St. Paul recorder., 1963-03-21
A Trip To
Washington
Washington Diary
BY CECIL NEWMAN

of Feb. IL.
The editor Of a New York news
paper said jokingly to the writer
IF "a nuclear attack was mad
tonight on the White House, in ad
dition to the President and severa'
cabinet members, the principal Ne.
gro leaders in the nation, in the
civil rights field especially, woulc
all be eliminated with one ex-
plosion."
Fellow, we said, "how grue-
some can you get?"
I'm not Kidding" he remarked
"just speculating. Just look around
and you'll see what I mean"
To ourself we had to admit he
had a point. Looking around at
the reception we could see Roy
Wilkins, executive head of our
most powerful civil rights organ
ization, the NAACP; there was
James Farmer Of CORE whose
direct protests against segregation
have stirred the nation in recent
months. There was Whitney y
Young, administrative head of the
National Urban League, the social
service agency whose rapport and
cooperation with the more en-
nghtened members of industry and
business have greatly improved the
chances of the American Negro to
advance in his chosen field.
Both Weaver, DR.. Robert, the
Housing Administrator who has
been placed in a difficult but
strategic position to help rid the
nation of housing Jimcro and
George L. the assistant secretary
of Labor, both giants in their
fields. There were such jurists as
Judge Raymond Pace Alexander
and Michigan Supreme Court JUS
tice Otis Smith.
Roland Hayes, the first of the
Negro singers to be recognized as
a concert singer. There were the
top college presidents James Nab
rit of Howard, Stephen Wright of
Fisk, Jerome Holland of Hampton,
Albert Dent of billiard.
The Associated Negro Press's
Claude Barnett and his lovely wife
Eta Moten. Detroit's Congress
man Charles C. Diggs, who intro
duced us to his pretty wife; the
first Negro Georgian elected to the
Empire State of the South's legis-
lature since reconstruction; Pub
Usher John H. johnson Of Ebony,
Jet, Tan and Negro Digest mag
azine empire; the Baptist leader,
Rev. ]. H. Jackson, Sammy Davis,
Jr., and Dick Gregory both en-
tertainers who pull more than
their share in trying to make the
American Dream come true.
There were many others, many
whom we knew by first names,
others who were just names we've
read In AMP stories we've run in
this paper. There was Herbert Ev-
ans, young NY. attorney who had
just resigned a seat in the New
York City Council to take another
$25, 900 job in the city's housing
authority.
We tried to greet all the people
we knew but we failed because
there wasn't enough time at
the White House. Afterward
however at Zeta Phi Beta house,
a 40 room old mansion we had
opportunity to chat with those
we missed at the White House.
A portion of those who attended
the Kennedy party were invited by
word Of mouth to come to another
party given by the five Negro
Congressman, William Dawson,
Illinois; Augustus Hawkins, Calf. /;
Adam Clayton Powell Of NY,
Robert Nix of Pennsylvania and
Charles Diggs, Of Michigan.
The only one of the five we no
ticed on hand was Diggs at the
after-party. He acted as host.
There we found White House as
sociate press secretary Andrew
Hatcher circulating quietly with a
happy smile on his face. There we
congratulated Louis Martin, deputy
national chairman Of the Demo-
cratic National Committee, who
built the Michigan Chronicle into
one Of the nations newspapers,
took over the executive editorship
of the Chicago Defender, went to
Nigeria to help set up a commun-
ications system Of newspapers,
radio and TV for the soon-to-be
independent nation.
Martin who is given credit for
recommending that the Kennedy's
entertain leading Negro and white
American civil rights leaders on
Lincoln's birthday was a popular
figure at the party standing mod
estly aside he took the congratula-
tions in stride.
During the early days Of the Ma
tional Newspaper Association Mar
tin and the writer were room
mates at some of the early con-
ventons. Even as a young man
one could tell he was going places.
Another one of our old friends
Thomas Young, publisher Of the
Norfolk Journal & Guide, an early
supporter of John Sengstacke in