The Detroit tribune. (Detroit, Mich.) 1935-1966, 1960-04-16
DETROIT TRIBUNE, SATURDAY, APRIL 16 1860 3
: EDITORIAL :
Problems Of Progress

Excerpts from the Mar 1900 issue OF The ADJ buIen)
new chapter in the history of race relations in the
United States began February 1860, at 4:30 pm
Four freshmen from the North Carolina & T College
"a Negro instutiOn-sat down and stayed at the lunch
counter of Wooworth's in Greensboro North Carolina.
Their sitdown form of nonvolent protest against
discrimination Almost overnight it emuated by Ne
gro students in than dozen Southern communities
The contagon of and resoue action continues to
spread rapidly.
When it hit Richmond, Virginia, the Richmond News
Leader took serious Southern look at of the downs:
Here the colored students, in coats, white
Shirts ties and of them reading Goethe and
taking notes from biology text And here on the
sidewalk outside was gang of white boys to hec
ke ragtail rabble ckjawed black acketed, grin
ming fit to kill and of them God save the mark,
waving the proud and honored flag OF the Southern
states in the last war fought by gentlemen 1t gives
one pause
The slumbering giant the Negro community of the
South beginning awaken and realize its strength
is acting with dignity and relentless purpose The current
movement part of dynamic social revolution that will
inevitably bring about drastic changes in relatively short
time.
Southern whites alert to the situation and its
ing Witness the violence which has eruped in Chatanoo
ga Montgomery, Columbia, Houston and half dozen NO
Carolina cities Yet by their nonvioence Negroes are bal
fling both hostile whites and police officials
Their quiet courage marks the road to progress But
this very progress when is achieved will raise host OF
new problems place ntergroup relations
This will be of the primary challenges OF the 9oOs:
Americans-both majority and minority group members
may be- to roles and new relationships win eacn
other.
Behind the challenges the historic facts In the past
twenty years world has witnessed the most rapid adj
vance ever made in the history and status OF minority
groups The Four Freedoms seemed to be remote and un
atainabe ideal to the discranchsed people OF the world
Today of these same people are In actVe reVolt
against the achievement OF personal dignity ana
full citizenship And many have already won their fight
This rate of progress holds true for the United States
matter what of violence or neavlolence
may occasionally Customs and mores designed 10
limit the opportunities of mnores-"to keep them IN
their placeare yielding to legislative enactmens court
decisions executive DEGREES and above ALL new ana Deer
pubce morality
The most dramatic milestone reflectng the change in
attitudes was the Supreme Court decision OF May 1894
But legal mandate to desegregae had not come
highest court of the land there would be neea
for new estimate Of the role OF mnores IN ne
States During the past two decades onghed attudes
and beliefs about NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. Negroes oou'hei
Catholic Jews, Mexicans or womenhave become OUT
dated Traditional thinking had to be changed because Vi
changes in economy and population distribution levels OF
education and occupation and many others
The Supreme Court decision gave official sancon 70
process that had been underway for many yearS-a KIM
of creeping desegregation This trend was uneven usud
ly informal and often unnoced But it was the decision
that gave squirt of hope to minoriteS-and ngher
This is not to suggest that the walls of discrimination
have come umbing down. Five years after the decision
many of the walls almost high as ever-anu seei
ingy immovabe And progress in the field has produced
another tendency the part OF those VINO nave e
the fight-a feeling that victory is already "on anu '
the fight be relaxed.
In fact every advance has also brought new problems
which urgently need attention They concern all Americans
white or Negro northern southern. -,
Probably most American whites have grown up WIN
distorted ideas about Negroes Many still believe that
Negro is cross between and Uncle Tom ana lopsy
and often Something worse Usually only Negroes they
have ever met earned hir velhoods as servants OF III
other mental Jobs la,
1t is UNDERSTANDABLE difficult for white person. with
this limited experience to accept the idea that Negro
have similar background cultural attributes anu III
tellgence II is even harder for him to accept tne Mes
supervisor or superior the job primary chaenge
of the Sos will be the adjustments to these new reiaton
ships-n industry, in society in general