Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1951-06-16
SUPPORT THE NEGRO
COLLEGE FUND

OiIy, W. J.-AH appear
ance mere as speaker for Alpha
theta Lambda, local chapter of
Alpha fraternity, in its annual ed
ucatlon meeting gave me an oppor-
tunlty to reflect upon the impor-
tart role that the Negro college
has played in the development of
Americas largest minority.
Further, | had the opportunity
TO give some serious thought to
the Importance of the United Ne
gro College Fund, which had as
It's purpose the support of the Ne
gro private college. | have come
to this conclusion: We need our
private colleges, and they need
the assistance that the UNCF is
giving.
In the early days of the College
fund movement, | must admit, as
some of my readers will too, that
l had some misgivings about this
cooperative effort that came forth
from the thinking of Tuskegee's
Fred Patterson. My Morehouse
pride led me to believe that nv
college could stand on its own
"Red Hill"
AS for the others, they were
not of too much concern to me.
i felt that the states had the
money, and, therefore, could and
should do the job of higher edu-
cation. This was "so-what if
the private college goes out of
business attitude. 1t was, and
still is, shared by many.
Most of the Negro colleges that
existed a half century ago were
private colleges, started by the
visions of a few devoted men and
women and supported by the nick
els and dimes from the Sunday
tray and up-North philanthropy.
Almost without an exception, the
Negro state supported colleges of
today were privately organized.
To the knowledge of this writer
Mississippi's Alcorn College was
the only Negro state institution
known as a college to have its in
ception under state support prior
to 1900. Jackson College, at Jack
son, Miss, now state institution,
was supported by private sources
until twelve or thirteen years ago.
The three state supported Negro
colleges in Georgia-Albany, Fort
Valley and Savannah, were all
started by private or religious
groups. Alabama State College,
at Montgomery, Florida A. and
NJ, at Tallahassee, Southern Uni
versity, at Baton Rouge, and South
Carolina State College, at Orange
burg, are other examples of pri-
vately initiated institutions.
This piece is not designed to
debate the Negro college as such.
Certainly, we can build a case
which would without a doubt sub
stantiate the position that Amer
lea never needed the Negro col
lege. Still the fact remains that
in 1900 these institutions gradu-
ated 156 bachelors, while 80 years
later they issued 13,108 such de-
grees in one graduation season.
My venture would place ESQ
of our nations Negro college de-
gree holders in the alumni asso-
Citations of the 108 Negro colleges.
Some of our most outstanding per-
sonalities in various fields of ac-
tivity are graduates of the private
colleges which comprise the United
Negro College Fund group.
To name few: Congressman
William L. Dawson, Fisk Uni
versity; Walter White, Atlanta
University; Mordecai Johnson,
Morehouse College; Truman K.
Gibson, ST., Atlanta University;
Carl Murphy, Howard University;
Thurgood Marshall, Lincoln of
Penna.; Mary Bethune, Barber
Scotia College; and others.
| would support the thirty-two
U.NCF institutions not merely for
what they have done in the past,
but more for the job that they
have before them. They are in es-
sence moral fortresses of the
American conception of life. They
can point the way to meaningful
democracy, if they are financially
able to maintain themselves.
Of vast Importance is the fact
that they are free of the shifting
sands of political thought, which
in most instances drive fear into
the hearts of the areas which have
given them birth. The private
Negro college represents a strong
bulwark of academic and express
i've freedom-and their leadership
gives vent to this freedom.
Your support can keep these
colleges free and save them for
the USA.