Jackson advocate., 1953-02-07

that succeeding generations can
take up where previous genera
tions left off. The sub-cortica
nuclei is absorbed with emotions
and immediate responses to en-
vlronment stimuli. Negroes are
prone to use their sub-cortical
nuclel more than they use their
cerebral hemisphere. One of the
most aggravating, perplexing
problems that face the Negro lead
en- today who really has the cul-
tural background to really under
stand our problem is to embark
upon a program that will bring
about the coordination of cerebral
and sub-cortical functioning. so
that the basal animal tendencies
shall have the benefit of foresight,
control and direction of cerebral
function.
During two hundred and fifty
years Of slavery and ninety years
Of physical Freedom, the Ameri-
can Negro, especially the Negro
in the South, has responded to the
white fear stimuli so long and so
frequently that an inferiority COM
pleX has been developed in the
average Negro and | am sorry to
say that even Negro Educators
and Leaders in Mississippi are
fearful to express themselves when
approached on the matter of equali-
ty of the races. At present, physi-
cal enslavement is well nigh a thing
of the past but the enslavement of
the mind persists. The enslave-
ment of the mind is far more de-
trimental because the victim of
this awful enslavement is not, or
is barely conscious of it. In fact,
the average individual is so salts
fled with this enslavement of the
mind that he vigorously resists
liberation. This is the fundamental
basis of preiudices which enslave
US. We tend to fall in love with our
prejudices and to guard them with
our lives This brings us to the
discussion of the vexing school
problem which we are facing in
Mississippi today.
AS each of you know, our Negro
public school program in Missis-
sippi, until recently has been
mockery TO the word education.
Mississippi has been at the very
bottom of the list. The school build
ings for the most part have been
poor, and equipment for teaching
in these schools has been con-
spicuous by it's absence. In cities
like Jackson and Meridian and
Vicksburg, we have had for num-
ber of years good Negro schools.
But these good Negro schools could
not be compared with the good
white schools in the same cities.
A few years ago, the Supreme
Court of the United States of AM
erica started handing down some
far reaching decisions which start
ed opening Southern College and
Universities to Negroes and |
might say right here that Negroes
are attending the State Universe
ties in all but five States today.
These five states are, Florida,
South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama
and Mississippi. The 1850 Legisla-
ture began to see family the hand
writing on the wall and voted the
amazing sum of $3,O0O,O0O to inn
prove the Negro schools Of the
state. Now, that $3,00O,OO0 could
have been used right here in Kinds
County and still the Negro schools
of the County would not have been
UP to the standard of the white
schools of the County.
Over in South Carolina, in the
year of 1851, Negroes got tired of
paying for first class citizenship
and getting fourth class schools
for their children and they get
what Negroes in Mississippi are
going to need in the days which
are just before us, and that is
steel in their backbones and they
went into Courts to have segrega-
tion done away with in the public
schools, and during the month OF
December 1852, the case was argu-
ed before the Supreme Court of
the United States of America. And
while we wait the decision of the
highest tribunal in our land the
whole South is<being shaken to it's
very foundation because this is
sue involved all that the South
has stood for during it's entire ex-