St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1954-12-17
Virginia Ministers
Of Both Races
Working Together
BY Carter Jewel

richmond va A1NIJ-Ledu-
ing white ministers working quiet
ly behind the scenes are gradually
swinging public officials in var
ious sections of Virginia around
to their belief that religious ser
vices and programs should be held
for all the people interested in
them and on non-segregated ba-
sis. The two cities In the state who
led the way were Richmond and
Norfolk.
Richmond outstripped Norfolk
and was able TO move toward in
tegrated religious public services
before Norfolk. which had to aban-
don its preaching mission over two
years ago, because the leaders
were unable to get the local au-
thorities to agree to a non-segre-
gated mission. However. in Janu-
airy. Norfolk ministers will re-
sumo their preaching mission, and
IL will be unsegregated and both
white and Negro ministers and
white and Negro churches will be
asked to cooperate with the pro-
gram.
II was disclosed here last week
that states Atty. Gen. J. Lindsay
Almond Jr. was asked by the Nor
folk committee in charge of the
plans for the preaching mission to
give a ruling on whether the mis-
sion could be held without forced
segregation of the races.
IT was not possible to get an ex-
act wording of the officials reply,
but II was said on reliable author
ity that the mission could be held
as originally planned.
When the Norfolk white mini
sters dropped the Preaching Mis-
sion over two years ago, they
made an emphatic statement
which said they would not revive
the program until it could be held
without forced segregation. The
Rev. Royce Mcdonald, pastor of
the Second Presbyterian church in
Norfolk. is chairman Of the Mis-
sion Committee.
White ministers who are work.
ing for a closer relationship be-
tween themselves and Negro min
listers on fellowship programs and
city-wide efforts like the preach
ing mission have taken the posi-
tons in recent years that a
preaching mission or similar re-
ligious project is by the nature of
its function and operation in the
same class of private affairs and
should not. therefore, be subject |
to the general laws on racial seq
regation.
They have been arguing for
freedom of worship and freedom of |
assembly which are fundamental |
tenets of the American system of |
government. More than two years
ago Richmond officials ruled that
the last Virginia Conference of |
State NAACp Branches held in |
Richmond at the Mosque was a
private affair and that delegates |
and visitors attending the sessions
could not legally be forced to be |
segregated. The conference was
held and there was no forced seq
regation.
In several Virginia cities white |
and Negro ministers meet regular
~ in a fellowship which is both |
in membership and in
office holding, DIR. ], b, Hender-
son, Bank street Baptist church
pastor, Norfolk. Is president OF
the Norfolk Fellowship.
Richmond has an interracial
Ministers Association which is
working for closer CO.
operation between Negro and
white religious organizations on
common problems. The Virginia |
Baptist General Association, a |
white body. voted in favor OF the |
u. S. Supreme courts decision for
integrated public schools at its |
annual r,AasInr In NprfnIly last