Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1952-07-05
RAIGHT
AHEAD"

oIhef day IN Philadelphia, Lester
b. Granger, Executive Director of
the National Urban League. in
addressing members of the local
chapter of the American Associa-
ton of Social Workers, put it up
to the social workers to "heal our
national schizophrenia."
Mr. Granger is no doubt right
about the responsibility of t he
social workers, but he might also
have charged them with being to
blame for some of our economic
difficulties.
The schizophrenia of which Mr..
Granger speaks or the dnaI
personality of the Negro is
caused primarily by the over-em-
phasis that has been placed on the
social program with much too lit
tie stress on the understanding of
the basic economic program. This
situation has been brought about
by the fact that the NEGRO leader
ship IN the area of social develop
ment has been much more effec-
tive than it has been in the eco
nomlc or the political areas.
Asa matter of fact, there has
been something of a vacuum as
far as the economic program is
concerned despite the efforts
of the National Business League
and other organizations and
this has led to the invasion of the
economic field by the social plan
ners. 1t might be interesting to
note, however, that here in New
York, a group of business-minded
individuals, headed by William r.
Hudgins, President of Carver Fed
eral Savings and Loan Association
and Chairman Of the Board Of Di
rectors of the Association of Trade
and Commerce, is laboring tireless-
ly to put the Negro's economic
program into the hands of persons
directly concerned with the eco
nomic life of the community.
At present, the social agencies.
particularly the Urban League, are
not only generating the social pro-
gram but are Influencing the eco
nomic program Most observers re
gard this as a harmful situation.
Fundamentally, social agencies are
non-profit organizations that get
their support from the public and
from industrial and business insti-
tutions. Most often their policies
on important issues must agree
at least they must not disagree too
violently . . with those of their
supporters. Frequently, these agen-
cies are forced into positions where
they must compromise.
AS for the chances of the Negro
developing his full economic
strength, he will have to have the
cooperation of the American bust
ness man and industrialist. This
cooperation will have to be on
terms both groups understand and
by rules common to them. Social
agencies and business organiza-
tons do not work by the same
rules, and social agencies should
not be left to call the turn where
the Negroes economic welfare is
concerned.
The time has passed when the
Negro can afford to permit the
social work groups to speak for
him in all areas especially in
business and politics. They are
simply not conditioned by training,
experience or point of view to
handle the job successfully.
The social agencies will find it
much too difficult to advise Ameri-
can industry and commerce wisely
on the Negro question, since it
must, meanwhile, beg industry and
business for handouts to support
a social program. Management adj
vice should be left to professional
management counsel, and the same
should go for counsel on labor and
public relations. A social agency
might convince an executive that
a $4,000 contribution from his
firm is a sound investment in race
whereas the same amount
in legitimate newspaper or maya
zine advertisement might contri-
butte far more, both to the bust
ness and the Negro. This is an
other way of saying the schizo-
phrenia of which Mr.. Granger so
correctly speaks might we'll be cur
ed if the social agencies would
heed his advice to "stick to their
basic job of social engineering"
and seek to mesh their efforts with
those of the economic and politi-
cal planners.
They cannot run the entire show
without serious damage to the
Negroes fight for the better life.
f. T g hcc'n