The Miami times. [volume] (Miami, Fla.) 1923-current, 1956-10-27
Along Freedoms Road
NEWS OF THE NAACP
BY RUTH PERRY

When you read this column,
will be in Tampa attending the
18th Annual Session Of the Flor
ids State Conference of NAACP
Branches. The conference was
originally scheduled for Sarasota,
but at the last minute the school
board there withdrew permission
to use the facilities that had been
previously promised the confer
ence. Consequently, hurried plans
had to be made to take the meet
ing to Tampa. I understand that
some of the sessions in Sarasota
were to hsve been held in one of
Negro schools there.
Last Saturday 81 persons were
fined in Tallahassee for their par
ticipation in the bus boycott case.
The local NAACP president, the
Rev. c. K. Steele, along with 81
other persons, were convicted of
running an illegal public trans
portation system without a city
permit for a state "for hire" Ii
cense. 1t also appears that the
Investigating Committee set up
by the Special Session of the Flor
ida Legislature has turned its gaze
on Tallahassee to try to discover
some link between the bus boy
colt and NAACP agitation and
interference"
And so the fight for freedom in
Florida goes on from day to day,
in different localities, with Diff
ferent public officials and school
boards. The fight in Florida is not
confined primarily to Miami with
our suits against the school board,
segregated transportation and
recreation facilities, or TallahaS-
see with its bus boycott. Negroes
in Florida are becoming very vote
conscious, and are registering to
vote in some places under con-
ditions that would try the cour-
age of any man or woman. It was
a shock to me when / learned that
IN some sections of Northern
Florida, Negroes had not voted in
many years, because of extreme
pressure and intimidation. In
West Palm Beach and Fl. Laud-
derdale, we also hear the STRINGS
Of awakened Negroes. We in the
Miami area are not in this fight
alone - we are among friends
and determined fighters through
the whole State of Florida.
AS the time draws near for an
other State Meeting of the Flori-
da NAACP, / am thinking again
of two other conferences I at
tended in the past, and what
happened at each of them. One
was in Panama City. I remember
that as came out of one of the
sessions, ! noticed a very old Ne
gro woman looking at me. smiled
at her and went over to speak a
few words with her. Then turn
ed to go, she placed her hand on
my shoulder for just moment.
| still remember the strange feel |
ing that come over me. l felt that |
this woman had placed her hand
on me to feel if I were a real per-
son - she wanted to touch some
thing solid to prove to herself |
that I was standing there.
The other occasion was in ,,
Ocala, nearly five years ago. Dur
ing one of the conference ses-
sions, was asked to read one Of
the resolutions passed by the con-
ference. After reading it, a Mr..
Hall, one of the pioneer workers
for NAACP in the State of Flor
ida, and a man in his seventies,
said, Although / have prayed for
this day to come, l never thought |
/ would live to see White woman
here with us working for the same
things we are.
/ have thought often Of these
two occasions - with humility,
with emotion, and with great
anger and bitterness against a way
of life that could make the ap-
pearance of a White woman at a
meeting of the NAACP an oc-
casion for great surprise or dis