Arkansas State press., 1956-04-13
We Don't Like Negro Schools
S. Taylor, Associate Editor

A Negro in, a public gathertngi called upon those pres
ent to aid him in stopping the use of the word Negro. The
speaker objected to being called NEGRO"
The attitude of the speaker reminds one of a practice of
the white press during the reconstruction period. In reading
some of the papers of that era, the writer frequently came
across the phrase "of color" The paper would use the phrase
"of color" where the current paper would say Negro" The
editor of that day euphoniously referred to men "of COLOR
Men of color" may be a bit more accurate than NE
gro" Both names were given TO US by white people. Neither
means one thing. and Negro means something else. Both names
mean the same thing in the United States today. Both mean
aus."
The word NEGRO" is the spanish word for black. 1t was
given to us by Spaniards who took that easy, ignorant way of
distinguishing Africans from Europeans, The name was given
to Negroes" in much the same manner that the terms "Quak-
err, Methodist, and Baptist" have become attached to those
of course Negro" is less accurate than eolored. Very
few Negroes are black. On the other hand, "Colored' in many
instances today is used with reference to persons who contain
no Negro blood.
But the mere use of the word Negro is not what the
Negro is objeetng TO when he objects TO naming a hi school
as a NEGRO school," lie is obieeting TO the word NEGRO" used
as a part of the schools name in the same way that he oh.
jeeted 10 the words Negro, BLACK, or "eolored" placed in
front of drinking fountains. toilets. and waiting rooms. lie ob.
jects to the word white also, used in this way.
OF course. the Negro is not greatly concerned with the
accuracy of the term lie would still object If You put the
word pink" over a drinking fountain. lie would still object. If
You rubbed out Negro and wrote brown or bronze, OF
tan, or "sepia". or anything else over the drinking foun'
tain What he objects to is designating the use of the fountain
for a particular race.
When Dunbar was in fact the Negro school. there was
a defense for including the word Negro" in the title. That is
exactly what Dunbar was at one time.
Horace Mann school looks like it is going to be a de-
strabe addition 10 the schools of the city, atho, there are
quite a few people who object 10 its location. However, that
location will be fine for the people who live near IL. But pu-
pills who live 80 blocks west OF Main street may not want u
walk past Central at Park TO get TO Horace Mann more than
a mile farther east.
The writer had 5 children who had To walk from Brown
street (3i blocks west of Main) right past Central where there
were empty rooms and superior facilities, 10 get To Dunbar
where some of them were denied the right To study TYP
ING, fundamental as that skin is. If Dunbar had been
white and Central had been Negro. the writer would still
have wanted 10 send his children 10 Central. Superior facli-
ties and convenient distance still would have made Central
desirable. convenient, and economical for him and his chill.
dren. The same thing will be true of Horace Mann. Few chill
dren will prefer to walk past Central to get to Horace Mann.
On the other hand, few children will be tempted to leave the
neighborhood of Horace Mann 10 get TO Central.
The essence of the Negro position is not that you should
or should not call Negroes Negroes. The essence of the Ne
gro position is that the Supreme Court has ordered no segre-
gait n public education, and the Negro does not want Negro
children forced or presumed into attending any particular
school.
The Negro believes that the only reason for calling a
school Negro" is TO induce Negro children 20 stay in and
white to stay out. The Negro parent whose children have To
walk past one school TO get to another and then not be per-
mitted TO study fundamental subjects in the school farther dis
tant, is the original reason for the fight first for equality and
finally for indignation. II equality of facilities had been given
a modcum of attention long ago, the question of indignation
would never have arisen.
There will stll be students in the vicinity Of Horace Mann
VINO VIII want TO 60 10 the technical hi school because of v-
cational offering. 1t is very probable that certain schools may
prove more attractive to Negroes than others. Distance, par
uculary, viii cause this. Negroes will not particularly bother
IL a concentration of Negroes occurs is some school. But they
DO not want such a concentration forced or pressured.