Evening star., 1963-01-16
Race Relations
Gain Explained
ByPeaceCorps
BY CASPAR NAMES
Star staff Writer


suit of deliberate efforts to
break existing patterns.
r. Sargent Shriver, director
of the Peace Corps, told a
dinner meeting Of the National
Conference on Religion and
Race at the Edgewater Beach
Hotel there is only one real
explanation of our success in
the field of race relations. We
made a deliberate effort to
change old patterns"
He then called on the nearly
700 delegates representing 70
Catholic, Protestant and jew
ish groups to make a con-
scious, deliberate assault on
racial barriers. From our ex-
perience in the Peace Corps I
know those barriers are vulner-
able"
Terming racial wrongs and
racial hatreds the central.
moral problem of our Republic"
Mr.. Shriver explained how the
Peace Corps faced and sur
mounted that stumbling block.
I'VE have tried in the Peace
Corps to deal positively with
the problem. For example,
we set out deliberately to re-
cruit as many Negroes and re-
presentatives of other minority
groups as possible for jobs in
every echelon."
IA Per Cent Negro
1--WE knew Negroes woulG not
ordinarily seek out these jobs
so we decided to seek them
out. Today, IA per cent o. our
higher echelon positions are
filled by Negroes.
Mr.. Shriver pointed out this
effort was not confined to Ne
groes but was extended to other
groups. He told how the Peace
Corps is operating in Moslem
countries despite early dire
predictions such nations would
not invite 1t in since "our pol
icies required that our volun-
teers be recruited without dis
elimination, be assigned
without discrimination and be
received without discrimina-
tion.
THE truth is the Peace
Corps is operating in three
Moslem countries. Some Of our
volunteers are Jewish and am
proud to report that every one
of them has been we,, received
by their Moselm hosts"
The speaker further re-
minded his audience that when
the corps was first formed, he
was told Protestant volunteers
would never be accepted in the
villages of Latin America.
The truth is that we have VOL
unteers all over Latin America,
many of the IN Protestant
young men and women, and
there has not yet been one in
cident of discrimination.
Message from President
Mr.. Shriver spoke as the
Conference on Religion and
Race, first of its kind to be
sponsored by the three major
faiths acting CO operatively
entered the second day of its
four-day meeting.
At a news conference pre-
ceding his formal address, Mr..
Shriver asserted prejudice is
not susceptible to solution by
legislation or court action. It
has to be eliminated in the
ears Of people before it can
be implemented by legislation"
Dr.. Martin Luther King, noted
Negro minister and leader in
the fight against racial segre-
CATION who will address the
conference luncheon tomorrow,
in a press conference yesterday
declared racial prejudice is
based on fears and suspi-
cions that are usually ground
less. The churches and syn
agogues can do a lot to clear
out these half-truths so people
will see the truth and not be
misled by false propaganda"
He said the Black Muslin
movement did not come out
of thin air. Some conditions
brought it into being. 1t is in
dicative of the discomfort, un-
rest and Illustration Of many
Negroes in this country"
Hopes for Meredith
while I condemn the philos-
ophy of this particular move
ment. it is important to work
vigorously to remove the con-
ditions that brought it into be-
ing" DR.. King asserted. I'VE are
making some strides and the
more strides we make. the more
this movement will diminish"
The Negro leader expressed the
hope that James Meredith
would stay at the University Of
Mississippi despite all his prob
lens.
He has faced more constant
harassment than any crusader
who pioneered the integration
Of the schools in the South" DR.
King declared. But I hope
things will develop in the next
few days so that he will re-
main despite the terrible diff
culties."
The conference will close to-
morrow with the reading and
probable adoption of a Declar-
alton OF Conscience by the con-
ference. p
---KODACHR9ME-