St. Paul recorder., 1963-12-19

P.L. Prattis Mr.. White writes:
'Militancy is a
word that today reflects a special
posture or type of person. A Negro
leader must be known - first and
above all - among his own people
as militant Not to be militant
exposes a Negro to the charge that
he is an Uncle Tom Once known
as an Uncle Tom his career is
over"
Later, Mr.. White asks: 'Ts
there any area of this problem
in which men of goodwill, both
white and black, do agree priv
ately If not publicIy?"
While there are few, if any, Ne
groes who would wish that the
pace of the present revolution be
changed or that the new and young
leadership be repudiated, there
must be many Negroes (not speak
ing out in pubHc) who give much
private thought to some Of the tao
tics used in the present war"
against segregation and discrim-
ination.
How can the thinking Of this
group, which is actually the power
structure" in the Negro communi-
ty be utilized? How can it be freed
from its present fears so that it
can say publicly what it thinks
privately? Or is this group des-
tined to remain quiet while others
call the tunes?
There are those who would
contend that the present revOlu-
tiOn began in 1861 when the first
sit-in occurred in Greensboro,
NC. Or earlier, when the bus
boycott was staged in MOntgOm-
cry. 1 do not agree.
I believe the revolution began in
1909 when some whites and Ne
groes Joined in organizing the Ma
tional Association for the Advance
ment of Colored People. Practic-
ally every added measure Of free
dom which the Negro now enjoys,
as compared with the Negro of
1900, was sought and obtained for
him by the NAACP.
One must concede that demon
strations (most of them) are val
liable and constitute a sort of Soc
ial therapy. But none of the basic
victories to preserve and protect
the rights of Negroes was ever
won by demonstrations. The DEM
onstrations came as a result of vic
tories in the courts obtained by
the NAACP.
The bus boycott of Negroes in
Montgomery did not win for Ne
groes the right to sit where they
pleased in buses. This right was
insured because of an NAACP VIC
tory in the courts. And although
one could be grateful to the boy
cotters for helping to dramatize
the plight Of Negroes, the legal
victory Of the NAACP would have
brought to Montgomery Negroes
the right to sit where they pleased,
boycott or no boycott.
The impassiOned OratOry Of
DIR. Martin Luther King certain
ly reaches to the conscience Of
millions Of Americans who might
not otherwise be touched, but it
just happens that elOquence does
not have the clinching effect Of
court DEGREES. The major battles
for Negro rights have all been
won by the NAACP. 1t might be
said that the NAACP has set the
stage for others to "act up."
1t was indeed good that the first
Negro called upon by President
Johnson to visit with him was Roy
Wilkins, executive director Of the
NAACP. Mr.. Wilkins has been an
active general in the revolution for
many years. His leadership has
been strong, sensible and wise. And
ne has the courage to say In public
most Of what he privately thinks.
And In paying tribute to Mr..
Wilkins, we would not exclude
Whitney Young of the Urban
League, DR.. King and A. Philip
Randolph Of the Brotherhood Of
Sleeping Car Porters. These men
have led US through the wilderness
to that high mount from which we
lean see the Promised Land.
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