Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1960-08-13
Miami Ministers
NAAcP Leaders
Face Possible
Imprisonment
Court To Act

Tallahassee, Fla. - Two Negro
ministers, leaders of the Miami
chapter of the National Associa-
tion for the Advancement of Col
ored People, face possible impris-
onment this week for their final
refusal on July 81 to provide
NAACP membership list or an
swer questions before the Florida
state Legislative Investigating
Committee.
The Rev. Theodore r. Gibson,
rector Of Christ Episcopal Church,
Miami, and president of the Miami
branch of the NAACF and The
Rev. Edward T. Graham, pastor of
the Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Mi
ami, past president of the Miami
NAACP, have fought efforts of
the state committee since 1857 to
obtain access to the NAACP lists
for the alleged purpose of investi-
eating Communists in the NAACP.
Both men appeared before Cliff
Herrell, chairman of the state COM
mittee at special hearing in the
state capitol Julyl 81 and again
refused to cooperate. Their re-
fusal eliminated three years Sc
ries of hearings and court actions
during which the committees right
to check membership lists has been
upheld by the Florida Supreme
Court and the United States Su-
preme court which refused to re-
view contempt citations voted by
the committee as result of the
refusals of the two ministers to
cooperate.
A Responsibility To Posterity"
It is expected that the next step
in the case will come when Cir
cult Judge w. May Walker of the
Leon County Court in Tallahassee
who had previously ordered the
two men to cooperate with the COM
mittee is provided with a trans
cript of the July 81 committee
hearings.
Judge Walker has wide discre-
ton in imposing penalties and can
order the men imprisoned or fined
on the charge of contempt of a
previous court order to testify
Attorneys for the two defendants
expect that he will rule swiftly
but state that there are no pree-
edents in Florida law to guide III
a determination of the sentence.
The two men have had the sup
port of counsel furnished by the
NAACP and the American Civil
Liberties Union.
Rev. Graham stated following
the hearing that his refused 20
testify was based on a "responsi-
bility to posterity" and that he
had been supported in his convic-
tons by the courage of Tallahas-
see youth who had gone to Jail for
asserting their rights during lunch
counter sit-ins. Rev. Graham
stated:
eve are certain that the invest
igating committee did not keep
faith. It said it was going to in
vestigate the Ku Klux Khan and
the White Citizens Councils and
all who were stirring up race hate.
1t is obvious, however, that the
committees prime motive has been
to harrass Negro leadership. The
state has not convinced me that
it's right is more compelling than
the rights given me as an individ-
ual in the Bill of Rights of the
United States Constitution.
"Those of us in leadership at
this time have a responsibility to
posterity to guarantee the estab-
lishment of rights to all individ-
uals alike. We must do this now
so that those who come after us
will have the opportunity to take
their rightful places in the main
stream of American life"
In a previous appearance before
Judge Walker, on May 80 Rev.
Gibson stated his reasons for re-
fusing to permit any check of the
NAACP membership lists. If it be-
came known that a Negro min
lister who had been active in in
tegration efforts was a member
of the NAACP. Rev. Gibson said.
"his life would not be wort
plugged nickel"