Evening star., 1954-05-20
Youth Council
Members Nav
Aid Race Plan
Invitations to Ask
Citizens to Help
With Integrotion

MCIIlUcIS VI CIlc area COmm1C-
tees of the Commissioners Youth
Council will be invited to help
as citizens of good will" as
implementation of the Supreme
Courts anti-segregation decision
proceeds in their neighborhoods.
The action was suggested by
Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle, coun-
Gil chairman, at the meeting of
the council. which today COM
pleted the initial organization of
committees totaling some 500
persons all over the city.
With approval today of 10 new
committees. the total is now %.
1t was made clear by the council
that present membership repre-
sent nuclei of the committees and
that additional members will be
added.
Today's actions by the coun-
Gil also approved a plan to set
up a subcommittee of District
officials heading departments
concerned with prevention and
solution of youth problems.
Mrs. Doyle's Statement.
In the action encouraging help
by the area committees in the
augmentation of the Supreme
Court order. Mrs. Doyle said:
"Since the whole citw now is
engaged in implementing the
Supreme Court decision against
segregation, it occurred to me
the Youth Council might sug-
gest to our area committees in
the next news letter that their
members might be helpful as
the implementation of the Su-
preme Court order goes forward
in their own neighborhoods."
DR.. c. Herbert Marshall added
suggestion that the letter con-
tain language that would i'm
press them with the magnitude
of their opportunity to facili-
tate this transition" He sug-
gested that they could do a job
which none else could do as
citizens of good will"
The council voted formal COM
mendation of Miss Winifred G.
Thompson, council executive di-
rector, for her job in instituting
in each of % areas of the city
the nucleus Of a committee to
fight juvenile delinquency.
Organization Hailed.
Ferdinand v. Grayson, council
vice chairman, hailed completion
of the area organization in the
eight months of the councils
existence.
'"This is the only city in the
United States where we have
done this kind Of job," he said,
adding. 1--WE have got down to
grass roots like no other city
has"
The plan for a subcommittee
Of District departmental heads
was offered by a letter from
Commissioner Samuel Spencer in
answer to a previous resolution
by the council suggesting regular
meetings of the Commissioners
with those officials.
Mr.. Spencer suggested it
might be preferable to have the
heads of departments and agen-
cies, including health, police,
recreation, welfare, schools and
the juvenile court meet period
ically as a subcommittee of the
Youth Council with the full
support of the Commissioners"
He suggested Mrs. Doyle might
preside at the meetings to make
sure the activities fit into the
youth council program.
Questionnaire Developed.
The Commissioner expressed
willingness to ask the heads of
the departments under the Com
misSioners to cooperate. Pre-
sumably Judge Edith Cockrill of
Juvenile Court will be enlisted
by the council.
1t was reported today that the
councils recreation Committee
has developed a QUESTIONABLE
for a city-wide survey of recrea-
tion facilities. Areat committees
will be asked to help complete
what is believed to be the first
such city-wide inventory, which
will be used to help effective
future planning.
The group today also discussed
the "rebellious type of parent"
who makes no move to take part
in constructive efforts in the
community to improve family
life. It was suggested that the
area groups could be helpful in
enlisting their cooperation.
Capt. John F. Ryan pointed out
that there is a parental respon-
sibility law in the District Code.
But. he said, the problem of en-
forcement comes in when the au-
thorities are presented with the
prospect of f1ning a parent on
public assistance for not seeing
that his child goes to school or
putting the parent in Jail with
no one left at home to take care
of the children. The law there
fore becomes useful primarily as
q threat, Capt. Ryan said.