Arkansas State press., 1953-04-10
Listen Here. Mr.. Editor

present, was southerner and most
Of his members We're the same,
The church was a Southern Bap-
fist and the minister who preach
ed the morning sermon was from
Orlando, Florida. They accepted
me as one of them and invited
me to attend their services each
Sunday and become member
and take part IN the activities.
They did not drive me away, nor
did they say you can't come in
here because you are Negro.
They made me welcome. | must
say before move on that |
think that you. Mr.. Pastor, are
all together on the wrong foot,
for these men and boys are fight
ing this army now may turn up
anywhere together and they are
not Communists. they have learn
ed about that brotherly love
that the Holy Father speaks Of
They have found out that We can
live together in peace and harm
ony, they have found out that
they can drink from the same
water fountain and not get pois-
oned, they have learned that they
can rub up against a Negro and
not turn black, that the pigment
Of the skin is the only thing that
makes us different and that the
only time We are out Of our
place is when we feel that we are
not wanted and the same thing
holds true with them
I feel sorry for the chairman
Of the board tR O. Burgess too,
for if am not mistaken, while
in your employment I had the
pleasure of meeting a man VINO
thought that he was getting a
raw deal from the Red Blooded
White Friends of Little Rock"
when they were trying to upset
his home for progress of the
community" I am sure he does
not feel the same way about it
as the pastor under whom he
serves for if he did then he
would not have been fighting so
hard to keep his home when they
We're trying to get it to build "a
larger school for the Negro chill
dren so they could stay in their
place" If he believes as his pas
tor, them he was trying to de-
feat his own purpose. Did he
think that the Red Blooded
White Friends We're so red blood
ed then? Don't We all have red
blood?
l feel sorry for the late DR. A,
A. Womack 1t makes me wonder
if he got to heaven with the
same belief, that was attributed
to him by the pastors letter. If
so then ! am sure that there is
nothing left for me but a hell
of fire and birthstone. On the
other hand, if he didn't think like
the pastor of the church he serv-
ed so long and faithful, then
am sure that he is as joke |
once heard. I won't attempt to
repeat it, but ! am sure that
everytime a red blooded white
friend" read his name in this let
ter, he must have turned over in
his grave. God rest his soul
If the Negro does not want So
cial equality, why did this letter,
written by the pastor, carry a
paragraph, I'VE do not want So
cial equality we do not need
it, What we want is a chance to
become first class citizens and
stay in our places" l have al
ways been under the impression
that when two people were put
on the same level then they had
social equality. I would not rub
shoulders with Rockefeller I'M
less l had the millions to back
me up. Then if I had them l
would be qualified socially to as
sociate with him. As long as the
Negro is kept in second class cit
izenship status, then he is not
qualified to mingle socially with
first class citizens, but when he
is elevated to Mr. and Mrs First
Glass Citizen then ne is socially
equal When this happens it is
up to you and l to pick our own
friends and our own social set,
Nothing will be forced upon any
one. Friendship cannot be forced;
for it is not a forceable COM
moody it only grows on people
Of the same Calibre.
I say, Mr.. Preacher, in closing,
that as long as you are that type
pastor. then your church will suf-
fer no matter how many red
blooded white Arkansas friends
you have. You have committed a
sin against your Creator, and a.
gainst your fellowman and your