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Cultural Division

NATIONAL NEGRO CONGRESS

Initiating Committee:
PAUL ROBESON
CARL VAN DOREN
MARGARET WEBSTER

Executive Secretary:
VIRGINIA GERSON

Room 415-45 Astor Place
New York 3, N.Y. GR 3-8569

February 27, 1947

Mr. Langston Hughes
Atlanta University
Atlanta, Georgia

Dear Mr. Hughes:

Those of us who work in the cultural world have been deeply concerned with the problem of discrimination against the Negro people as it is manifested in the art fields.

As you know, this discrimination takes on so many forms - discrimination in employment in the theatre, screen, radio, music, and publishing fields; and the shabby stereotyping of the Negro people that is widespread in the content of American culture.

For this reason, we have called a "Conference for Free Expression in the American Arts" to be held on March 16th, at the Murray Hill Hotel in New York City. It is to be a working conference of people in the cultural fields.

A Call to the Conference is enclosed and I believe it will give you a fuller idea of the problems we mean to tackle.

We feel that you would be the ideal keynote speaker for such a Conference and the committee now working on the preparations for the Conference have asked me to extend to you our invitation to make the keynote address.

Of course I need not urge upon you the importance of the problem. I can only tell you that we feel that your presence at the Conference and the contribution you can make to it will be immensely important to the success of the Conference.

We shall of course be happy to reimburse you for the expenses involved in your making the trip.

MW/VLC

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