Evening star., 1952-10-12
peech in Harlem Tracing Party Program on Civil Rights

branch itself. This fight of ours
cannot stop just because we
have been blocked in the United
States Congress.
First. ] acted to stop racial
discrimination in the armed
services. The Navy and the Air
Force have now eliminated all
racial distinctions. And for over
two years. every soldier coming
into an Army training unit in
this country has been assigned
on a basis of his individual
merit-regardless of race or
color. All troops in Korea are
now integrated, and integration
is going forward elsewhere over
seas.
Every Federal Agency Has
Fair Employment Setup
! also had fair employment
board set up in the Civil Service
Commission. Today. every Fed
eral agency has a fair employ
ment practice program that is
working. Any Federal employe,
or applicant for Federal en-
ployment, who feels he has been
Disseminated against because
of race can now ask for and
receive justice.
At my request, the Solicitor
General of the United States
went before the Supreme Court
to argue that Negro citizens
have the right to enter State
colleges and universities on
exactly the same basis as all
other citizens. We won the case.
And more than a thousand Ne
gro graduate and professional
students have been accepted by
ten State universities that had
barred their doors to Negroes
before. This means that this
country will have men like Louis
T. Wright and Ralph Bunche.
At my request. the Solicitor
General again went before the
Supreme Court and argued
against the restrictive covenants
that had prevented houses in
many places from being sold to
Negroes and Jews. 1t was a
great day in the history of civil
rights when we won that case
before the Supreme Court.
AS one result Of that decision,
more Negroes are home owners
today than ever before in Amer
ican history.
Our locally-operated public
housing projects are increas-
ingly open to families of all
races and creeds. The number
of integrated projects has in
creased eightfold in eight years.
In the last few years, nine
States and eight cities have for
hidden discrimination or Segre.
CATION in public housing.
In the last few years, eleven
States and 20 cities have enacted
fair employment practice laws.
This is where the greatest gap
exists in our Federal laws on
civil rights. and I have re-
peatedly urged the Congress to
pass the kind of law we need.
Such. a statute must have en-
forcement powers if it is to
, mean anything. To talk about
voluntary compliance with fair
employment practice is nom
sense. Federal fair employment
legislation with enforcement
power is greatly needed and
ought to be on the law books.
Progress has been made in
assuring Negroes the opportun-
ity to exercise their right to vote
as citizens. The courts have
made the infamous white pri-
mary" a thing of the past. And
there are only five poll tax
States left. Nevertheless, we still
need laws to abolish the poll
tax and otherwise protect the
right to vote where intimida-
ton or restrictions still exist.
In the last 5 years. two States
have enacted anti-lynch laws.
Five States and IS cities have
passed laws against wearing
masks in public-which will strip
the hoods off the Klu Klux
Klan. That is splendid progress
in the fight to guarantee our
citizens protection against mob
violence, but it is not enough.
1t is the clear duty of the Fed
eral Government to stand be-
hind local law enforcement
agencies, and to step in if they