Jackson advocate., 1963-06-01
ON BEING
SAVED"
JOSEPH r. ALBRIGHT

sAsNt 1DSFS S~AAS u
am an American who just hap
pens to be a Negro.
Of all these categories, the
last is the most important; for
anyone race, creed, color,
sex or national origin notwith-
standing ia. who lives in this
country and fails to be grateful
for the blessings endowed in
being an American is guilty of
the most despicable ingratitude
possible. This I say without
reservation.
AS this is written, Jackson is
again confronted with swarm
of "saviors" who through "dem-
onstrations" propose to institute
a program of Saving" me.
These self appointed demon
strators" will permit themselves
to be arrested, jailed and fined
as an expression of martyr
dom" to dramatic the sad
plight of poor little downtrod-
den me. 1t seems that this de-
plorable state of something or
other in which / am supposed
to be stems from the fact that
I am not properly "integrated"
with the white folks.
Frankly, l couldn't care less.
I have always held the convic-
ton that people are people,
and that any anthropological
distinctions they might possess
are of scant Importance. l am
blessed with my own cherished
friends and associates .
which | have chosen voluntari-
ly, as it should be and be-
yond these it matters but little
with whom / come in contact,
sit down with, or otherwise
meet. So much for that.
But let US get on with this
discussion of my salvation. If
| gave the matter the considera-
ton of a century of thought l
could not come up with any
thing more stupid than being
Saved" from all the inherent
assets of my racial possessions.
| have yet to see a single effort
made to "save" the Mississip-
plans of Jewish, Irish, German,
Syrian or citizens of any other
white" racial extraction from
the acceptance of their prideful
heritages. None of these are
being asked to surrender the
products of their respective ra-
cial distinctions. No, it is just
l who am being zealously ex-
horted by these "saviors" to
"integrate" myself into being
neither fish nor fowl and
by so doing to admit that / have
nothing worthy of merit and
self respect that l have created
or with which / am endowed.
God forever prevent me from
making such a ridiculous and
degrading admission.
/ don't want to be Saved"
from the continuous, adoring as
sociation of my own desirable
women, some of the earth's
loveliest creatures from my
own churches which stand as
perpetual guiding lights in
showing me the path Of right
eousness >. from my own fra
ternal organizations that have
provided me with the treasured
fellowship of my own brethren
-. from my own great educa-
tional institutions without
which it would have been
sorry day for Negro progress
-. from my own publications
to America for more than two
hundred years and certainly
not from my friendship and en-
couragement that I receive daily
from that long and splendid list
of white Mississippians without
whose generous, sympathetic aid
I could never walk successfully
down the high road of progress.
I'm going to continue placing
my salvation where it belongs
in my faith in God and the
decency Of my fellow Missis-
sippians. For I know that the
ultimate salvation for me or
anyone else lies in that first
and great Commandment: "Thou
shalt have no God before me-,
and the second which is like un-
to it: "Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself".
And I know, too, that having
said He only helps those who
help themselves, He is going to
take q dim view Of my riding
on the backs of "saviors", self
appointed or otherwise.
j..