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About Portland inquirer. (Portland, Or.) 1944-194? | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 1946)
Page Eight PORTLAND INQUIRER Friday, February 1. IMS Scenes Taken at Benson High School When Langston Hughes Spoke Which Was Undei the Direction of the Urban League of Portland Scene 1. Mr. Hughes in a famil iar pose. Scene 2. A view of some of the 1.200 persons who heard Mr. Hughes speak. Scene 3. A part of the many service men. under Cpl. Joe Brooks, who were guests of the Urban league and occupied spec ial seats. Scene 4. A picture of Mr. Ed win C. Berry—The Executive Sec retary of the Portland League. Scene 5. Mrs. Aldena E. Run- nells, the efficient and friendly Assistant of Mr. Berry. By Chesley E. Corbett On the cover of the program passed out when Mr. Langston Hughes spoke here at Benson High appeared an article which I think is worthy of re-printing; it is billed as: the foremost organizations work ing for better relationship be tween m ajority and minority groups. In order to give you some inform ation along this line we desire to publish the follow ing: “Quote” The Urban League does not be lieve in this dual system of citi zenship—one set of rights and privileges for w hite citizens and another set for Negro citizens, ’i nese bitter inequalities, these cruel injustices, bred more often by misinformation than malice, the League seeks to destroy. The Urban League believes in America and the principles of democratic governm ent; it be (An Interpretive Statement lieves in American people, their The National Urban League had Quote: innate love of liberty, their sense its origin in New York City 35 America is a Democracy!—a na years ago. The newest of the af of right, their desire for fair play. tion whose people fight for the branches is the Urban The Urban League recognizes chance for “every individual to filiated League of Portland, which has the em ergence of a serious prob become w hat he is capable of be just been organized. lem in Portland and is cognizant coming” ; for the right of each The Urban League is a move of the need for all the people of individual to "freedom and the m ent of Americans, people of this comm unity to aw aken; to pursuit of happiness“. But our goodwill, of all colors, learn the tr uth about each other, exciting Am erican Creed is blunt creeds, and people national origins, who to work together, black and white ly contradicted in Portland and believe that COOPERATION alike; not for a comm unity in elsew here in America by the de coercion, intelligence and not not which whites can live at east, ig nial of the freedom of opportu norance, will solve the m ultitude nor a pleasant place for Negroes, nity and choice— Am erica’s birth of m inority problems which we but a better city for all— a finer right—to thirteen million Negro have in our land. future for America. Americans. OUR PURPOSE THE PROBLEM Jim Crow is the anthithesis of our American Creed. Jim crow Black hands built ships, hewed j It is the purpose of the Urban divides Americans; causes fear, timber, cleared fields, plowed League to assist the comm unity in suspicion and hate to set Am eri land, bridged stream s and raised the process of integrating Negro cans one against the other; causes cities. Black bodies strained over Americans, to the end that con our nation to become internally the steel rails and the wooden ditions under which they live, weak. ties to send railroads, the arteries work, and play may be improved. Jim Crow lives in Portland! of the nation, spearing through It studies economic, social and His presence is m anifest by the mountains, tunnelled by Negroes, industrial conditions as they af ‘W hite Only” signs in restaurants, across bridges built by Negroes, fect Negroes and uses the findings hotels, and places of amusement; beyond prairies and swamps to acquaint the citizenry of the by the symbolic “W hite Only” m arked by Negro graves Black Portland area w ith the true pic signs on jobs, and on houses for bodies gleamed in the seething ture of. Negroes. The League sale and for rent; by rigid segre heat of the steel mills and w rith seeks to expand employment, gation in our war housing commu ed in agony on the battlefields of housing, health, welfare, educa nities; by the slanderous u tter our wars. So, the Negro has a tional and recreational opportu ances of bigots and demagogues stake in America. Yet, w hat hap nity. The League works with ex which appear in print, and are pens to this one-out-of-ten-Amer- isting organizations and encour ages the form ation of new agen icans? passed on by word of mouth. Jim Crow is a relic of the Feu W hen the jobs are few, he cies when the need is established dal System. His counterpart, the starves. W hen there a’ e nearly and apparent. It is particularly ghetto, is an alien technique of enough jobs for cverj body, he interested in action which will compressing a group of people in gets the hardest work it the low promote interracial understanding a certain residential section, and est wage. W hen theie are more and which w ill reduce and elim degrading them to the point that jobs to be done than there are inate the causes of racial tension one migh find some credance for people to do them, even then he and violence. the stories which have been in gets only the jobs from which he The League employs the tech vented about them. The despic is most easily fired, and, often-the nique of COOPERATIVE INTER able H itler used this technique in jobs go begging because some em RACIAL P L A N N I N G AND his process of maligning the Jews. ployers would prefer not to have COUNSELING. It uses methods Jim Crow is degrading to Negro the job done than have a Negro of investigation, comm unity or Americans who are forced to live do it. For instance: railroad com ganization, coordination, consul by his dictates. Jim Crow dooms panies won’t hire him as an en tation, and interpretation. It em the children of Negro Americans gineer. Communication companies ploys professionally trained staff who are as yet unborn. Jim will give him a job as a porter or workers to guide and assist the executive board, committees, and Crow is more vicious than all of janitor, but little else. this, because he is causing Am eri His children become discourag comm unity groups in achieving ca to lose her moral leadership ed w ith preparation for skilled the stated purpose. It provides a in World affairs. Our utterances and professional jobs, because channel of expression which will of the Am erican Creed and our they see so few exam ples of Ne lead to positive social action for enunciated war aims sound hollow groes who are perm itted to hold the m any Negro and w hite Am eri indeed when superimposed upon them. Or, they may be counseled cans who wish to m ake Democ the actual life of millions of Am by well-m eaning but not too well- racy a reaiity. informed school teach .» against ericans. The reasons for this dual sys preparation, because color of the I tem of citizenship— one set of individual rather than fitness and i rights and privileges for whites achievem ent determ ines the place and another, and more lim ited set, he holds in the work-a-day world. for Negroes—are manifold. Greed, His home costs him more to buy hate, and vested interests all play or rent than a com parable one for I a part. The unfortunate history a w hite man. Even if he does ! of hum an bondage in America have money to live in a good | cannot be overlooked. These in house, he frequently isn’t allow The Urban League of Portland equalities and injustices are bred ed to have the house. The white and the National Association for more often by misinformation neighbors band together in “gen the Advancem ent of Colored Peo than by malice. The Urban tlem en’s agreem ents” to keep him ple have joined forces in an ef fort to get a more articulate in League, therefore, looks upon out. that phase of its work which deals If he has a case in court, he terest in the Fair Em ployment w ith public education—the cor may find it advisable to hire a Pracices Bill, which is before Con rection of this m isinform ation—as w hite law yer of doubtful ability gress and which Southern sena fundam ental to any lasting pro rather than a Negro lawyer, be tors are attem pting to talk to gress in the area of race relations. cause w hite judges and w hite jur- j deah (filibuster) at his ime. Langston Hughes possesses a ies sometimes won’t listen to the Recent word from W ashington indicates th at more Oregonians sensitive understanding of the best Negro lawyer. problems sketched herein. Few Many insurance com panies1 are sending messages against the Americans share his deep feel charge him higher premiums. Fair Employm ent Practices Bill ing and his ability to portray this Some insurance companies (acci than for it. Those of us who fa feeling in verse and song, in prose dent and liability) w on’t insure vor the passage of this legislation him at all; the reason: in case of should and m ust let our congres and in poetry. To understand the m eanings of a law suit they don’t believe he sional representatives know where we stand on this issue. race relations in ou complex Am w ill get justice before a court. erican society, one m ust do as Hospitals— there are few ex- j Thousands of telegrams must be Langston Hughes has done. He ceptions—won’t accept him as an sent immediately to Senator has known intim ately hundreds of interne or his sister as a nurse. Wayne Morse and Senator Guy w hite persons in the capacities of If he goes to m any hispitals as a | Cordon, at the Senate Office both employee and friend. His patient, he m ust lie in a special Building. Washington, D. C., ad vocating their support of the Bill acquaintance w ith Negroes is no bed. less complete. It is w ith pardon Yet he lives in a democracy—a j and urging them to vote for clo able pride that we present Lang nation whose people believe in. \ ture (limited debate). This will ston Hughes to the m embership and indeed fight for, a chance for stop the filibuster. and friends of the U rban League “every individual to become what DON’T WAIT! W IRE NOW! of Portland. if. C. B. he is capable of becoming.” for THE COST OF A COUPLE OF "equality of opportunity,” and for TELEGRAMS IS A C H E A P Unquote”. There are many persons who do j the right of each individual to j PRICE TO PAY FOR ANOTH ER NAIL IN JIM CROW’S COF not know the purpose and func-1 "the pursuit of happiness.” FIN. DO IT NOW. OUR PRINCIPLES tion of the U rban League. One of 1 "MUST GIVE The Urban League US PAUSE" Urban League Urges Support Of F.E.P.C. Bill