Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1950-05-27
The Negro Newspaper And Economic
And Job Opportunity For The
Southern Negro

Speaking before the conference of Social Workers
the other Day, the honorable J. Oliver Emmerich the
distinguished Editor of the McComb ENTERPRISE; Sec
rotary and authoritative spokesman for the Dixecrat
Party, announced the addition of Negro Section to
the widely read and influential Enterprise thus follow
ing practice already adopted by white newspapers in
widely scattered sections of the SOUTH and as recently
ADOPTED by It's great contemporary Mssssppis great
est Newspaper, the Jackson Daily News
In extending our congratulaton and best wishes
for the of its venture to the Enterprise and
at the same time although somewhat beatedly to its
great MISSISSIPPI contemporary the Jackson Daily News
1t appears to us also timely to bring this matter of the
adoption of the Negro section in white newspapers of
the south directly to the attention and thinking of
the Southern Negro. Not only directly to the at
tenton and thinking of the Southern Negro but also
more directly to the attention and thinking of Southern
white folks.
In recent years there has been noted very mark
ed decrease in Job opportunity for the Southern Negro
with the once socaled Negro jobs being more and
taken by white people, There has also been noted
narrowing down of the opportunity for the Negro of
the south to enter the field of business for similar rea
Under the stress and strain of the demand for and
need Tor greater job opportunity economic opportunity
Tor the Negro IN the South where there is unalterabe
opposition to anything like fair employment practices
and where ever effort being directed to maintain sepa
ration Of the races segregation and the duel community
even by such widely read and influential newspapers as
the Enterprise and its great contemporary the jackson
Daily News; from honest, well informed, intelligent
and well lntentioned white organization such as the
chambers OF commerce, the Southern Negro is being
advised to create jobs for his people,
One OF the most significant and promising oppor-
tunteS Tor the Southern Negro to enter business and
thus provide jobs for his people, developed and dis
cernabe IN the past few years is the newspaper bust
ness.
In the past few years. included in the weathiest
Negro families of the SOUTH and the souths most wide
y respected and influential Negro citizens those en-
gagged IN the Newspaper business.
There are Negro Newspapers in the South today
with large stafs both in the business and mechanical
department giving Negro men and women jobs as ste
nOgrapherS clerks, bOokeepers advertising representa-
tVeS reporters cartOoniSt EDITORS linotype operators
printers ard pressmen for which they are paid salaries
equal to that being paid Negroes any other field and
meeting the salary standards for all people in that class
Of work
In most cases the addition of the Negro section to
the white newspaper that only Negro is given
saaried job, and that one job at salary far below
that paid others during the class work In many
cases the Negro writing the news for the Negro section
get only by-line
In developing the newspaper business in the south
Negroes can provide thousands of jobs for the Negro
college graduates where opportunity is offered or
available outside of the Negro community
Willingly or unwlingy, designedy or undersigned
y unless the thinking of the Southern Negro is
respondngy awakened, the addition of the Negro
ton to the white newspapers, will greatly retard if not
make it impossible for Negro to enter and make sue
cess in the newspaper business in many places despite
what 1t means IN economic Improvement, and job OPP
portunty for the Southern Negro.
The preceding is only feeble effort at stating
the economic side of the case.
To the intelligent Negro of the South there is some
thing more than the economic side to the Negro News
paper business In the first place. the Negro Newspaper
HAS UeeL ALMOST SOey responsible Tor the being
made by the Negro in the South towards political eman
cipaton, his only saaton increased and better educa
tiona opportunities freedom from police brutality and
fear and greater to the dignity and respect
which belongs to an American Citizen.
There is no Inhibition of the kind of news about
Negroes and what Negroes doing and what Negroes
attempting to do, in the Negro Newspaper This
cannot be pointed out being generally true regards
the Negro section in Southern white newspapers
To retard the development of the Negro Newspa-
per business in the South is delay UNNECESSARILY the
progress of the Southern Negro Indeed reard the
progress and development of the Negro newspaper bust
in the South will retard the early development of
real Southern progress and the attainment of real and
lasting enter-racial confidence cooperation and Good
will
The Negro preacher teacher business and profess
siona man and woman and Negro leaders in every re-