Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8—OCTOBER, 1963—SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Senate Democratic Leaders Give
Civil-Rights Bill Top Priority
(Continued from Page 1)
tabled by a 39-to-37 vote. Javits
charged that the Department of Health,
Education and Welfare had refused to
give assurances that it would not aid
institutions that practice racial or
religious bias. He said five of 87 medi
cal schools and 32 of 243 collegiate
nursing schools bar Negroes.
Senate Majority Leader Mike Mans
field (D-Mont.), who made the motion
to table Javits’ amendment, said, “We’re
on the same old treadmill. If you want
the bill, vote to table.”
★ ★ ★
Another anti-segregation amendment
offered by Javits—this time to an
Agriculture Department money bill—
was rejected by 46-to-22 vote of the
Senate on Sept. 26. The amendment
would have banned the use of $2.5
million in funds for Federal Extension
Service activities in areas which pract
ice racial discrimination.
Sen. George D. Aiken (R-Vt.), rank
ing Republican member of the Agricul
ture Committee, opposed the amend
ment on the grounds that it would
punish young people for the practices
of their elders. The successful motion
to table the amendment was offered
by Sen. Humphrey.
★ ★ ★
Attempts by Alabama Gov. George
C. Wallace to block court-ordered
school desegregation were criticized
Sept. 10 by Sen. Sam J. Ervin Jr. (D-
N.C.), a leader in the Southern con
gressional fight against President Ken
nedy’s civil rights program.
“Gov. Wallace’s actions in the past
few days have made him the chief
aider and abetter of those who would
attempt to pass
foolish laws like
this,” Ervin said.
His comment
was made during
a debate with Berl
I. Bernhard, staff
director of the U.
3. Civil Rights
Commission. Dur
ing argument over
the administra
tion’s proposal for
federal help to erwin
school boards planning desegregation,
Bernhard asked Ervin whether the
Senator supported Wallace’s action. He
drew the criticism of Wallace as a
reply.
Ervin’s comment came five days be
fore the Birmingham church bombing
which claimed the lives of four Negro
children, and which in turn brought a
new wave of congressional criticism
of the governor. In a typical comment,
Sen. Jacob K. Javits (R-N.Y.) said
Wallace “cannot escape some responsi
bility” for the bombing.
President Comments
In a statement issued Sept. 16, Presi
dent Kennedy expressed “a deep sense
of outrage and grief’ over the death
of the children, and called on every
American to support racial justice and
harmony.
In what appeared to be a reference
to Wallace, Kennedy said “it is regret
table that public disparagement of law
and order has encouraged violence
which has fallen on the innocent.”
In succeeding days, the President had
separate meetings at the White House
with representatives of Birmingham’s
white and Negro communities, and with
the city’s religious leaders.
Georg
la
(Continued from Page 7)
lower grade each succeeding year under
the plan.
It also provides that the school board
retain powers to assign pupils to various
schools, pupils must attend schools
within their attendance areas, transfers
and reassignments must be requested
Feb. 1-15, 1964, and sets up procedures
for appeals to the board of education.
In Atlanta, white parents protested
a board of education decision to turn
all-white Lena H. Cox Elementary
School over to Negro use. The two
nearest Negro elementary schools were
crowded more than 50 per cent beyond
capacity and the Cox school was at
about half capacity.
Atlanta’s grade-a-year desegregation
plan has not yet reached the elemen
tary level.
On Sept. 19, Kennedy announced that
he was appointing two former Army
men to go to Birmingham as his repre
sentatives “in helping the city to work
as a unit in overcoming the fears and
suspicions which now exist.”
Named for the mission were Gen.
Kenneth C. Royall, a veteran of both
world wars and Secretary of the Army
in the Truman administration, and Col.
Earl H. (Red) Blaik, former football
coach at West Point. The two men left
for Birmingham Sept. 24.
★ ★ ★
Kennedy Questions
Moving Students
For Raee ‘Balance*
President Kennedy said at a Sept.
12 press conference that he would not
approve of moving children from their
neighborhood schools to “far-away,
strange places” to achieve a racial
balance in the schools.
The President’s comment came in re
ply to a reporter’s question about his
reaction “as a parent” to proposals “to
wrench children away from their
neighborhood family area and cart
them off to strange, far-away schools to
force racial balance.”
The question apparently referred to
attempts in some Northern cities to
redraw school boundary zones and
transport pupils to effect desegregation.
Kennedy said that much depended
on “what the situation was in each
district,” but added that he “would not
have any hesitancy in saying no to
your question.”
“This in the final analysis must be
decided by the local school board,” the
P esident said.
In another press conference comment,
Kennedy praised “the courage and re
sponsibility of those community lead
ers” responsible for the desegregation
of 150 school districts this fall. (This
was the total reported by SSN last
month.)
“There may have been some difficul
ties,” he said, “but to the great credit
of the vast majority of the citizens and
public officials of these communities,
this transition has been made with
understanding and respect for the law.
“The task was not easy,” the Presi
dent added. “The emotions underlying
segregation have persisted for genera
tions, and in many instances leaders in
these communities have had to over
come their own personal attitudes as
well as the ingrained social attitudes
of the communities.”
Kennedy said he did not think a
milestone had yet been reached in
desegregation progress, although “there
is some cause for satisfaction in most
of the events that happened in the
last two weeks.”
He said he thought the administration
was moving “at about the right tempo”
in civil rights matters.
★ ★ ★
Pupil-Test Results
Called ‘Encouraging’
District School Supt. Carl F. Hansen
released results of citywide standardized
tests on Sept. 13 and called the per
formance of Washington pupils “en
couraging.”
The tests are given annually to
fourth- and sixth-grade pupils and to
high school freshmen and seniors. Re
sults of the testing program in the
1962-63 school year:
Fourth grade—Pupils were above the
national norm in spelling, close to it
in arithmetic computation and total
language skills,
but below it in
word knowledge,
word discrimina
tion, reading and
arithmetic prob
lem solving. The
test scores were
higher than those
of the previous
year’s fourth-
graders in all
areas except
arithmetic.
Ford Offers $15 Million
Grant To Negro Colleges
NEW YORK
T he Ford Foundation an
nounced Sept. 12 that it
would provide $15 million to help
strengthen Negro Colleges. The
funds will be granted as follows:
• $5 million to the United Negro
College Fund for its campaign to
finance buildings and other capital im
provements in its 32 member institu
tions.
• $10 million to a small number of
private Negro liberal-arts colleges that
are members of the Fund, to be selected
over the next year on the basis of their
academic quality and performance and
their future promise.
The grant to the United Negro Col
lege Fund campaign is subject to the
requirement that each dollar donated
by the Foundation be matched by two
dollars from other sources. Grants to
individual colleges may also entail some
matching provisions.
‘Special Need’ Noted
“These actions by the Ford Founda
tion, which has long had a primary
interest in expanded educational op
portunity for all Americans, reflect the
special need to expand the educational
horizons of Negro men and women,”
Henry T. Heald, president of the
Foundation, said.
“The Foundation will continue to
support institutions that enroll both
Negro and white students. But at pre
sent, when many Negro students in
higher education attend Negro Colleges,
t is essential that financial assistance
Iso be directed to them.
“The strengthening of these institu-
ons, some of which already enroll a
jw white students, should hasten the
ay when there will no longer be all-
iegro or all-white colleges and uni
versities.
“The nation’s educational system at
all levels has awakened to the justice
and necessity of extraordinary efforts
to raise the educational sights and
achievement of culturally disadvantaged
youth, many of whom are Negro. The
Ford Foundation for several years has
assisted pioneering efforts in schooling
attuned to the needs of such young
people, especially in the major cities of
the nation. It expects to continue such
efforts and in the meantime believes it
is important to improve the quality of
the colleges attended largely by Negro
youth.”
D. C. Highlights
Senate Democratic leaders dis
closed plans to give civil rights legis
lation priority over the tax cut in
order to press for passage of the civil
rights bill this year. A House Judici
ary Subcommittee approved a civil
rights program considerably stronger
than that requested by President Ken
nedy. The House version was hailed
by civil rights leaders and denounced
as a “witches’ brew” by Southern
senators planning a filibuster against
the legislation.
Alabama Gov. George Wallace’s
efforts to block school desegregation
were criticized by a North Carolina
senator as playing into the hands of
civil rights advocates.
President Kennedy conferred with
Birmingham leaders and named a
Sixth grade—Pupils surpassed the
national norm by two months in arith
metic computation, by three months in
language usage and by five months in
spelling and language study skills.
They fell below the norm by two to
four months in reading, word know
ledge and social study skills.
Freshmen—Half of the pupils in the
top “honors” track of the District’s
four-track program scored as well or
better than 92 to 95 per cent of all
students tested nationally. Half of the
pupils in the regular track scored as
well or better than 44 to 55 pier cent
of those tested nationally.
Seniors—Half of the students in the
honors track and half in the regular
track scored as well as or better than
93 to 96 per cent and 60 to 77 per cent
respectively of those tested nationally.
However, half of the seniors in the
general track did as well as or better
than only 29 to 38 per cent of those
taking the test.
★ ★ ★
The District of Columbia Commis
sioners on Sept. 17 banned active re
cruiting of new city employes at schools
that practice racial discrimination.
The commissioners’ order paralleled
a similar directive issued earlier by the
Civil Service Commission to agencies
of the federal government. It was
aimed primarily at business and sec
retarial schools.
Officials said they would work with
the Commissioners’ Council on Human
Relations in deciding which schools
would be affected by the ban. Indi
vidual graduates of the schools will
not be affected by the order.
★ ★ ★
Julius Hobson, Washington director
of the Congress of Racial Equality
(CORE) was arrested Sept. 6 after he
refused to leave the offices of the Ben
jamin Franklin University, a private
accounting school, where he had
sought to apply for admission.
Hobson and an associate, Stowall
Kessler, were charged with unlawful
entry and released on $300 bond. The
arrests were the third and fourth since
CORE began protesting in August
against the school’s refusal to admit
Negro students.
two-man team to attempt to mediate
in the city’s racial crisis.
President Kennedy told a press
conference he would not approve of
moving children from neighborhood
schools to “far-away, strange places”
to promote desegregation, but he said
the matter was one to be decided by
local school officials.
The President praised “the courage
and responsibility” of community
leaders responsible for the desegrega-
tion of 150 school districts this fall.
James H. Meredith, first Negro
graduate of the University of Mis
sissippi, announced that he was
setting up a scholarship fund to aid
needy Negro students.
President Kennedy opened a na
tionwide campaign to raise $50 mil
lion for 32 schools affiliated with the
United Negro College Fund.
Military Bans Activities
In Segregated Places
Defense Secretary Robert S. McNa
mara has ordered military units not to
participate in events where audiences
are segregated or where admission is
denied to Negroes, the Pentagon an
nounced Sept. 17.
The ruling will affect participation
of service academy teams in athletic
events at segregated stadiums, as well
as demonstrations and performances
staged for the public by various mili
tary units.
The new ruling was disclosed as
Chairman Carl Vinson (D-Ga.) of the
House Armed Services Committee in
troduced legislation to void an earlier
McNamara order allowing base com
manders to declare segregated civilian
establishments off limits to men under
their command. Vinson assailed the
directive as illegal military interfer
ence in civilian political matters.
Former Howard Dean
Named to Judgeship
Spottswood W. Robinson III, former
dean of the Howard University lav
school, was nominated by President
Kennedy Oct. 1 to
be a judge of the
Federal District
Court for the Dis
trict of Columbia.
If confirmed by
the Senate, Rob
inson would be
the first Negro to
fill such a post in
Washington.
Robinson, 47, is
a member of the
U.S. Civil Rights , .
Commission. He served as dean o
Howard law school from 1960 until la*
June.
A native and resident of Richmond
Va., Robinson has had extensive
school desegregation nu
he pa f
in
which the Supreme Court held
segregation to be unconstitution • j
has also argued many Virginians ^
desegregatin cases, including
Prince Edward County.
ROBINSON
penence in
gation. As an NAACP attorney,
ticipated in the 1954 Brown case
Meredith Sets Up Scholarship Fund
James H. Meredith, first Negro gradu
ate of the University of Mississippi,
announced at a Washington press con
ference Sept. 6 that he was setting up
a scholarship fund to assist needy Ne
gro students.
Meredith, who has been living in
Washington since he was graduated
from the university last summer, said
the fund would have offices here and
in Jackson, Miss.
He told reporters the fund would
assist students attending both segre
gated and biracial institutions. “We are
primarily concerned with wanting to
help those who will help themselves,”
he said.
The 30-year-old Air Force veteran,
whose admission to the univerity re
quired the forceful intervention of the
federal government, said he hopes to
return to school next year for post
graduate work in law or political
science. He said he will divide his time
between Washington and Jackson, and
will try to encourage Negro voting in
Mississippi.
Meredith’s wife has also moved to
Washington with their three-year-old
son, and is a graduate student at
Howard University.
At the press conference, Meredith
released letters he had written to Presi
dent Kennedy and the Attorney General
praising the administration, particularly
Justice Department officials, for as
suring his right to attend the Univer
sity of Mississippi.
Meredith said the scholarship fund
would be used primarily to give needy
high school students financial assistance
to keep them from dropping out of
school and to help them take summer
courses. Some scholarships will also
go for college expenses, he said.
The major aim of the fund will be to
assist average students to supplement
their schooling sufficiently to pass col
lege entrance examinations and ap
prenticeship requirements, he said.
“My primary concern is for the un
educated to become educated, the un
trained to become trained and those
who cannot make their livelihood to
become able to make a good living for
themselves,” Meredith told reporters.
Meredith is president of the nonpro
fit, tax-exempt corporation administer
ing the fund. He said he would receive
no salary from the fund and expected
to raise money for it through speaking
engagements. He also called for con
tributions from “privileged Americans”
of all races “to join me m helping
underprivileged youth.
★ ★ ★
President Opens Dri'e
For Negro College Fund
to raise »*
A nationwide campaign . the
million for 32 colleges allied ope n^
United Negro College Fund * gcpt-
formally by President Kennedy
12. _ j row** 3 '
On the same day, ° r t Qty tb 3 '
tion announced in New ° r t0 tb 3
it was granting $15 ^u Sch°°K
United Negro College Fund , ^
$5 million to the campaign
$10 million to selected mem ^ *itb
President Kennedy, wh ^
fund officials and presi e Mb 1
of the Negro colleges at a <<gre a.
House, called the campaign £
national effort.” He said W* ^
leges are faced with &*£****£
at a time when Negr tic ipati otl
better jobs and greater P
the life of the Nation. ^
The Negro coHegeswhih
from the development camp deI s
mold as undergraduates
the future,” Kennedy said.