Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1962-10-20


Weiiare and housing, In the struc-
ture OF law and law observance, and
generally In the enjoyment of more
equal opportunities to do things. to
move In society, to work, produce
and consume without meeting seq
regation and discrimination.
--A-->-~~
Prejudice itself is also slow to
disappear, though It's legal and in
stitutional retaining walls are
crumbling. There is still long road
70 travel before America becomes
N fact the egalitarian country of
us creed. But In historical per.
'pectiye the rapidly of progress Is
astonishing. Let us remember that
practically all of this progress has
taken place in the short period Of
the last twenty years. following six
decades of stagnation and that Its
coming was not anticipated By
most students of the American
scene.
The progressive achievements Of
recent years have not been won
without efforts. Every individual
advance on the whole broad front
has had to be fought for, son1e-
times against fierce resistance. In
the general advance, unfortunate
incidents occur which deeply dis
turb the participants. But we
should not expect the uprooting Of
racial inequality in the face Of In
herited and emotionladen pfejudices
to be frictionless.
GOOD FROM THE BAD
In sense, unpleasant incidents
even have a function to fulfill in
this process of advance
In this light, the Little Rock dis
turoances and the many other I'M
fortunate incidents reported daily
IN the American press have their
positive role to play in giving mo-
mentum to social advance.
maintain that it is important to
see clearly that the trend Moves
sCeeply upwards, in order to avoid
and to sustain the
determination required in the
sklrmshlng that may still be neces-
Sary. In this new epoch the Negro
cause is a winning one.
1 have not the slightest doubt
mat we shall continuously see great
in the Negroes status
n American society. and I even
[oresee that the rising trend of the
past two decades will accelerate. It
would take me too afield to ex-
plain all my reasons for this con-
yiction.
But, among them. on the ma
erial side, is the growing affluence
# society which provides more ell
VOW room for everybody and has
little interest in pushing into the
Itch.
On the spiritual side, there is
he reality of the ideals enshrined
n your Constitution and rooted in
ne hearts of the American people.
With rising levels of education
he hold of these ideals in America
continuously strengthened. In
reasingly, the false and derogatory
ellefs about Negroes, which have
illed the function of rationalizing
reJudiceS, can be expressed only
y those willing to betray their own
ack of culture.
ELF-SEGREGATION MUST GO
I should not be fully candid with
GU, If at this point I did not stress
mother implication of the integra-
on of the Negroes in the wider
merican society, namely that the
egro professional middle and up
rss will have to surrender
,onomsc monopolies which they.
ave held, and are still holding, on
lie basis of prejudice. You cannot
y for the breaking down of the
allsof segregation and discrimina-
on while lat the same time, hop
lg to retain petty monopoly pre-
,rves among a Negro clientele to
i've you comfortable and uncon-
,sted economic safety. You must
ave the courage to choose a harder
fe in which your abilities will be
,sted against the norms established
/ the wider American society and
ldeed, in the whole world.
AS the indignation process pro-
eeds, the problems of the Ne
roeS will gradually tend to dis
ppear as separate problems. For
ing time yet, there will undoubtly
e problems of breaking down seq
egation and discrimination against
Iegro families in housing. But the
eneral problem of slum clearance
4 American cites is the bigger
nd more important one. And the
Iegroe's stake in that bigger pro-
lem is the greater as there is no
ope for a satisfactory separate
olution to the housing problems of
Jegroes as long as slums remain
blot on American. cities.
The schools Most Negro children
tend are bad in the South and
ten in some parts of the North,
Ut many other schools are also
i'd, and the best hope for Negroes,
in this period of de-
,gregation, is a campaign for i'm
rowing the schools generally.
In this situation, it is both ma
lral and necessary that Negroes
Mould support and join those
,rces in American society which
and for general social and eco
omic progress. When narrower
roup interests are submerged and
ne pursuit of social advantage for
he whole community is brought to
he fore. a major step towards the
omplete indignation of Negroes in
sodiety will have been,
AIKEN.
To fight discrimination against
Tegroes in the labor market rel
lains naturally task that cannot