The Tribune. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1951-19??, 1951-09-22
Richmond Conference OF The
NAACP Wins First Round In
Fight Against Segregated Seating
In Richmond Owned Auditorium

Conference of the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People
emerged the winner in the first round of
It's legal fight to abolish segregated seat
ing at the Mosque, city owned auditori-
UNI, here Friday, September ID Two mo-
lions were before a special three Judge
federal court, presided over by Judge Ar
instead M. Dobie, of the United States
Circuit Court of Appeals of the Fourth
Circuit, and assisted by District Judges
Sterling Hutchinson of Richmond and AL
bert B. Bryan of Alexandria: One by the
city OF Richmond to have the suit filed by
the NAACP d s m d the other, by
NAACP counsel for a temporary injunc-
ton to restrain the city from enforcing the
segregation law as applied to public as
sembies.
NAACP counsel argued that the suit
was in furtherance of the NAACP's policy
of non-segregated public assemblies; that
the NAACP had not held segregated
public or private meeting since it's organi-
zatlon that its membership is constantly
urged to refrain from participating or at
tending segregated meetings; and that il
the Virginia State Conference cannot hold
on October Ia, an unsegregated public
meeting, the meeting itself will be cam
celled
Oliver w. Hill, chairman of the State
Conferences legal staff, pointed out that
the state segregation a w pertaining to
public assemblies robs self respecting Me-
groes of an opportunity to attend educa-
tional and cultural affairs and bestows
upon them injuries that are irreparable
Nj L Ill 4l,o4 IL.
segregation law in question was con-
scious and overt attempt on the part of the
state to make it's colored citizens appear
to be inferior.
In brilliant forty-m brief on the
jurisdiction of the Federal Court on the
question before the Court, Attorney Spots
wood Robinson, III, special counsel for the
southeast region of the U nj t e d States,
sought to establish the violation of the
rights of citizens under the 18th Amend
ment of the United States Constitution.
Thurgood Marshall, NAACP special coun-
sci, inquired of the court what Virginia
sought to protect by seeking to enforce
the segregation laws. The laws, Mr.. Mar
shall held, were a clear violation of the
rights of colored citizens. He charged that
the state gained nothing by the enforce
ment Of them; while the colored citizens
were deprived of their rights.
Special counsel for the city in it's argu-
ment to have the suit dismissed, contend
ed that there was serious doubt as to
whether the state segregation laws pertain
ing to public assemblies applied to the
NAACP, maintaining that the NAACP in
tended to have only members, friends and
well wishers in attendance at the October
ID meeting and hence the city believed
the meeting to be not public, but a PR
vate one.
In answer to this convention, NAACP
counsel, repeatedly and emphatically made
it clear to the court that the October Ia
meeting could not by any stretch of the
imagination, be construed as being private
They pointed out that the meeting would
be public, free and open to all who wished
to attend.
NAACP counsel, in defense of their mo-
ton seeking temporary injunction re-
ouested permission to have number of
witnesses, white and coiored, testify as .
the hurt and harm they and other persons
similarly situated would suffer if the state
segregation laws were enforced at the
Mosque meeting The court with the con-
sent of the counsel for both sides received
q composite written statement from the
counsel for the plaintiffs in lieu of oral
testimony to this effect.
In a surprised move, counsel for the de-
PENDANTS presented prepared statement
to the court which alleged that the city
and state were prepared to introduce tes-
Continued on Page 81