Minneapolis spokesman. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1956-12-07

negro.
Fortune Magazine editor L
past ID years the gains of y
preachment, political action or Su-
preme Court decisions. but rather
through the U. s. economy it,
self"
Hughes said The Negro has
advanced farther during this time
than in the 10 odd years since
emancipation and he will not be
satisfied indefinitely with Sec
ond class economic life"
The magazine also reports that
Negro leaders, fresh from legal
victories on the school front are
now working toward break
through in the arena of greatest
resistance-housing.
Some of the facts of the Negroes
economic life as revealed by For
tune is as follows:
The Negro populations total
cash income after taxes IN SIS
23o, 100000 and represents today a
purchasing power almost match
ing the value of all merchandise
annually exported from the U. S.
II denotes market almost as
great as Canada and twice the size
OF Australia.
One In Three Home Owners
One In every three urban Ne.
Cru families own their own
homes, and recently Negro home
ownership In cities has been
rising much faster, proportion
atty, than white.
In no area of the Negroes life
has his economic futt been more
harshly handicapped than in his
education. A census study in 1852
revealed that while 33.3 per cent
OF Negroes above the age of s5
were unable to read or white, a.
mong youths tages l4-24) the H.
literacy rate had fallen to 80 per
cent.
There are more than half again
as many Negroes in y. s. colleges
and universities as there are sub
jects Of Great Britain attending
British universities.
Many Obstacles sim In Way
But Fortune points out, there
are still many dismal evidences Of
forces standing in the way OF Ne
gro progress.
Discrimination IL still the norm
in industry: the dirtier the Job,
the more readily it is available TO
the Negro"
There is still much discrimina-
ton in unions. which, by and large
have not been the great champion
OF Negro rights that many liberals
have been led TO believe.
Fortune quoted one NAACP
leader as saying. the CIO has
sold quite a bill OF goods to the
American liberal about it's racial
record"
Labor Unions Have Helped
The magazine added that In the
South, labor unions more than any
other institution with the pos
sible exception of the Roman
Catholic Church, have effectively
assisted Negro organizations In
putting pressure on the barriers Of
segregation.
OF some 8 million privately fin
Anced housing units erected be-
tween 1885 and 1850, only slightly
over one per cent have been open
to Negroes In the most crowded
Negro block In Harlem. the popu-
lation density il equivalent 10
cruwtiing everyone in the U. s.
into two-thirds 81 New York City.
Negro Farmer Worse OF
The bleskest area Of Negro life
Fortune says. is the Negro farm,
The plight Of the Negro farmer
has been getting worse and worse
for more than 30 years.
According 10 the magazine:
The Negro farmer lacks. in the
best Of times. even enough know.
ledge Of the lsw 10 acquire sound
title 10 his land. oral leases are
legally permissible in every
Southern state.
In q revolutionary time of
naturalization, the Negro farmer
ts economically crippled Re lacks
capital He lacks credit. He lacks
enough acreage 10 support mech
anization. He lacks the technical
skin 20 mechanic
Negro Il Buying Freedom
Ediior Hughes draws these con-
illusions in his report.
In this rnid-2oth century, the
American Negro is. in effect, &C
curing his freedom In a mos, an
cent way. He IL buying u. HIS
progress IL due. not exclusively,
bot essentially, To eroncnaic forces
hs~ttng no moral command but
simply creating Jobs where none
previously existed
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