Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1961-07-29
TheOther Side

From: The Huntsville Mirrow, Huntsville, Alabama
Quite few Southerners have expressed strong
sentiment socaled inflammatory film about seq
regaton recently teevsed by the British Broadcastng
Corp.
The film. who Speaks for the South" had to do
with relations in Birmingham and is considered by
many prominent Southerners highly preudiced. The
writer hasn't the film and thus cannot comment
the merits of the criticism against it, but does bring
up the question, "How should the South speak for it.
self?
The question is highly important at this time, for
apparently whatever the outside communication agen-
cies do is quite right The problem is tough
and getting tougher. If the Souths story isn't being
told properly, what is being done about it?
The writer knows the South and after more than
forty years of living and working in the South and deal
ing with Southerners of both groups high and low he
may be able to point out few mistakes and make
few helpful suggestions Nobody likes to be criticized
unjusy, but just getting peeved about it isn't the
answer. Answer adequately the criticism.
One mistake Southerners make in presenting their
case to others is that all of the emphasis about good
relations generally put what's been done and is
ing in the school business.
We've got million dollar school the story goes, in
speeches, articles, and films for coored folks over
across town Therefore we're treating Negroes right
Over and and over, this is the story Southern
present to the outside world Progress many other
not exploited publicity wise In business agr
culture in government in civic life. And it is not
plotted because of the South's communication
SidednesS
Negro rob store and the story makes
everybody's paper but Negro write book put
in thirty uninterrupted years at Empire Oil and it goes
unnoticed. There numerous examples of this but
in the act of making that the Negro doesn't get
too good picture of himself, Southerners nadvert-
emily give bad picture of relations in the region
The onesded bad picture of the Negro gives the South
erner himself bad picture of his neighbor creates
bad feeling in the Negro, and bad reactions in
everyday life by both. Total result-a bad picture of
the South
Furthermore sometives the plain truth is the best
defense. There are good reasons historical and
sociological reasons why things are like thew are Stu
atoms which can be aleviated only by deveopmental
chronological operations. To fight back by fbbng by
saving that Negroes communist, that they want
to marry white girls and that there are no problems in
this area or that won't do it.
Moreover, the South misses one of its best bets
when it leaves Negroes off its problem-soving commit
tees. Southern mayors at this time heading for
southwde conference. Chances they will meet and
plan and explain and give their story to the outside
world Chances are no Negro individual Negro SUBJ
committee will have anything to do with the story and
hence it's going to look one-sided if it isn't.
Civil Defense committees for example. planning for
the survival OF American communities in event of
&c warfare meet and plan and exercise with the Negro
left out entirely
Nobody prove the existence of good relations
when the outside world folks not speaking terms
with each other Southerners who want others to be-
eve and know that everything is all right have got to
let them see that everything is all right
The best advertisement that the South has is the
Negro citizen himself in his everyday, workaday world
IN his community, in his home where he works. with
whom he works. how he works, the record of his work
not school building for colored folks the rea-
son for which is not one of the better stories.
And the best help in creating this advertisement
is the Negro himself If Southerners will use and de-
velop all the good stories they have inside the South
then they'll have good stories to tell outside the South