St. Paul recorder., 1963-11-28
ISSUES: GOOD
AND BAD
BY p. L. PRATTIS

SSS NSN0NoS AAC WIN 6AAC PoAAO
to them, Congressman Adam Clay
ton Powell and Malcom x of the
separatist Black Muslin sect, have
demanded that DR.. Ralph ].
Bunche, Undersecretary for Politi-
cal Affairs of the United Nations,
rejoin the Negro race. The infer
ence Is rather clear.
DR.. Bunche is, first Of all, null
alto. Second, he has since 1915
been engaged in high level opera
tons with the United Nations. This
has kept him from being a So
called race leader"
The immediate cause Of the ire
Of Congressman Powell and NAL
colin x was criticism Of them ex-
pressed by DR.. Bunche in the
course Of an address he recently
made at Tougalou College, near
Jackson, Miss. DR.. Bunche won
criticism from both sides for that
speech. Gov. Ross Barnett of Miss
issippi e1coriated him. Likewise,
Gov. George Wallace Of Alabama.
This indicates to me that. DR..
Bunche was selecting his targets
carefully and purposely.
I very much wonder If we have
reached the point where Negroes
who write and speak must con-
form to what mob leaders" and
race leaders" demand. I wonder
If a reservoir Of scorn Is to be
loosed against the nonconformists,
those who question whether this
or that Is right.
Since the courts have made 1t
presently Manageable to call the
man, or woman, with whom you
disagree an 'Uncle Tom," are we
going to invite him to leave the
Negro race or to rejoin the Negro
race? Are we going to seek to sell
him off as a traitor to the Negro
race?
Certainly, a social audit Of all
that has gone on in the last couple
Of years would indicate that some
mistakes have been made. More
certain it is that there has been a
rash of unwise statements. Con-
gresham Powell, who has just lost
a huge suit against him for libel, is
no dlrffer when it comes to speak
ing out Of the wrong side of his
mouth. Malcolm KS crudities may
be entertaining but they reflect
only frenzy to take advantage of
a situation, admittedly bad.
There are those who do take
some second thoughts. Quite re-
Gently, the leaders Of huge demon
stratons at a construction site In
Brooklyn last summer were forced
to confess that their demonstrat-
ing had not brought results. Hun
dreds went to Jail but no hundreds
went to work.
This has left the. leaders of those
demonstrations very disconsolate
They frankly don't know what
they can do next. Now, of course,
this does not mean that all demon
strations are futile. 1t does mean
that each and every demonstration
must be thought through and a de-
cision must be made as to whether
the demonstration or some other
tactic, Is the best to get results.
The point Is that there can always
be room for criticism without be-
ing disloyal to the race.
I know Of few Negroes, elevated
to a high position like DR.. Bunche,
who would have retained more
loyalty to their own people than
the United Nations undesecretary.
The battle for his people which be-
gan early in the life Of Ralph
Bunche is a part Of his bone and
marrow. Fortunately, or unfortun-
ately, he Is not the flamboyant
type.
But when the chips are down,
when 1t is necessary to say or to
do, there will never be need to
question DR.. Bunche. He may be
wrong sometimes, but he Is always
going to believe he Is doing what
Is best for his people.