Jackson advocate., 1953-02-07

ton, we are indeed fortunate in
that we live in a nation whose
watch words are Freedom, Liberty
and Democracy. For over three
hundred years the American peo-
pie have exalted the virtues of
Freedom, Liberty and Democracy
to the ends of Earth. When the
Pilgrim Fathers set foot upon the
shores of America in 1920, thev
laid the foundation of our nations
existence upon the bed rock Of
Liberty. But this very bed rock
Of Liberty was cracked from bot
tom to top by the institution of
slavery which was started at
jamestown, Virginia in 1919. one
year before the Mayflower landed
at Plymouth Rock. In l776, the
affairs of a new nation were set up
in the name Of Liberty, Freedom
and Democracy, and old Glory. our
flag, was unfurled before all the
world. In 1861, when the South
challenged and assailed the very
Charter Of our nations birth, the
brave sons of Freedom. Liberty
and Democracy declared anew the
principles of Democracy and broke
away the shackles Of physical
slavery from the feet of more
than four million black souls. In
1914, in World War No. l, Ameri-
ca struck to make the World safe
for Democracy. In world war No.
II, America struck in the name of
Liberty, Freedom and Democracy.
At this very hour. Ladies and Gen
tlemen, black American soldiers
are fighting, bleeding and dying
on the cold battle fields of Korea
for Liberty, Freedom and De
mocracy that they don't know one
thing about back home in Ala
bama, Georgia and Mississippi
Fighting on yonders battle field
for a theory that they have never
had a practical application Of at
home in Jackson, Mississippi. The
right to march boldly to the poll
and cast an unrestricted ballot, the
right of a human beings chance
before our courts, the right of the
same and equal school facilities for
our children, the right of local,
State and Federal government
representation; in short, the same
rights accorded any other Ameri-
can citizen. These are the basic
fruits Of Democracy, an equal right
to die on the Boston Commons, at
Bunker Hill. at San Juan Hill, on
Flanders Field, at Two Jima and
Sniper's Ridge should give the
Negro an equal right to enjoy all
the privileges of a democracy right
here in Mississippi. Henry Steele
Commogen quotes Winston Churc-
hill at momentous crisis in his
tory as asking, "What kind of peo-
pie do they think we are?" And
is just the critical question that
| want to ask of you today, What
kind of a people do we think we
are?"
The Negro who states that he
does not want to vote, when the
minimum standard of a democracy
is that every citizen should vote.
The Negro who does not want his
hildren to have the very best school
facilities that the state offers her
children, the Negro who does not
want equal travelling facilities and
equal public facilities, the Negro
who does not want an equal chance
before the courts of the state, the
Negro who does not want to grow
and develop according to his ablli-
ties the same as any other Amerl-
can citizen is a victim of our South
ern fear psychology.
Every normal individual has
what goes by the name of a philo
sophy of Life. Every individual
lives in a limited universe only
partly of his own making for it
is mainly a creation of his heredi
ty and his past experiences in home
life, school, associates and his COM
munity. Follow me, if you please
into this biological philosophy of
social thinking. The human brain,
which4is the organ of thought, may
be divided into the cerebral hemis-
phere on one hand and the sub
cortical nuclei on the other.
The cerebral hemisphere is cor
related with thinking. Something
that Negroes need to do. The
cerebral hemisphere produces and
transmits cultural accretions so