The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1961-02-10
Quakers
Continued from page u

This was accomplished after
the committee decided that the
most critical need was to do
something about the oldest chill
dren without schools +" A staff
worker. irene Osborne. was sent
into the county to determine
whether the children would be
Interested in attending schools
elsewhere.
Having found children interest
ed in attending school elsewhere
at no cost to their parents, the
worker began recruiting STU
dents. In September the children
went to school.
Other results Of the program
appear less tangible. Mrs. Baker
has organized the parents OF the
children away from home lto
Friends Club. This meets at least
once a month.
Friends Club
Mrs. Baker said. This group
is made up Of parents who need
to understand what is happening
to their children. One of the
things that is true in the South
or wherever people are so avidly
and viciously opposed to any
thing that sounds like Indignation
is that they haven't had good ex-
periences. She said the children
were having good experiences in
the integrated schools and that
she was anxious that their par
erts share that feeling.
Her reason: II think that
where people are kept apart,
both groups believe the worst of
each other"
Asked how do you overcome
that. she said: by providing
small integrated experiences.
She explained that the Farmville
office has leadership institute
composed of all leaders of the
community ttraining) centers.
AT one of these meetings l dis
cussed some of the prejudices
that they had to get out Of their
minds" Mrs. Baker said.
1T would be a fine thing for
some group to do Mrs. Baker
said in reply to a query whether
the AFSC is planning to send a
person to Prince Edward to work
with the white people. From her
discussion one gathers that her
efforts have been primarily with
the Negro community in the
county.
Long Range Job
Asked to further outline her re-
sponsibilities now that the group
of students have been placed in
schools, she said: The Prince
Edward County Christian Associ-
alton is working on the closed
schools, the community illness.
The AFSC thinks of its job as
being a much more long range
job than that Of PECCA."
Mrs. Baker said. Our office
says that one of the things that we
hope for is that this community
will come out of this very tragic
experience on higher level of
thinking and feeling -
My program is one in which
every minute of my time is de-
voted in trying to present people
to a new brand of thinking" the
AFSC worker said.
This new brand of thinking
originates with the national staff
Sponsoring committees for the
Out-of-State sponsored students
were set up. and in a report from
the national staff on the Prince
Edward project they were re-
minded to set up special activi-
ties for the children which in
clude wholesome interracial con
facts.
Cfaef Tccua
Quoting from a publication
from national ALSO headquar-
tiers in Philadelphia. provided
this reporter is the following:
Strongly recommended trips
to museums, concerts, special
activities of any kind. We especi-
ally encourage week end visits
with white families when host
families are Negro. Lest we for
get = these students were placed
in northern communities because
we felt that the cultural and
interracial opportunities were
broader. We could probably have
placed them all in nearby south
ern communities much more con-