Minneapolis spokesman., 1962-12-28
The Year 1862
Was Eventful
CONTINUED from Page u


have found their Constitutional rights abrogated
and on all the fronts where minority Americans
and violated by either custom, or local laws.
CORE has been In the forefront Of direct
action and demonstrations participated In largely
by groups Of Negroes, and whites against dis
criminatory practices against mlnorities, notably
Negroes, In housing, public accommodation areas.
The National Urban League with affiiates in
over half hundred cities, generally supported by
the Community Chests or United Funds Of the COM
snunities In which it operates continues to offer
valuable services to communities wrestling with
race problems at a relatively small cost for great
services rendered
Tho Southern Christian Leadership Confer
ence headed by Dr. Martin Luther King and other
ministers of tho gospel has done q magnificent
job by using the non-violent-Gand method Of
protest which proved effective In Montgomery,
Ala, movement against public transportation dis
elimination.
Negro ministers, the original leaders Of the
American Negro and who in the past four decades
lost that leadership to the politicians the business
community the social welfare workers have come
back strong into the leadership circle. The example
set by Baptist ministers like Martin Luther King
Abernathy and F. L. Shuttlesworth have inspired
other ministers to action in behalf Of the Negro seq
ment Of the national population
The action Of the Philadelphia pastors Of Negro
church in forming tacit organization to work
against the discrimination in job opportunity against
Negroes is example Of the re-emergence Of the
Negro minister potent leadership factor in the
Negros march towards equality Of opportunity. The
so-called "selective buying campaign Of Phiadel-
phia Negroes led by the informal group Of Negro
pastors has resulted in thousands of payroll dollars
from jobs never before held by Negroes, who
barred from them simply because of their race.
This movement Is perhaps the most signiflc-
ant development Of the past two years and
reached It's greatest fruitiOn In 1862 when its
challenge to the great A. & p. chain Is a topic
Of great discussion In American business circles.
In 1862 there was hardly state or a city in
the nation with the exception Of the hard-core
racialy antediluvan communities Of the South
which does not boast interracal human rights
commissions usually composed Of citizens Of all
and religious faiths, interested in coming TO
grips, with the issues of race, color and religion
which sap much of American unity and progress,
and place the nation in an embarrassing position
in the world grown small.
In forthcoming issues we will deal with the
progress which our people have made which in
reality is not just progress for the Negro alone,
for as we have often pointed out If the Negro who
has tradidonally been the low man the totem
pole" makes advance, one can be sure that the
country is making advance socially spiritually,
economically and materially.
In 1862 the Negro made advances Of great
significance In government school integratiOn,
to public accommodations, voting, employ
ment, the field Of sports both amateur and pro-
fessional entertainment and literature.
Today, never before the American Negro Is
the topic of living room discussions in millions Of
homes Of the white segment Of the nations popula
ton. Both the American Negro and his black
cousin Of emerging Africa are popular objects Of
articles and comment in American mass media.
Daily newspapers who only few years ago
ignored the life Of the American Negro to an amaz-
ing degree except the sports pages regularly
devote many columns dealing with the Negro as a
part Of the population and touching upon his life
and the community state and nation. The same Is
true In other forms Of mass media
In the area OF race conflict, controversy and
progress, television made the biggest contri-
button to American knowledge Of the prob
lem In 1852. Network documentaries various
facets Of tho problem are most beneficial to
American education on the problems Of the Negro,
and the faco Of his antagonists. 1t Is accident
that southern white mobs first strike Mt the tele-
vision camera even the newspaper reporters
armed with cameras when they began their do
predations. Even tho T.V. sports programs with In
tegrated teams leave their impact on tho race
sccnc.
The pitiless photo lens, from which television
gets its Life tells graphically than the printed
word Of what mind and substance the political
demigod the professional racist Is made The moral
depravity Of those who would deny fellow Amer
lean his basic rights doesn't look good when exposed
to the T.VI camera and In this respect part of the
progress which race relations made in 1862 can be
traced to T.V.
The year 1862 was big year for the American
Negro and thereby for a free American a whole.
We expect 1868 the year Of the Tooth Anniversary
of the great human freedom document the Emanci-
patton Proclamation to be even greater.
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