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PAGE 8—NOVEMBER, 1962—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS MISSOURI U. S. Judge Orders More Negroes Admitted to Charleston School ST. LOUIS U nited States District Judge James H. Meredith at Cape Girardeau issued a temporary in junction on Oct. 8, ordering the school district of Charleston, in Mississippi County, to admit sev en Negro students to the Charles ton High School. The county is in the southeast Missouri “Bootheel” area. Judge Meredith set Jan. 14 as the date for trial of a suit calling for desegregation of all schools at Charles ton, a river town that has about 6,000 people, including 2,000 Negroes. The suit was brought against the Board of Education by parents. The petition ers are represented by Clyde S. Cahill Jr., Negro attorney of St. Louis. Cahill, who heads the legal redress committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Peo ple in Missouri, said following Judge Meredith’s order that the Negro stu dents had been admitted and that about 30 Negroes were now attending the high school. The Charleston schools were partly desegregated in 1955, but only at the 11th and 12th grade levels. Three of the seven Negro students ordered ad mitted by Judge Meredith are ninth and tenth graders. Offer Services Shortly after the suit was filed Aug. 25, (SSN, September) the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, a state agency, offered its services. However, Winston Cook of St. Louis, commission chairman, said the offer had not been accepted. Charleston was the scene in August and early September of a series of anti-segregation demonstrations. Most of the demonstrators were Negro youths. A Negro demonstrator was reported to have been struck, but not badly hurt, by a white youth Aug. 22 in a demonstration at a restaurant adjoin ing a bus station. On one occasion in mid-August 19 demonstrators were ar rested. A week later 11 were arrested. On Aug. 28, 21 persons, 19 of them Negroes, were convicted on charges re sulting from desegregation activities at Charleston. Most of the 21 had been in jail for 10 days or more. Commission Chairman Cook pointed out that the state agency’s jurisdiction was limited to matters arising under the Missouri Fair Employment Prac tices Act. The commission has no pow ers, he said, in regard to school deseg regation and public accommodations matters. The commission has sought to play the role of mediator or conciliator, where possible. Rejects Request In a television interview at Columbia, Mo., Aug. 26, Governor John M. Dalton predicted that Charleston’s race trou bles would be settled in a satisfactory manner. He had turned down a request from the Charleston chapter of the NAACP to call a special session of the legislature for enactment of a public accommodations law. Governor Dalton said in the interview that the problem in the Charleston situation was to “keep the radicals from coming in and upsetting it.” He said Missouri had been fortunate in handling the race problem thus far, and his goal was to keep the state from “having a black eye.” Negro residents of Charleston met with the Charleston City Council and asked that an eight-point program called “Operation Freedom, Now,” be put into effect. The points included de segregation of schools, barber shops, restaurants, theaters and recreational facilities. Criticizes Dalton The St. Louis Post-Dispatch in an editorial Aug. 29 commended the Mis souri Human Rights Commission for offering its services in Charleston and criticized Governor Dalton for his statement about radicals, the editorial said: “Charleston’s school situation is up set not because of radicals but because the Charleston authorities have not fully integrated their schools. That is why parents of Negro students have filed suit in United States district court here. There is nothing radical about demanding a legal right; indeed, it is radical to oppose it. And the way to keep ‘radicals’ out of Charleston is to give them no excuse for entry. “All Charleston has to do is to inte- Missouri Highlights U.S. District Judge James H. Mere dith issued a temporary injunction Oct. 8 ordering seven more Negro students admitted to Charleston High School in Mississippi County. In ad dition, Judge Meredith set Jan. 14 as the trial date for a suit calling for desegregation of all schools at Charleston. The St. Louis-St. Louis County White House Conference on Educa tion will hold a one-day conference Nov. 13 on “The Education of Cul turally Disadvantaged Youth.” In early October, 15 social agencies started an investigation to determine whether they could provide assistance to St. Louis County’s all-Negro munic ipality of Kinloch, where a school was burned Sept. 24 in a riot. grate its schools adequately, peaceably, in accordance with the law and, we would hope, with the Governor’s en couragement. Thus Missouri can avoid a self-inflicted black eye.” Governor Dalton also has been both praised and chided for taking what some Missourians regarded as a pro- Southern viewpoint in the desegrega tion controversy at the University of Mississippi. Attorney Cahill said the Charleston desegregation suit, first of its kind to be brought in Missouri since the 1954 United States Supreme Court ruling, was unrelated to the Charleston dem onstrations at places of public accom modation. He said it was expected that similar action would be taken before Jan. 1 against the Hayti-Wardell school district in Pemiscot County, also in southeast Missouri. Community Action Conference Urges More Education For Slum Children “The Education of Culturally Disad vantaged Youth” will be the subject of a one-day meeting of the St. Louis- St. Louis County White House Con ference on Education in St. Louis Nov. 13. In preparation, the conference pub lished a 124-page booklet calling atten tion to what is being done in the St. Louis area for slum children, chiefly Negroes, and urging further action. The conference said that the St. Louis central city, non-white popula tion showed a gain of nearly 40 per cent from 1950 to 1960. The city showed a net loss of population in the decade, with many white residents moving to the suburbs, but even so the number of school-age persons increased. During the 10 years, the white popu lation of the central city decreased by 168,344 while the non-white population gained by 61,574. The number of chil dren between the ages of 5 and 17 increased, meanwhile, from 133,000 in 1950 to approximately 149,000 in 1960— up more than 12 per cent. The White House study said it was important that most of the changes marked by housing and neighborhood within the city took place in sections deteriorating. The pattern was that white families vacated an older, de teriorating neighborhood and were re placed by non-white families, which moved from even less desirable neigh borhoods or from outside the city. Successful Living “Culturally disadvantaged youth,” the study said, “designates children and young people not equipped by upbring ing and early environment with reac tions, habits and’ attitudes compatible with successful living in society. “Whatever their native capacities, only exceptionally will such young peo ple become well-adjusted adults, use ful members of society, contributors to their communities.” Discussing St. Louis projects aimed at helping the culturally disadvantaged youth in school, the study mentions among others the work being done in the Banneker Elementary District of the St. Louis public schools and another city public school activity, the Great Cities Program. The latter is partly financed by the Ford Foundation, and involves the 16-20 age bracket. National Attention The Banneker District, of which Samuel Shepard Jr., a Negro, is direc tor, has won national attention by its success in upgrading the achievement of Negro slum children since 1957. Shepard tries to show children and parents that education is the way to a better job and a better life. In a series of programs attended by parents and eighth graders in October, Shepard introduced an innovation. He had organized two teams each with nine St. Louis Negroes who hold well- paying, responsible jobs in the com munity. These teams alternated in mak ing personal appearance at the Ban neker schools. The team members are persons em ployed at such concerns as McDonnell (See MISSOURI, Page 9) Louisiana onlv 18 per cent of the parish’s 29,521 eligible voters went to the polls. Among the projects to be undertaken with funds obtained through the issue will be a $2,450,000 senior high school, a $1,110,000 junior high school, a $520,- 000 elementary school and a $1,560,000 combination 12-year school for white students. For Negro pupils, there will be two new junior high schools totaling $2,453,000, three new elementary schools totaling $1,030,000, a $200 000 school for exceptional children, $410,000 for expan sion of three existing schools and a $300,000 stadium for the Booker T. Washington High School. Only one of the 73 precincts failed to return a majority in favor. Predomi nantly Negro Precincts 39 and 40 voted heavily for the issue. (Continued From Page 5) Community Action ★ ★ ★ School Book Supply Brings Complaint in Baton Rouge In Baton Rouge, an NAACP repre sentative complained that Negro chil dren had not, as of Oct. 18, received the required school books which the state has been supplying its school chil dren since the days of Gov. Huey P. Long. He said that unless they receive the proper school supplies p omptly they would seek to enroll in the near est white schools. The Rev. Arthur Jelks Sr., president of the Baton Rouge chapter of the NAACP, wrote to the East Baton Rouge Parish school board that he has been receiving constant reports about this matter. “How much longer,” he a'ked, “do our children have to be neglected proper material so that they might be exposed to an education or knowledge as the white children?” “We are requesting that the Negro children be given the opportunity to transfer from those classrooms where proper up-to-date books are not sup plied to the nearest white school at the beginning of the next school semester,” he said. ‘Mass Attempt’ “We are compelled to make a mass attempt to enroll these children in the schools where the state is providing up-to-date books at the beginning of the next semester. “Our children need an education as the white. Seemingly we do not have no other recourse. A reply is requested on or before the last date of November, 1962.” Parish School Supt. Lloyd Lindsay said the letter would be answered after it was taken up with the school board. ★ ★ ★ A meeting of Parents and Friends of Catholic Children, scheduled for Oct. 24, was called off when only six per sons showed up at the appointed time. Scheduled speakers were to have been Leander Perez, president of the Plaquemines Parish Council, and Rep. John F. Rau, state legislator from Jef ferson Parish. Colleges Desegregate in Nine States (Continued From Page 1) these desegregated schools had 724 Ne groes. Negro enrollment was up in one of the schools, Louisiana State Univer sity at New Orleans, but was expected to be down slightly at the Louisiana State University main campus at Baton Rouge, Southeastern Louisiana College at Hammond, the University of South west Louisiana at Lafayette, and Mc- Neese State College at Lake Charles. Baptist Colleges Another Baptist college in North Carolina, Gardner-Webb, was reported to be desegregated. A report at the state convention of Negro Baptists said that Wake Forest and Mars Hill had two Negro students each and that Gardner- Webb and Meredith colleges were de segregated in policy. The state conven tion of white Baptists operates seven colleges in North Carolina. Catawba College of Salisbury, N. C., which is controlled by the Evangelical and Reformed Church, has admitted a Negro for a foreign language course not offered at the nearby Negro college where he is enrolled as a regular stu dent. Catawba officials said this did not mean a change in the college’s regular admission policy. Christian Brothers College at Mem phis, a Roman Catholic institution, has enrolled three Negro freshmen among its 728 undergraduates. The college has had a desegregation policy since 1959 and in 1960 one student was a Negro. In Texas, Hill Junior College was re opened at Hillsboro with 185 students after being closed for several years, and although it had an announced policy of accepting Negroes, none applied. Clar endon College has a desegregation po licy, but also had no Negro applicants. Weatherford, another junior college, enrolled four Negro girls among ap proximately 325 students. A spokesman at Arlington State Col lege said Negro enrollment at the Texas school exceeded the “five or six” orig inally estimated to attend the school for the first time this fall. San Jacinto College near Houston, which had prev iously announced its desegregation po licy, had five Negroes enrolled. All five of these Texas schools are tax-sup- ported. A Negro girl attended classes for one day at the newly opened Patrick Henry College at Martinsville, Va., the first classroom desegregation to occur in Southside Virginia. The student then left the branch of the University of Vir ginia because classes she wanted were filled, and she returned to the all-Ne gro Virginia State College. West Virginia Baptists, at their state convention, condemned racial barriers in state educational institutions. The president of a Baptist school, Alderson- Broaddus College at Philippi, said four Negro students were enrolled there. A Negro applied by mail on Oct. 24 for admission to the University of Ala bama. The school still is under injunc tion to admit Negroes, dating from the Autherine Lucy case of 1956. The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said other Ne groes would apply. The constitutional amendments pro posed in Georgia and Arkansas con cerned the freedom of public school students to attend schools with their own race. Amendment 51 in Arkansas read, “No child shall ever be denied his or her right to a free public education to which he or she is otherwise entitled under the Constitution of this State, by reason of his or her refusal to attend school with a student or student of an other or different race when he or she shall prove to the satisfaction of his or her school board that to do so would be inimical to his or her welfare.” The Georgia amendment apparently passed but the Arkansas one appeared to have been killed. Louisiana voters had to decide on 48 constitutional amendments, including four bearing directly on school segrega tion. One, which passed, enables the legislature to submit amendments to the education article of the constitution at special elections. The voters rejected the amendment to create the Louisiana Financial Assistance Commission and to provide money for student grants to attend private nonsectarian schools. Approval was given an amendment to change the state constitution to make it read “No appropriation of public funds shall be made to any private or non sectarian school” instead of “No public funds shall be used for support of any private or non-sectarian school.” The fourth amendment on schools, which also passed, was drafted to sep arate the financing and remove any ad ministrative relation between the public schools and the pupil assistance system. # # # New Orleans Group Urges Nonpolitical Control of Board n e: si li Declaring that the administration of Gov. Jimmie H. Davis is maneuvering to gain control of the Orleans Parish School Board, a local organization called Citizens for Public Schools urged appointment of “an outstanding citizen of unquestionable integrity” to fill an unexpired term on the board and elec tion of two more members without ties to political cliques or extremists groups. Dr. Robert C. Lancaster, chairman of the citizens committee, said his organi zation favored no particular candidate in the Nov. 6 school board election but “stands for complete nonpolitical con trol of the Orleans Parish School Board.” Dr. Lancaster said the group has in formation that the city administration which is close to Gov. Davis politically, “has aligned itself openly with can didates supported by an extremist group.” He did not name names. But Rayon A. Stevens and James L. Earhart were endorsed by the Citizens Counci' of Greater New Orleans. The Citizens for Public Schools spokesman also indicated the long de lay in filling the unexpired term of Emile A. Wagner Jr., is one part of the effort by the governor to gain control of the Orleans Parish board. Wagner resigned from the five-man board i". August rather than participate in the formulation of a desegregation pro gram. However, Gov. Davis has not ye! accepted the resignation or acted to name a successor. (See Political Activ ity.) ★ ★ ★ th t* af of tit oi tic thi in< ini of ] of No ins the arc bo; wh 196 J did Of han to \ aga: fust T T1 tion refu State NAACP Conference Urges More Desegregation More desegregation in the public schools of Louisiana was called for b) the state conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, meeting in New Or leans Oct. 28. The organization specifically cited the parishes of Caddo, Ouachita, Rapides Winn and Claiborne as possible loca tions for efforts in that direction. A. M. Trudeau Jr. of New Orleaa; was elected state president to succeec J. N. Blankenship of Saline. Other ne* officers elected include Miss Arnett Pierce of Monroe, first vice presided Ellis Howard of Greenburg, second vi« president; Murrell Conzaque of Alexan dria, third vice president; Mrs. Marietta Brown of Lake Charles, secretary; a* 1 Lawrence H. Conley of Lake Chark treasurer. pup the pil inati T1 “S its ] injui freel tram atter the c “T that, some Airci Univi Corp One the 1 for e: What They Say President Urged “T1 had t they they we p; and 1 he do To Let Congress Soci Settle Race Issue w, ay In an open letter to the Preside” Louisiana’s Secretary of State Wade ^ Martin urged that the race ' ssue ^ settled by law through the Cong rather than with “bullets and bay 0 ® and tear gas” as in Oxford, Ml “Need you be reminded,’ of wrote, “that the destruction t- ^ American’s property, the changing^ his environment, the destruction 0 ^ culture and that of his community’, no less acceptable to him when i®P°^ by the federal Supreme Court- ^ President, the attorney general o NAACP than when imposed or t ened by outside enemies. .^d “So, whether you are right ° r about the ultimate effects of c0 >£ integration, these innumerable , p Americans, who believe it is ® 0 the nation and bad for them, 1/11 ^ all of you almost as quickly aS ^ would fight outside invaders 0 >C ci al a; knnjfl assista Negro was f, 25. Ori >>y Ne: 20- yea country.” ru , Said Martin, “Whether you ar ■„ or wrong, each side should cons' ^, sincerity of the other and g° s »iati o: A to school *he rat e *ghth- u' m - 50 £*th e * 0c} Ulan S3 spends ^av Mrs opal, , ^dent 4 ^ fan. w< Okda 'ged ive ■'N'at the trigger.” selvi ★ ★ ★ hop e tt Mrs. B. J. Gaillot Jr., e ™ oX %sS : . . . , — r>-+V,r>llC C-l* ,. wit cated from the Roman Catholic^ ^ jr 1 hai , ' Mis soi for her advocacy of resistant ' uggls segregation of the parochial s ^ New Orleans, sought to app e . pjjO* terdiction against her via a CV >ntr ° »7?stu School call to the Vatican. . iv to She said she had hoped to ta ^ ,v> secretary of Pope John XAt told she must take the matter ; >d Xty.; 1 the bishop of her diocese.