St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1962-05-11

The Missouri-born, Minnesota
reared and educated NAACP ex-
ecutive told a banquet audience of
almost 300 persons assembled Sat
urday night in the East Room of
the Curtis Hotel that the NAACP
has daily activity going on in
most of the so states Of the union.
Wilkins stated the civil rights
fight has no racial lines or geo
graphical lines. 1t is a fight for
dignity and freedom"
Factual cases were mentioned
by wilkins stretching from the
Western part of the USA to the
state Of Maine in substantiating
the magnitude and diversity Of
NAACP operations.
He cited work various branches
are doing in the courts, in the
areas of public opinion, in the
direct protests of the sit-ins and
selective buying in many states in
the North as we'll as the South.
Referring to Missouri's proud
boast that he is native born VIII
kins stated with some emotion
that no matter where he has lived,
Minnesota always has that spot IN
his heart that makes him feel this
state is his real home. This brought
applause from the local residents
who have watched Wilkins career
which took him through the public
schools of st. Paul, the University
of Minnesota to a place of import
ance on the national scene.
wilkins talk was serious, but
interlaced with quietly humorous
asides. He congratulated the Min
neapOlis branch led by Curtis
Chivers as president for the
excellent arrangements which
made the regional leadership
training conference, 1.-The best I'm
the history Of Region f."
Wilkins talked at great length
about the reversed Freedom
rides" currently being offered by
the White Citizens Council to any
Negro dissatisfied with his or her
lot in the southland He claimed
the White citizens showed their
hand with this venture. They've
really got their backs to the wall"
Wilkins said.
He compared shipping poor I'M
employed, undereducated southern
Negroes to the North with Hitler's
shipping of Jews from city to city
in the early days of his campaign
to decimate the Jews.
Wilkins also congratulated the
state on having a governor as in
terested in human rights as Gov.
Elmer L. Andersen, who extended
greetings to the conference. IT'S
too bad" Wilkins stated I'VE don't
have more state governors like
Gov. Andersen in both the north
and south"
Forrest Harris, administrative
secretary to Mayor Arthur Malta
lin made a big hit with the audi
ence in pinch-hitting for the Mime
apolis chief executive who was
representing the us. at a interna-
tional conference Of mayors in
Vienna.
Harris stated he was both
happy and sorry to greet the
organization. He said 1t was too
bad that 1t was necessary In the
United States to have an or
/ ganization which had to use
its energies to obtain the rights
guaranteed by the US. Con-
stitutiOn.
He was happy he stated because
the NAACP was doing a real job
in the interest of safeguarding the
basic rights of all Americans.
Governor Elmer Andersen who
received a standing ovation after
an introduction by Cecil E. New
man, Twin City publisher said he
considered the human rights issue
the most important domestic issue
before the American people.
He said he was happy to be a
part of an organization which was
doing such a magnificent job to
halt the practices which embarass
the nation all over the world.
Andersen, a former state sem
ator said one Of the greatest
thrills he had received in his
public life was the night the
Minnesota State Senate passed
the FEPC bill Of which he was
cO-authOr.
I Another thrill he said almost
comparable was the passage of the
fair housing law in the 1861 ses-
sion. He told how supporters of
the measure of which he was a
leading figure gathered in the
office for a jubilant party after
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