Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-03-11
Status Of Negro

"a on Giving World True
u. s. Picture" Constantine
Brown needs q stern II re-
strained answer. His illogical
position based on half
truths, unintelligent inter-
pretations. and pure chau-
whistle propaganda rivals
the rantings Of David Law
renee and Carlton Putnam.
It is, however. his view on
foreign policy which. II
adopted. would be most dam
gerous TO our national Sc
curity.
Most Of Mr.. Browns
column Is devoted to COM
parsons and his conclusions
and recommendations rest
on q comparison Of the
status Of the Negro with ta)
his previous condition and
with (b) the status Of peo-
pie In underprivileged coun-
tries. He argues that because
the Negro has made ire
mendous advances and be-
cause the level Of living for
the Negro along with all
American citizens surpasses
that Of the citizens Of many
other countries, therefore
the American Negro is a first
class citizen. The non Sc
quitur is clear; the fallacy
OF using isolated instances to
generalize Is elementary.
AS a matter Of fact the
denizens Of France. Tokyo
and Pakistan who queried
Mr.. Brown and expressed
their opinions are all more
nearly correct about the
status Of the American Me-
gro than Is Mr.. Brown.
The man from France
thinks all Negroes are starv-
ing. The facts are that ac-
cording to the last United
States census the average
white family income was
nearly twice that Of the
average colored family
$l.869: that nearly a mil
lion Negroes are in the east
ern migratory labor stream
alone. travelling and working
under deplorable living and
working conditions: that the
sharecropper system still ex-
lists in the South: that dis
elimination In hiring was so
widespread In America dur
ing the last World War that
President Roosevelt set up q
Fair Employment Practice
Committee, and today more
than IA States and innumer-
able cities recognize the
problem and have their own
Fair Employment Practice
Committees or Human Re-
lations Councils; and that
many labor unions do not
admit Negroes that they may
make q decent living. All this
Is akin to starvation and GER
tainly does not compare ia
vorably with the treatment
Of the average white Amer
lean.
The man from France
thinks that Negroes are
"given no voting rights"
He is not too far wrong. For
in the Southern States more
than 8 million potential Ne
gro voters are denied this
fundamental right through
intimidation and various
registration devi ces. The
problem Of Negro voting
caused a civil rights law to
be enacted by Congress. a
recent investigation by a
Civil Rights Commission and
comment by the President Of
the United States.
The man in France thinks
Negroes live in ghettos. This
is more truth than fiction.
The low economic status Of
Negroes through discrimina-
tory employment, federally
supported segregated hous-
ing and naked prejudice
have created ghettolike liv-
ing for millions particularly
in the South; and the slum
problem is recognized and is
being attacked even in the
Nations Capital.
The man In Tokyo has
heard that Negroes are
'lynched every day." Again.
this Is more truth than fic-
ton; for although the day Of
mob lynching has happily
passed, Negroes are lynched
today by bombings, fog
gings and killings and by
the device Of all-white juries
generating killers solely be-
cause the victim is a Negro.
In Pakistan an editorial
reflects the opinion that
Ameri can Negroes are