Evening star., 1951-04-22

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Board of Education has been con-
'ltinually forced to juggle its school
buildings between one-half Of the
dual system and the other. There
ills a constant hue and cry for new
school construction. Pending now
lin District courts Is q lawsuit
brought by non-White parents
challenging the validity Of the en-
'ltire dual or bi-racial system. A
similar case was dismissed last
year.
i Perhaps the bitterest inter-
racial contention in several years
developed recently over the trans
lfer of Central High School to the
Cardozo High School. a non-white
institution. Central was the oldest
city high school, rich in tradition
and proud of a long line Of dis
Etinguisbed alumni. 1t enjoyed one
Iof the most impressive and PIC
turesque sites in the city. But
Eneighborhood changes steadily re-
iduced white enrolment.
Central Issue Bitter
! The building was old and vir-
tually falling apart. Congress
sional committees let it be known
that they would not consider ap-
preparations for a new Cardozo,
with an untitled Central only a
short distance away. Reluctantly,
land only after a first-class row,
the Board of Education ordered
the transfer last fall.
The parochial schools in the
city are now accepting non-white
students on an integrated basis
All of the privately operated col
gleges and universities, except one
are admitting colored students to
undergraduate as well as profes
sional and graduate courses.
Within recent years public rec
Ireation has undergone major
changes, but there are a few
tender spots still remaining. Rec
reational facilities operated di-
rectly by National Capital Parks,
a unit of the Department of the
Interior, are completely free of
segregation. Members of all racial
groups make use of golf courses,
tennis courts and swimming pools
without restriction. On the other
hand, public facilities operated By
the D. C. Recreation Board are
largely segregated. These facilities
include Fairgrounds and COM
munity center activities in public
school buildings. The board has
announced. however. that its
policy is gradually to eliminate
segregation by progressive steps,
/ The non-segregated operation
s,f the city swimming pools by the
Department of the Interior Gre
Iated furor when the policy was
inaugurated two years ago. One
pool was closed for the remainder
of the summer. because of local
fights and general neighborhood
resentment. However, the poo
was reopened again last sum-
Imer without incident. AS a pre-
Icautionary measure it was well
policed during the entire season
This policy of the National Cap
Iital Parks authorities has created
/ Ia resistance from various source:
to continued control by the In.
terror Department of the recrea.
tional facilities remaining under
it's jurisdiction. Thus far the In
! terror Department has continued
such control.
Private recreation and accom-,
modations have long been source
of racial irritation in the Nation
Capital. Since the last war many
significant developments hav'
taken place in this area Of contact
Unlike theaters and movie house
in Southern cities where separat'
seating arrangements and en-
= frances are maintained for non
whites, Washington theaters rig
S idly excluded colored persons
| Managers claimed that this polio,
{ developed because. once inside tn
;. movie theater. non-whites refuses
= to sit in sections assigned to them
: yILesitimate Theater Lost
= At the National, only legitimat
l theater in the city, colored person
Y simply refused to buy tickets il
4 sections reserved for them. Henc
: the policy of total exclusion.
;, continuous campaign against tn
= National resulted in the adoption
= of a resolution by Actors EQuit,
4 that prohibited its members from
t further appearances in the Ma
Y tional Theater until it rescinde,
S its policy of racial discrimination
= The management was adamant
S Three years ago Washington sa,
}. it's only legitimate theater con
n verted into a movie house. TIL
= Nations Capital was left withou
e a stage. In spite of efforts to re
. open the old Belasco. or to bull
} a new one. the city was complete
e Ily cut of from the legitimat
5. stage for many months. The
e the management of the Gayetl
: an old burlesque house, announce
g it would open as legitimate. TIL
t building was refurnished and !
: due time opened for a run {
d Broadway productions with com
& tpletely non-segregated policy. Fc
o two seasons now the New Gayet
S has supplied an acute civic neet
Isl Movie houses have general
S clung to their established polio
y of exclusion. However. two ne
e theaters devoted largely to for
" eign films and other motion pic
e lures of particular appeal to In
y tellectuals have recently opene
# without any form of racial segre
They are apparently ez
lr periencing city-wide acceptance {
Is the new policy.
It More and more colored persor
It are being noticed at dinners an
banquets at many Of the leadin