About Southern school news. (Nashville, Tenn.) 1954-1965 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 1955)
v PAGE 16— Feb. 3, i955—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS Tennessee NASHVILLE, Term. gUBDUED talk and quiet activity which has characterized the seg regation-desegregation issue here in recent months crystallized suddenly into definite public action and com ment during the month of January. These were the main developments: the opening of the 79th General As sembly, the introduction of the first legislative proposal designed to main tain the separation of the races in the state’s public schools, and a regional conference of religious, pro fessional, educational, labor and gen eral community organizations already favorably disposed toward desegrega tion. As a result, January may be con sidered a month of “firsts” for Ten nessee in developments on the issue. For in addition to the first anti-de segregation measure being intro duced in the state legislature, there were these other developments: OTHER DEVELOPMENTS Perhaps the most important “first” of the month was the announcement that Oak Ridge will become the first Tennessee community to become de segregated (see story beginning on page 1). The first step was taken toward the creation of a regional organiza tion through which those groups and individuals supporting desegregation in principle may exchange informa tion and assist Negroes who have be come subject to economic pressure stemming from their support of de segregation. For the first time, a parent-teacher organization made public its decision supporting desegregation. For the first time, a local branch of a nationwide civic club endorsed a proposal designed to maintain seg regation of the races in the Tennes see public schools. Taking the “firsts” one by one here is what happened: BILL INTRODUCED As forecast in the January issue of Southern School News, State Sen. Charles A. Stainback of Somerville introduced in the Senate on Jan. 13 a bill generally considered as an pro- segregated measure. The proposal does not mention the words white or Negro or segregation or race. But in Stainback’s own words, “If the bill, incidentally, should preserve segregation in the schools, it will be the most beneficial bill ever passed by the Tennessee Legislature.” Known as Senate bill No. 62, it em powers boards of education to assign SEN. CHAS. A. STAINBACK Offers Segregation Bill pupils to schools they designate, and provides that “in making such as signments, the board of education shall not be limited or circumscribed by the boundaries of any attendance areas which may have been estab lished by such board of education.” The bill that declares legal author ity for such action is obtained by “invoking the police power of the state to preserve the peace, protect the health and morals, to improve the educational advantages and op portunities of all the pupils of all the public schools in the state and insure the peace, health, contentment, hap piness and general tranquility of all the people of the State . . .” The proposal was signed by seven other senators—all from Middle and West Tennessee, and all members of the Democratic party. They are: Sens. Riley Randel, Columbia; T. R. Ray, Shelbyville; Justin Thrasher, Selmer; James Jones, Lewisburg;,and Larry Bettis of Friendship. SENT TO COMMITTEE Stainback’s bill was referred to the senate education committee after second reading, and according to ob servers, there it will remain. It is known that the proposal does not have the support of Gov. Frank Clements’ powerful pro-administra tion forces in the legislature. The bill has not been introduced in the assembly’s lower house. While there seemed little chance of the proposal being debated on the senate floor—much less receiving an affirmative vote from the senate—its introduction precipitated three re lated statements or incidents. Immediately prior to its introduc tion—as a matter of fact, the night before—Cecil Sims, a Nashville at- ATTORNEY CECIL SIMS Opposes Stainback Bill tomey, member of the Southern Regional Educational Board and a member of the Davidson county (Nashville) school board, delivered an address to the Tennessee School Boards Association, cautioning state legislators against adopting legisla tion to circumvent the Supreme Court ruling of May 17, 1954—which declared public school segregation unconstitutional. Aware of the Stainback proposal, Sims declared such a measure was unnecessary since school boards in the state already possessed adequate power to regulate their own affairs. SEES HARM IN HASTE The Nashville attorney said “Hast ily thought up legislation at this time might do incalculable harm.” “In the first place, we don’t know what the Supreme Court order im plementing its decision will be,” Sims said. “We’ll do well to know when the legislature meets two years hence.” Prior to the implementation order, Sims said it is his belief the high court will appoint a “master” to re ceive testimony in public hearings in states affected by the ruling. Sims added that there has been a general misinterpretation of the deci sion. “The Supreme Court did not hold that southern states were required to integrate public school systems,” he said. “It decided that compulsory separation of the races was a viola tion of the Constitution’s 14th amend ment.” In effect, Sims said, the Supreme Court validated separation of the races by choice of the individual. Sims suggested to the TSBA mem bers that Tennessee should adopt a method integrating the schools on the basis of students having the right to select the school they would like to attend. In Evansville, Indiana, where a similar plan was adopted in 1949, Sims said approximately 95 per cent of the Negro students attend Negro schools out of preference. “Whatever we do in Tennessee, it must be done on the level of the city or county board of education and not become a state-wide pattern,” Sims said. “Each city or county board must be in a position to deal with its own peculiar problems and situations. “The state could go out of the public school business,” Sims said, “but it cannot pretend to go out of it and pretend to stay in it. “Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina (each of which is consider ing proposals to abolish the public school system) have nothing but a threat,” Sims declared, “and they ad mit it” Referring to legislation designed to maintain segregation based on a state’s police power—as in the Stain back bill—Sims said, “That’s been tried, and it’s finally dawning on those people you have to have a riot first. “You’ve got to presuppose a law which brings the races together causes trouble before you can invoke the police power,” Sims said. While he did not say the Evansville plan was the only answer to the prob lem, Sims said it came as near to solving the problem as any other proposal suggested thus far. Under such a law, Sims said, the schools are integrated, but in actual operation, they remain segregated— not by compulsion, but out of individ ual choice. Sims speech to the TSBA, incident ally, was the first time since the high court ruling that a statewide educa tional organization in Tennessee placed on its convention agenda a speech on the segregation-desegrega tion issue. PTA ANNOUNCEMENT The Stainback bill also resulted in the first public announcement sup porting desegregation by a parent- teacher organization. On Jan. 25, a letter expressing strong opposition to the Stainback proposal was mailed to all members of the General Assembly by the Ten nessee Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers. The letter, signed by Mrs. L. C. Reddick of Nashville, president, said, in part, “The Executive Committee and Chairman of Legislation of the Tennessee Congress of Colored Par ents and Teachers with a member ship of over 15,000, takes this means to not only register strong opposition to Senate Bill No. 62, but also to re spectfully request that you cast a negative vote with respect thereto . .. It is our feeling that support of such a bill would be in direct opposition to the decision of the highest court of the land and that it would be out of harmony with the purpose of God. We feel that the welfare of our great state will suffer untold harm in such a move. In this hour, our most unwise move would be to join the infamous ranks of those who are pitting themselves against the inevitable. It is our feeling that the best interests of all the people of Tennessee will be served if the Supreme Court decision out lawing public school segregation is im plemented without any attempt at cir cumvention . . . The week after Stainback intro duced his bill the Lions club at Milan in Gibson county—deep in West Ten nessee—went on record endorsing Senate bill No. 62. In a news release to the press, it was stated: “The Milan Lions club, at its regular meeting has gone on record as endorsing the school as signment proposal of Sen. Charles A. Stainback. The bill now pending be fore the Tennessee Senate invokes the police power of the state to give authority to local school boards to assign pupils to the schools of their choice. In endorsing the Stainback bill it was the general belief of this group that for the continued welfare and the best interests of the com munity the proposal should be en acted into law.” FISK CONFERENCE The first step toward the creation of a regional organization for the ex change of information on desegrega tion and to assist Negroes against whom economic pressure is being ap plied as a result of pro-desegregation activity was taken at Fisk University on Jan. 23. The proposal was made at a two- day conference on racial desegrega tion attended by delegates from 42 religious, educational, professional, labor, civic and general community organizations. As a result of a motion offered by Dr. Charles M. Thompson, dean of Howard University’s graduate school at Washington, D.C., Dr. Charles S. Johnson, president of Fisk, and his staff were instructed to study the feasibility of such an organization, and make a proposal for its creation at the earliest possible moment. The “economic pressure factor” arose in the conference when Bishop Bertram W. Doyle of Nashville, bishop of the CME church’s sixth district comprising parts of Tennes see and Alabama, reported Negroes in two Alabama counties are faced with the prospect of losing their jobs if they support desegregation. (The initials CME formerly desig nated the Colored Methodist Epis copal church. The church’s 39 con ventions are now in the process of adopting proposals changing the name to the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.) Doyle said “committees have been formed in these counties to exert pressure on our people. The bishop said the committees are similar to the citizens’ councils of Mississippi. The Alabama counties named by Doyle are Sumter and Hale in west Alabama, close to Mississippi. “Between Christmas and New Year’s, this pressure materialized,” Doyle said. “Negroes are told they had better not support desegregation moves or they will lose their jobs. It is as simple as that.” CONCLUSIONS OF PANEL A panel of experts in race relations analyzed programs and policies on desegregation explained by delegates of the various organizations at the conference, and reached the following conclusions: First, it was agreed that Negroes must become more “militant” in their effort to secure the rights accruing to them as a result of the high court ruling. And second, the panel agreed there is a need for some means of providing financial relief for Negroes subject to economic pressure because of thei t pro-desegregation belief. Mrs. Ruby Hurley of Birmingham southeastern regional director of the National Association for the Ad- vancement of Colored People, said the association already has funds for that purpose in a bank in Memphis. Thurgood Marshall, chief counsel for the NAACP, told the conference “We are willing to cooperate with any school board or agency, not on the basis of whether or not, but on the basis of when and how.” Marshall, who also addressed a special Fisk convocation the day be fore the conferenae, declared that re. sentment over the Supreme Court’s ruling is dying down in many areas “Now, we’re trying to get (the subject) out in the open; to discuss it in the open,” he said. “The more discussion we have the better.” CLARK CITES FACTORS Dr. Kenneth Clark, associate pro fessor of psychology at New York City College, chairman of the panel said programs for desegregation must include three basic factors. They are 1. Educational programs must not be based on the “1955 thinking” that “changes in peoples’ attitudes, hearts and minds must inevitably precede changes in their behavior.” 2. Statements of support of the Su preme Court decision by national and local organizations must be translated into active support of the movement 3. Means must be provided to pre vent “retaliation” against white peo ple supporting desegregation who “by virtue of social realities are con strained from making their views known.” The conference’s three study panels discussed desegregation in the organ izations and communities represented at the conference. Their recom mendations: Creation of human relations com mittees—such as the one in Rock Hill, S.C., which is recognized by the city government—in each southern com munity. Interracial, communitywide work shops specifically created to discuss desegregation. Negroes should be encouraged to register and vote, and thereby secure representation on city councils and city and county boards of education COMMITTEE REPORT The education study section re ported that desegregation and inte gration on the college and profession al level has been made with a “a minimum of friction.” This section also reported that the delay in the Supreme Court hearings on implementation of its decision has provided time for opposition force; to organize and that some state; which indicated they were moving to ward desegregation “have either stopped or are marking time.” Furthermore, the education sec tion reported the southern press “which on the whole has done a fa 11 job of covering” the desegregation story, has started “to back up” in h* editorial comment on the subject. “In some cases the coverage has been commendable,” the section r®' port stated. “But too frequently editors, who were more constructive at first, have backed up in their sec ond and third editorials on the subj ect.” Southern Education Reporting Service P.O. 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