Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-08-20
NAAcPD Debate

NAACP Debate
Elgar Smith asks: what
has the NAACP done to
advance the cause of the
American Negro?" He wants
to know what the NAACP
has done to improve stand
ards of living, to help adjust
ment of the Negro to urban
environment. to feed and
clothe destitute Negroes and
supply a lot of other vital
needs.
OF course, this is a silly
question. He should read the
detectives of the organiza-
ton. Was Patrick Henry try
ing to remedy the recrea-
tional needs of the Colonists
deprived of liberty by King
George? Did the patriots Of
the Revolution, and the mil
lions of our brave men go
forth to die for food, shelter
and clothing? Did the free
dom fighters of Hungary bat
tie for a better standard Of
living?
No. Neither are the quarter
million Negroes and whites
enlisted as members Of the
NAACP aiming to make these
sorts of contributions for the
welfare of the colored Amer
lean except as its object is to
remove discrimination, seq
regation and the other han
dicaps to jobs, voting, and
full citizenship. In the Bible
we read: Man shall not live
by bread alone"
The NAACP is making a
contribution not only to
Negroes in America but, to
white America as well. 1t is
trying by peaceful and law
full means to redeem for
America the spirit of free
dom that caused us to come
into being as an American
Nation, not just a coterie of
individual States deciding
each for itself just what
manhood rights some of its
citizens shall have.
The NAACP believes that
when segregation by reason
of race and color is done
away with and when each
individual will be measured
solely on the basis of his
individual worth, the stand
ard of living for deserving
Negroes will improve.
E. B. Henderson.
X 4 4
Efforts Of members of the
NAACP to defend their or
ganization are rather a weak
way of apologizing for the
failure of the NAACP to do
its job in the proper manner.
1t seems to me through vari-
Gus observations that the
Negoes' greatest problem is to
attempt to advance the
standard of living, economic
and cultural, for their race,
to equip them properly men,
tally and morally for the
position in this society that
they have been legislated in
to. Remembering that the
Negro in the last 100 years
has come farther socially in
this life than many races
have in many centuries, it is
easier to understand the ter
rife adaptability problems
faced by them. Then, if their
scholastic endeavors are on
the weak side, it is only be-
cause their teachers have
been inadequately prepared
for the job of imparting such
knowledge. Biting off too
much has been known to
cause many unpleasantrieS.
1t seems the NAACP and the
Urban League would do well
to start at home" and work
toward raising the standards
of home life of its associates,
and have less Tobacco Road"
tendencies spring up in our
better sections of towns and
new developments. Color is
Of little Importance in our
complex existence these days,
but attitudes and tolerances
can be heavily stressed.
Whites have little to be
proud of in the recent racial
disputes, but to learn to crawl
before one walks is still the
natural way to stand upright
eventually. Equality will come
through association and un-
derstanding, not through leg
islation.
William r. Perry.