Evening star., 1954-10-26
Inteqruted Schools

integruted schools
The writer who signs himself James
A. johnson in recent letter
expresses my opinion OF "An
Ashamed Student" also. It Is very
well to be so very broad minded after
being graduated from school having
no Negroes now and certainly none at
his graduation.
too have a daughter who is a
senior at Anacostia. My daughter didn't
strike because anticipated just what
actually happened. knew what pres
sure could be brought on a student
over Is.
In Anacostia High School a great
many students are from families like
ours who have been Washington ma
tiveS for generations. Believe me, inte-
grafton will not work in our schools
anymore than in the South-at least.
forced integration.
We in Washington have had Negroes
move into our neighborhoods; have had
them take over our recreational facil-
tiles and have said nothing. We feel
that Negroes should have the same
good homes. schools. ETC.. but seq
regated.
We have watched how their N. A. A.
C. P. operates. how this organization
has brought pressure to get what they
thought was right. We have seen dem
onstrations before business houses to
gain what they wanted. Oh yes, they
demonstrated freely. All this we have
watched and said nothing.
Then. last May, without warning,
In al
cation in our schools and DR.. Corning
saw fit to start integration gradually
in September. Then the children of
several schools started demonstrations
of protest. Well, if this demonstration
did nothing else 1t certainly proved our
children have the courage to stand up
for their rights. They thought they
could demonstrate for their cause as
well as the N. A. A. c. P. and even the
Communists.
Fourth Generation Washingtonian.
Interested Observer in letter to
The Star. implies that the Negro should
permit himself to be intimidated into
relinquishing his human rights, into
submission to the childish emotion of
whites parroting the ignorance of their
forefathers. The Negroes desire for civil
and civic equality Is not new. But for
similar feelings among prosecuted
group in England, our way of life might
never have evolved! And let us not
forget that it was first the white that
was a.. willing to push himself into
company where he is deeply resented
>. :" and did. in fact, gloat over it,!
No 1lvy tkvy,n 11{r rko ~ &t.S
has indeed not been written. Mr.. Ely's
letter refers to g.. the anxiety. the
warm friendship of the white people OF
the South for the Negroes" Fifteen
years Of Southern living and education
have shown me that that anxiety is
over the possibility that the Negro
might get the share of justice, human
and civil, to which he is entitled: that
the warm friendship turns into violent
acts of hatred when he begins to tire
of subservience to the white super race
Today the plight of the Southern Negro
is little better than it was in 1865. In
deed, the only significant advance hi
has made in these almost 80 years was
the Plessy VS.. Ferguson case, and thai
only lifted him to chin level above the
cesspool Of Southern bigotry.
To B. M. Miller would like to point
out that those Communists who pick
eted the White House were, by thai
act, in violation Of no civil ordinance
The high school children were. Oul
society Is based upon laws enacted by
duly elected representatives of the
people, not mob opinion. If there was
an objection which needed voice, there
q xx hx vrY1,f nh lafc
have been done. This applies also te
the statements made by James A. John
son. Mr.. johnson has said that hi
is proud that his daughter has "hac
the courage of her convictions to stanc
up for what she believed in" rather
suspect that he is proud because those
convictions are his i. not hers
To preclude the inevitable remark.
that this writer is obviously Negro,
should like to make it clear that an
white" . in fact Southern white
=. but first, an American.
Sam c. Field, Jr.
1t is true, as Yvonne A. Burke says
that the Supreme Court has ruled.
However, this is simply reversal of ar
earlier Supreme Court ruling. AS Il
what we can do about it, there arr
actually several things that can b.
done. Some of our Southern State!
are already in process of doing some o.
them. Any Supreme Court ruling tina
can be reversed once can be reversed
again., Since it was pressure groul
which brought about the ruling, we Car
form bigger pressure group for &
reversal and that is one of the things
which the National Association for th'
Advancement of White People is nov
trying to do.
We can and will introduce an amend
ment to the Constitution repeating th'
amendment under which the present
ruling was made At the next election
we can vote only for those candidate!
for Office who will support such al
amendment There are other thing
which can and will be done, as all will