Jackson advocate., 1949-08-27
Roy Wilkins To
Speak AT NAACP
Meet In Texas


be the featured speaker at the
18th Annual Convention of the
Texas State NAACP in Waco, Sep
tember 1918, the office of A.
Maceo Smith, state secretary,
announced here. The meeting
Mr.. Wilkins is to address will be
the closing mass meeting of the
3-day confab on Sunday after
noon, September 1S, at Second
Baptist Church, 1915 South
Second Street.
Editor of the Crisis Magazine
and acting secretary of the as
sociation during Walter Whites
age, who served for thirty-five
leave of absence, Mr.. wilkins will
be making his first appearance in
Texas since 1912.
State Secretary Smith, in COM
menting on Mr.. wilkins visit,
inferred special significance:
ct was clear at the recent 40th
Annual NAhCP Convention in
Los Angeles" stated Mr.. Smith,
that the entire country regard
the Southwest as the area where
the key battles for civil rights
are taking place. Mr.. wilkins &C
knOwledges this and expressed
eargerness to come to our Con-
ference to speak to us and coun-
sci with us. We invite all to at
tend our closing Sunday meeting
to hear Mr.. wilkins, admission
free. He is great speaker, as
those of us fortunate enough to
have heard his keynote address
at the Convention in Los Angeles
will testify"
Theme fthe Conference will
be Rounding Out Our 10-Year
Civil Rights Plan," program
adopted at the Corpus Christi
Conference in 1910 which called
for defeat of the Democratic
White Primary system, defeat of
segregation in education and
abrogation of Texas's Jim Grow
Laws.
Prominently programmed along
with Mr.. wilkins will be Herman
Marion Sweat, famous "Sweatt
Case" plaintiff seeking entry to
the University of Texas Law
School, and DR.. Lonnie E. Smith,
Houston dentist whose court suit
broke the back of the White
Primary. DR.. Smith and Mr.. Sweat
will receive Merit Awards from
the State Conference, the presen-
tations to be made by Attorney
w. ]. Durham, Dallas, local coun-
sci in both cases.
At the opening mass meeting
Friday evening, September 16,
also at Second Baptist Church,
the platform will be shared by
A. Maceo Smith, delivering the
keynote address, and DR.. George
Enowden, Baton Rouge, La, vice
president of the Louisiana Fed
GRAFTON of Labor. Earlier in the
day at IL noon, the State NAA-
CP legal Committee, under the
chairman ship of Attorney Dur
ham, will meet, followed by a.
O'Clock session of the State
Board of Directors. The Legal
Committee meeting will be at
tended by lawyers from all Sec
tions of the state as we'll as by
Attorney Robert Carter, assist
ant to Thurgood Marshall in the
New York office. Others slated to
play leading roles in the Confer
ence are John Jay Jones, Tex
arkana, state president, who will
serve as chairman of the Wilkins
meeting; DR.. c. A. Whittier, San
Antonio, president Of the Nation
al Medical Association, who is
to Introduce Mr.. wilkins; and
Rev. George ]. Johnson, presi-
dent of the Waco Branch. who
will chair the opening meeting
Friday night.
Serving as panel chairmen and
discussants during the working
sessions on Saturday, the 18th,
will be Drs. D. T. Cleaver, c..
B. Friday and L. L. Nation.
leaders of the states medical
and dental associations: Mack
Hannah, George Washington. S.
w. Hudson, Jr., James Thomas.
). ii. Morton, A. Maceo John
son, John w. Rice, Roscoe Ca
witt, U. Simpson Tate, Arthur
De Witty, w. Don Ellinger, John
SOrenSOn, Freeman Everett