St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1961-02-24

or ethnic group in ghetto living.
School Segregation Product of
Ghetto
School segregation, a national
issue, is in northern areas a direct
product of housing and discrimin-
alton ghettoization in the northern
tier of states. Such discrimination
in Minnesota has only served to
induce community rot in the total
community via the ghetto from
which all suffer in some way or the
other, sooner or later.
A sign of progress in Minnesota
has been the widespread accept
ance of the principle by many in
dividuals, led by the organized
church that housing discrimination
should be eliminated.
Public Housing Leads In Nom
Discrimination
Both Minneapolis and st. Paul,
despite the discrimination, lead the
nation in Indignation of public
housing. Both the Twin Cities
Housing and Redevelopment Auth
critics have well established and
enforced well defined policies
which make public housing avail
able to all who may qualify for it
on a non-segregated and non-dis-
criminatory basis.
A backward note is that Twin
City politicians often use the race
issue to fight for selfish reasons
the work or projects of the hous-
ing authorities in both cities.
This is not done openly but in
a whispering campaign which at
tempts to show the no-discrimina-
ton policy of the authority in pub
lie housing is an evil practice and
not decent policy designed to use
the public funds which support the
authority, on a strictly no-bias
basis.
In the past IA months the num-
bers of Negroes in Minnesota en-
tering industry in the science field
has steadily increased. A notable
example was General Mills en-
ployment of DIR. James White, a
chemical engineer for its research
division.
Other firms like Minneapolis
Honeywell continue to comb tech
nology schools for the best grad
yates, regardless Of color or race
and this firm has the highest
number of Negro employees in
volved in research, production and
engineering areas.
The category ranges from lib
rarians to supervisory engineering
posts. There are Negroes serving
as specialists in research, physics,
chemistry and other fields on the
Honeywell staff.
OF all Of the nationally known
firms with home offices here, on
the production lines, in the offices,
Honeywell now leads all factories
in the employment Of Negro labor
at its highest level of skill.
Negroes training in business and
office work at the lower levels
find no difficulty obtaining jobs in
the Twin Cities. 1t is in the execu-
tive and supervisory level where
there is still much to be done for
the acceptance of Negro men and
women. Limited generally in on
the-job upgrading, the Negro
worker finds obstacles to the high
er jobs.
There are increasing numbers of
Negroes in the field of accounting
and a few in office management.
In the industries which do employ
large clerical stats, the Negro
has not scratched the surface. A
number of firms as token gestures,
have included Negro female clerks,
typists and some stenographers in
their office set-up.
There are stin too many young
Negro men and women who do
not seek training simply because
they believe, or have been told
IL win be difficult to secure white
collar employment.
At the present time this cores
pondent does not know Of a single
trained Negro office worker male
or female, who is qualified and
competent who is not steadily en-
ployed.
In this area and others Negro
churches, civic groups and COM
munity leaders should emphasize
with greater regularity the need
for youngsters to obtain the best
education they can in any field for
which they have aptitude or In
terest. Today's American business
and industry more than ever be-
fore is looking for people especial.
ly at the office level, who can dc
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