Evening star., 1949-02-08
School Equality
Is Offered Here,
Says
Committees Report
On Segregation Hit
As Vicious Distortion

The picture of segregated edu-
cation in Washington was s'vici-
ously distorted" in a report
recently published by committee
on segregation, the Federation Of
Citizens Associations Executive
Board charged today.
In the second of three state
ments critically analyzing the re-
port, the board insisted that
equality in educational advan-
tages now is available to all races.
The board also said the report
of the 90-member National Com
mittee on Segregation in the Ma
tion's Capital also failed to show
the true picture in the recreation
set up, and inaccurately described
the role of the Negro policeman in
Washington.
THE report (as to schools will
lead the uninformed to the con-
clusion that Negroes suffer an in
tolerable injustice which can be
corrected only by n-seRrega-
ton" the board said.
Cites Burden of Support.
Though the burden of the sup
port of public schools falls heaviest
on the white citizens, it is. never
theless, essential that there be
complete equality in school facil-
tiles on all levels. Despite claims
to the contrary. we believe this Is
being attained under the present
system"
In it's report on schools, the
committee omitted a number Of
facts, the board said, listing
among them these:
During the last year 40 teaching
positions have been transferred on
a permanent loan" basis from
white to Negro use and in the last
budget 90 Negro teachers. and no
white ones, were requested by the
Board of Education.
The school superintendent meets
regularly with department and
school heads on a bi-racial basis
to work out problems of mutual
concern, all courses of study and
textbooks are selected or recon-
mended by bi-racial committees
and salaries of Negro and white
teachers are the same.
Charge Report Erred.
The board members said the
committee report erred in leaving
the impression that old and in
ferior schools Systematically are
set aside for Negro personnel.
1.-The older schools have been
turned to Negro use where the
population shift has been such as
to justify the change" the board
asserted. Where Negroes have
moved to outlying sections, or
where requirements of old build
ings have been made, new and
modernly equipped schools, equal
| in every particular to the white
schools, have been provided. ~
"At present there are as many
old schools occupied by whites as
by Negroes. The proposed re-
placement program was interfered
with by war conditions, but during
the last few years more money has
been allocated for new schools for
Negroes than for whites"
In pointing out that "15 per cent
of the citys colored children were
getting part time instruction. ~ the
committee made no mention OF
white children in a similar posi-
ton, the board said. This situa-
ton is being corrected and the
number of part-time students
would be further reduced "if GER
tain Negro parents had not pre-
vented their children from using
the additional facilities made
available to them" it added.
Playground Now Used BY Negroes.
In connection with recreation.
the board said the committee
noted that the Park View play
ground, in a predominantly COL
ored neighborhood, was restricted
to whites. The playground was
turned over to Negroes three
months before the segregation re-
port was published, the board said.
One story that Negro child
was forcibly removed from a play
ground was branded as false. In
another case where the committee
charged that a Negro supervisor
had been placed in charge of a
Florida avenue playground to
chase away white children, no
playground exists at the specified
address, the board continued.
1t pointed out that of $1,253,00
of Lanham Act funds appropri-
ated from 1943 to 1948 for i'm
provements to Fairgrounds, AIS
per cent went to Negroes. who
represent less than one-third Of
the population.
The board differed with the
committees finding that the 153
Negro policemen are assigned to
Negro areas where they have little
chance of making arrests.
Police Department records dis
close that Negro policemen are
assigned to IS per cent of the pre-
cincts and have made their pro-
portion of arrests in all sections,
the board stated.
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