
est advocates Of segregated Office on
the Subcommittee on Appropriations
were both defeated in primary elections
last spring,l relieving the pressure from
that source This served as shot in
the arm to community groups that had
been advocating the complete integra-
ton Of the local Office. They renewed
the campaign with added vigor, and
on September /, 1916, the USES for
the District of Columbia abolished seq
regation of its own staff and of the
public that it served.
In accordance with the policy of the
Labor Department, which had ordered
the end OF segregation in the Washing
ton Offices, the best qualified employees
were fitted into the machinery of the
new organization, without regard to race
or color. Many of the non-white super
visors we're retained in positions of
authority and responsibility. In many
instances white employees were placed
under the supervision of non-whiteS for
the first time, and vice-versa. There
was some indignation and few resig-
nations - seven to be exact. On the
whole, however, the integration was
carried out with a minimum of friction
and ill-feeling.
AS for the public, there have been no
incidents of racial friction stemming
from the integrated policy. The job
seeking public apparently thinks no
more of standing in racially mixed
line at the USES Office than it does at
the Post Office or Union station.
Nondiscriminatory Job Referrals.
Not to be confused with the inte-
grated reorganization of the District
USES Office, however, is the recent
establishment of a nondiscriminatory
policy in the referral of job applicants
from the Washington Office. This policy
provides. broadly, that the Service shall
make every reasonable effort to dis
courage employers from placing nom
performance specifications, such as race,
creed or national origin in their job
orders. 1t does not, however, prohibit
the public employment Office from ac-
cepting job orders bearing discrimina-
tory specifications, nor does it prevent
the local office from filling these orders
according to the employers requests.
1t does provide that in such instances,
however, the employer shall be informed
that, in the public interest, it is the
policy of the Employment Service to
refer the best qualified applicant for
each available job opening In those
instances where an employer refuses to
relax his non-performance specifica-
tionS, no applicants other than those
meeting all of the racial requirements
of the order are referred by the USES
to the employer until the matter has
been fully discussed with both the en-
ployer and the applicant. The option
of accepting referral is left with the
applicant.
The USES for the District of Co.
lulnbia is now engaged in giving this
policy fair and impartial introduction
to the employers and workers of Wash
lngton. It is still too early in the life
of the program to predict or even ven-
ture an opinion as to the effects of this
policy on the traditional employment
pattern of the National Capital Need
less to say, it's results will be noted by
communities in other sections of the
country, especially in urban centers
with large racially mixed populations.
The Negro himself having benefited by
his wartime experiences of wide voca-
tional opportunity, expects from the
postwar world an economic equality
that will give him the right to employ
ment at his highest skill and poten-
tialities.
Unlike the recent regulatory War
Manpower Commission the United
States Employment Service is attempt
ing, without controls, to make an equit-
able distribution of job opportunities.
The whole policy and program of the
services is. on strictly voluntary basis.
No pressures or sanctions of any sort are
invoked or contemplated against en-
ployers who fail to cooperate with the
policy for personal reasons. BY the pro-
mitigation of the nondiscriminatory pol
icy in employment the USES for the
District of Columbia has provided
common ground for both labor and man
fagement to join in the solution of one of
the most vexing problems resulting from
the impact of the peace.