The Miami times. [volume] (Miami, Fla.) 1923-current, 1956-08-25
BetWeen ! he Lines !.
BOUND FOR THE PROMISED LAND

The survival of the Israelites in
Egypt was not more remarkable
than the survival of the Negro in
America. The Negro that surviv-
ed the Old South has made a
great achievement, the historical
importance of which cannot be
gainsaid. Not only has the Negro
survived the old South but is bid
ding tor his place in the sun with
such fervor and vigor that he has
attracted the attention and won
the admiration of mankind -
thanks to a determined and en-
lghtened Negro press. The Ne
gro is currently battering at the
gates of the Promised Land OF
first-rate citizenship.
A. ]. Siggins, British journa-
list, recently made the following,
observation: From all that one
can gather from most books, and
mL;azine articles and the news
papers, the Negro is going all
out for indignation. From Ebony /
learn that 80 percent of Afro.
Americans have white blood in.
their veins. From writer Faulkner
comes the view that within 500
years the Negro race will be alb
sorbed into the white race - Is
the American Negro consciously
rushing leerlike to destruction in
an ocean of white blood; or does
ne have a purpose as a Negro!
I'm Scandinavia there are the
learnings, guinea-pig-ike little
animals, which periodically and
for no apparent reason, rush into
the ocean and perish by millions)
That is the question l want to
see answered. And il seems to me
t. be an important one not only
for the Afro-Americans but Tor
Africans everywhere"
Mr.. Siggins raises here an inn
portant question and one that. l
feel that l can answer by reason
of a life long study of race re-
lations and because of having
been a teacher of Negro youth
for so years and because OF hav-
ing dealt with thousands OF
whites in the course of lectures
and addresses in the various gath-
eringS and in some of the finest
white universities of this country,
including Columbia and Princeton.
The major promise of the white
mans thinking on the color ques-
ton is centered on the question
of amalgamation that he fears
with ali his heart. This fear
stems from a false pride, super
induced by a subtle sex-jealousy.
My answer to Mr.. Siggins and TO
the Negrophobes is, no, the Negro
will not be swallowed in an
ocean of whiteness. The Negroes
feigned indifference to interracial
amal3amation stems from has
struggle for existence.
There are two fundamental
struggles for mankind, namely,
the struggle for existence and the
economic struggle. The former
has to do with the struggle tor
more existence even as on the
lowest level. 1t is the struggle for
animals and primitive man, the
latter has to do with, not the
struggle for existence merely, but
the struggle for a certain kind OF
existence. The struggle for exis-
tence is the struggle for mere
bread while the economic struggle
Is for a certain kind of bread with
butter and Jam thereon.
The Negro in this country has
been so busy struggling for exls-
fence, that he has had but little
time until recently, to choose the
kind of existence he would covet.
1t is the Negroes struggle for ex-
istence that accounts for what
Mr.. Siggins refers TO as. "pass4llss
and getting seven shades lighter
IN seven days" and "straighten
your hair in seven days and even
tually pass" He was of course
referring to such skin and hair