The Miami times. [volume] (Miami, Fla.) 1923-current, 1951-11-17
DADE COUNTY
INTERGROUP
EDUCATION
BY ALICE M. KAHL

of DIR. Andrew w. Gottschall who
was then Director of Miami Round
Table, DR.. Gordon Lovejoy,
chairman of Intergroup Educa-
ton and Miss Alice NJ. MacVicar,
assistant director of high schools,
asked DR.. Wilson to revive the
Dade County Intergroup Educa-
ton Committee. Fifty invitations
were sent out, and DR.. Wilson
suggested they were to try TO
reach four different groups of
people; school personnel, Univer-
sity instructors, the Miami Round
Table and lay people suggested
by the Miami Chamber of Com
merce. Out of nearly fifty invi-
tationS sent, only twenty-four
were at the first meeting in June
of l949. It was decided to meet
the fourth Tuesday of the month,
and they appointed a committee
to set up certain detectives. Reg
ular meetings were begun in the
fall of 1949.
That fall DR.. Lovejoy left for
North Carolina and DR.. Cots
chall was transferred to Pennsyl-
vania. At the election in October,
Miss MacVicar was elected pres
ident, Lewis DeLaura of Buena
Vista Elementary School, vice
president, and Marie Roberts
from Booker T. Washington high
school, secretary.
The committee on detectives
presented the detectives which
included:
/. To discover the best method
of promoting better intergroup
relations in Dade County through
the public schools, including pro-
cesSeS of administration, the text
books, library facilities, recrea-
ton, teaching materials and
teacher training.
2. The Committee shall guard
well the possibilities that no po-
litical or other pressure groups
shall use this committee for par
tiSan purposes.
3. The Committee shall be first
of all a fact finding group and
shall, as occasion requires, APP
point such subcommittee as it
may need from time to time to
discover the factual basis for any
interpretations and recommended
tons it may make.
4. The Committee suggests that
all of It's members read and
study such books, pamphlets and
materials as are available in the
field of intergroup relations in
order to know and be aware of
the problems involved in its work.
5. The successful achievement
of the aims of this Committee
will be aided by community
awareness of the problems in
volved and a clear understanding
of any steps that may be taken for
this program in the schools. We
therefore urge frequent news
paper and radio coVerage and the
use of all channels of public in
formation to educate the general
public with regards TO findings
and programs of action.
Last fall a new plan was used
as the committee felt the county
was not being reached. Every
school should send a representa-
tive, and the attendance increased |
from twenty-five to fifty. Some
of the problems which have been
worked on and partially solved
are:
!. Merging of the Christmas and
Easter programs of all religions.
2. Helping the Christian child
rem to have better information
and a higher regard for the Jew
ish holidays.
g. The Negro children were not |
granted the same privileges at the
Public library so a committee met !
with Mayor Wolfarth and this
was worked out satisfactorily.
4. Different teachers reviewed |
books on some phase of intercul- |
tnral education, and it is felt that
many teachers who had not read
much on anthropology are now
studying this problem.
5. Every year on brotherhood
Week meetings were arranged,
films and books for these meet
ings were made available through
their efforts.
DIR. Wilson was in full accord
with the above objective and gave
his support in all ways.
After DR.. Lovejoy left the Uni
versity of Miami, DR.. M. A. F.
Richie was appointed TO that po-
ef+fon aod Mr. Tapoae w White