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THE MAROON TIGER
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RACE QUESTION BECOMES PROMINENT
AT NATIONAL STUDENT FEDERATION
MEETING IN WASHINGTON, D. C.
By Otis McCree
Southern race prejudice continually manifests itself
throughout the country in quest of new means of ex
pression. The most recent of these searches was demon
strated at the four-day session of the National Student
Federation of America held in Washington, D. C., be
ginning December 26. During the course of the conven
tion the question of the social equality of Negro dele
gates came up.
The sessions were held at the Mayflower, the most
exclusive hotel in Washington, where the elite of the
nation stop over. The Negro delegates, Haron J. Battle,
of Morehouse College, and Kelly Goodwin and John
Harris, of Howard University, Washington, D. C., rep
resenting the only Negro colleges in the Federation, were
barred from the informal dance held at the Mayflower
on Thursday night. The delegation from Louisiana proved
to be the bloc of the convention. When Battle and Good
win entered the Italian Garden of the Mayflower, the
Louisiana delegation went directly into a huddle, com
ing out with the retort that they would not remain un
less the colored delegates were dismissed. Upon the
ridiculous manners of the Southern delegation, the dele
gates from Morehouse and Howard consented to leave
with the understanding with the Executive Committee
that the Federation would state its disposition on the
race issue the following day.
Earlier in the day the delegates had visited the White
House, and, while there, a group picture was requested.
The steps of the Treasury Building were selected as
the site for the picture, but for more than fifteen min
utes the Louisiana delegates remained on the opposite
side of the street, stubbornly refusing to join the rest
of the group unless the Negro delegates were excluded
from the picture. Finally, the ruffled Southern students
from the Mississippi Delta, seeing the absurdity of their
position, consented to be photographed with the group,
on condition that they (from Louisiana) have a separate
picture made of themselves after the entire group had
been photographed.
It will be remembered that the sessions of the NSFA
for the year 1932 were held in New Orleans, where
Negro delegates were barred by the Southerners. Dur
ing intermissions at the recent convention Northern
whites would enter freely into discussions and conver
sation with Negro delegates while the Southerners held
themselves aloof.
For the final banquet and dance, held Saturday eve
ning, the racial discord was cleared up and the colored
delegates were admitted to both gatherings. Battle, Good
win, and Harris have the distinction of being the first
Negroes to attend a social function in the exclusive May
flower Hotel.
The final business was about entirely concerned with
the social equality of Negroes at the conventions and
the result of the session was a distinct victory to those
who demanded social equal iy for Negro delegates at
the convention.
Boston was chosen as the city for the convention for
1934 in accordance with the motion that had been passed
barring any city whose hotels discriminate against the
delegates of any race. At the same session the officers
for the ensuing year were elected.
Another signal achievement was the majority of votes
which carried the decree that each candidate for the
presidency be required to make the status of Negro dele
gates an issue for comment in his campaign speech to
the convention. John Lang and Elizabeth Read were re
elected president and vice president, respectively. Both
Mr. Lang, of the University of North Carolina, and
Miss Read of Vassar College, New York, were enthu
siastic in their denunciation of discrimination on ac
count of race and made the issue stand out prominently
in their campaign addresses.
ROOSEVELT GREETS JOINT MEETING OF
REPRESENTATIVES OF TWO STUDENT
CONFERENCES RELD IN WASHINGTON
New York. N. Y. (NSFA) -Following the adjourn
ment of the Ninth Annual Congress of the National
Student Federation and the first National Conference
on Students in Politics, representatives of the two groups
met in a joint session to receive a greeting from Presi
dent Roosevelt. The following message was presented
by the President’s spokesman, William E. Sweet, former
Governor of Colorado:
“The President extends his greeting to you. He is
deeply intedested in youth movements and is mindful
of the great help that the youth of this country can
be in the future social and industrial development of
the United States.”
The message was hailed by John A. Lang, President
of the National Student Federation as the first official
recognition given in this country to youth and its part
in the reconstruction of society. In speaking to the other
conference on behalf of the NSFA, he said, “We are
in agreement with you that youth is determined that a
change must come for the benefit of the many.”
NSFA ASKS 8500.000,000 FEDERAL AID FOR
UNIVERSITIES AND NEEDY STUDENTS
New York, N. Y. (NSFA)—Five resolutions incuding
a request for government funds totalling $500,000,000
to be used to aid universities and needy students have
been submitted by the National Student Federation to
the Committee on Federal Emergency Aid to Education.
The resolutions, which were a summary of the discus
sion group on Meeting the Financial Emergency in Edu
cation held at the NSFA Congress in Washington, were
presented to Dr. George F. Zook, Chairman of the Com
mittee, and to Dr. W. G. Carr, Secretary of the Research
Division of the National Educational Association.
The three resolutions covering the financial grant asked
for an appropriation of $100,00,000 to keep colleges
and universities open during 1934-1935; a further ap
propriation of $400,000,000 to be distributed among the
states for aid to secondary and elementary schools; and
an emergency loan fund of $25,000,000 to be made up
by the other two funds for allocation to universities
which will in turn lend small amounts to individual
students who would otherwise be unable to continue
their education. The loan fund would be repaid in month
ly installments, with interest, beginning six months after
graduation.