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TENNESSEE
SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS—FEBRUARY, 1964—PAGE 5
Marshall Says Rights Bill Will Not "End the Problem*
NASHVILLE
urke Marshall, U.S. assist
ant attorney general who
het»ds the Justice Department’s
Civil Rights Division, said in
Nashville on Jan. 23 that the
pending civil-rights bill will not
“end the problem of segregation.”
Addressing about 300 delegates to the
annual meeting of the Tennessee Coun
cil on Human Relations, which included
school desegregation in its discussions,
Marshall declared:
“We must keep in mind that the
civil-rights bill. . . does not deal with
all the effects of segregation.”
Marshall explained provisions of the
bill and said its passage this year is
“the major problem we have to deal
with.” Earlier in the day he told a press
conference that the measure faces
“pretty determined opposition by some
senators.”
Efforts to Mislead
“Its failure to be passed would have
serious and grave consequences all over
the world,” the official said.
“We must keep in mind the national
interest,” he continued. “Part of the
crisis our country faces is the lack of
faith of the citizens in their ability to
meet its problems.”
Marshall said there were “deliberate
efforts already started. . . to mislead
the public on what it (the bill) does.”
Next September, he said, “we will
start a new generation of school chil
dren in a segregated school system,”
citing figures which he said showed
that about 2,000 school districts in 15
states are “totally segregated.”
Expects Approval
Marshall said he believes the bill will
be approved. But he added:
“The job that follows will be more
difficult and will be more lasting.”
School desegregation also was dis
cussed by Dr. Herman Long, president
of Talladega College in Alabama and
former head of the race relations de
partment at Fisk University.
Addressing a luncheon meeting, Dr.
Long urged the delegates to work for
complete desegregation of Tennessee
public schools as its goal during 1964.
Local Leadership
“The Role of Local Leadership” in
handling race relations was the subject
of a panel discussion including Mayor
Beverly Briley of Nashville and David
son County, Mayor Ralph Kelley of
Chattanooga, Vice Mayor E. N. Backus
of Johnson City, Dr. Paul T. Jones of
Memphis and Jack Day of Oak Ridge.
William Willis of Nashville was
named president of the council, suc
ceeding George Barrett of Nashville.
Members of the newly formed Ten
nessee Commission on Human Rela
tions attended some of the council ses-
Oklahoma
(Continued From Page 4)
Portunities to all boys and girls, re
gardless of race.
. Me said the board has nothing else
* mind than to try to carry out the
order of the federal court (see Legal
etion) to desegregate the schools “as
ast as we can without creating any
g^at commotion for either Negroes or
whites.”
Qualification Alone
Me said the court’s order definitely
e ans there will be more Negro pupils
white schools and that teachers will
assigned to schools on qualification
° ne , regardless of race,
th ^ ter an applicant is cleared by
q P? rsor mel office, approved as to his
h e . ca hon for becoming a teacher,
^i .^“Srdected by the principal,” Estes
' But this won’t work against Ne-
packers getting assigned to white
Prin ■ ^ e re n »t going to say to the
hut C *^’ 'You cannot hire a Negro,’
hh-o ^ther will we say, ‘You have to
^ Negroes.’ ”
ttit Q e that, if a Negro family moves
Scho-i e Northwest Classen High
^ w Capitol Hill High School
^°ol Tu 1 " c hBdren will go to that
ipg • Whe same applies to whites liv-
b* sakl 6 Douglass High School area,
j>Hly ^ 0r . Jiis personal feelings, “The
. sition I take serving on the
W” r-’” attempting to carry out the
’ ^tes declared.
Tennessee
U.S. assistant attorney general
Burke Marshall said in Nashville
that the proposed civil-rights bill
will not “end the problem of segre
gation.”
Miss Earline Lavernia Houston of
Memphis has been accepted by the
University of Tennessee School of
Medicine at Memphis and is sched
uled to become the first Negro
woman enrolled there next Septem
ber.
The Chattanooga Board of Educa
tion has issued a statement declaring
that “the best qualified” person will
be chosen as the board’s nominee to
fill a vacancy on the board.
Dr. Stephen J. Wright of Nash
ville was elected to membership on
the board of directors of the Asso
ciation of American Colleges, becom-
sions and held their own organizational
meeting on Jan. 23. (See Miscellan
eous.)
In addition to the remarks by Mar
shall and Dr. Long, school desegrega
tion was discussed by others during
the two-day council meeting.
Dr. Vasco Smith of Memphis told a
panel discussion audience that Negroes
in that city are being subjected to
“double shifts” at some schools and
that there are reports that other schools
may be brought under the plan next
fall.
U.S. Rep. Ross Bass addressed the
delegates briefly, pledging his support
for passage of the civil-rights bill.
Among other participants in the
council's sessions were Amon C. Evans,
publisher of the Nashville Tennessean,
and John Seigenthaler, editor of the
Tennessean.
Evans presided over the panel dis
cussion of local leadership and Seigen
thaler introduced Marshall for his ban
quet address.
★ ★ ★
The Tennessee Advisory Committee
to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission on
Jan. 20 issued a report which declared
“it is virtually impossible for Negro
youths or adults in Tennessee to re
ceive training” in other than “tradi
tional Negro jobs.”
Noted in the report was the fact that
some schools offer vocational training
to Negroes.
“The number of Negro journeymen
in the crafts, trades and unions is so
small that opportunities for Negro
youths to enter apprenticeship pro
grams are extremely limited,” the re
port said.
Schoolmen
Deaf School Names
Negro As Teacher
In White Division
The Tennessee School for the Deaf
at Knoxville has its first Negro teacher
to serve on the faculty of the school’s
white division.
She is Mrs. Elaine Williamson of
Knoxville, who received her master’s
degree from the University of Tennes
see along with specialized training for
teaching the deaf.
The state-supported special school
operates separate divisions for white
and Negro students. Officials said no
desegregation had occurred among stu
dents, but that Mrs. Williamson was
employed in the white division at the
beginning of the school year.
★ ★ ★
Board Will Nominate
On Qualification Basis
The Chattanooga Board of Education
on Jan. 8 said that it will nominate “the
best qualified” person for membership
on the board in February.
In a formal statement, the board said
it expected to receive from a special
citizens’ screening committee the
names of three persons to be con
sidered in filling the vacancy of Vice
Chairman Raymond B. Witt Jr., whose
term expires on Feb. 15.
- - - ✓ - ,
Highlights
ing the first Negro to serve in that
capacity.
“Discriminatory” practices against
Negroes attending Memphis State
University were criticized by the
Memphis branch of the NAACP.
Briefs were filed by the school
board and the plaintiffs in the
Franklin County school desegrega
tion suit. A ruling was expected soon
frm U.S. District Judge Charles G.
Neese.
An appeal of district court ap
proval of a gradual desegregation
plan in Jackson was withdrawn by
Negro plaintiffs.
Five additional members were
named by Gov. Frank G. Clement to
the new Tennessee Commission on
Human Relations.
“If the best qualified nominee in the
opinion of the board happens to be a
member of the Negro race, such person
will be nominated,” the statement said,
“but the board does not propose to
give undue weight or discriminatory
preference to a member of any race...”
The board’s statement said it was
“fully aware of the fact that discrim
inations can be positive or negative,
helpful or harmful and that discrimna-
tion by a public body in any form is
clearly unconstitutional.”
Negroes Want Member
Negro leaders have suggested that at
least one member of the board should
be a Negro, contending that more than
40 per cent of the school population
are members of their race and that
they are entitled to board representa
tion.
The nominee selected by the board
will be presented to the City Commis
sion for its consideration in electing a
member to the six-year term.
Witt, who also has served as counsel
for the board during the Chattanooga
school desegregation litigation, has
asked that he not be considered for
another term.
In The Colleges
College Association
Names Dr. Wright
New Board Member
Dr. Stephen J. Wright, president of
Fisk University at Nashville, on Jan.
16 became the first Negro to be elected
to membership on the board of direc
tors of the Association of American
Colleges.
His election to the four-year term
came during the association’s 50th an
nual conference in Washington.
The association has more than 800 in
stitutions among its membership and is
Both sides in the Franklin County
school desegregation suit filed briefs at
the end of January with U.S. District
Judge Charles G. Neese.
A ruling was expected from the court
soon.
Neese on Jan. 2 ordered the Frank
lin County Board of Education, which
had proposed a gradual desegregation
plan based on geographical areas be
ginning in September, to desegregate
two Sewanee elementary schools by
March 2. (Hill et al v. Franklin County
Board of Education, SSN, January and
previous.)
The judge allowed both sides until
Jan. 31 to file briefs in support of their
arguments.
★ ★ ★
Negro plaintiffs have withdrawn
their appeal of U.S. District Judge
Bailey Brown’s decision in the Jackson
school desegregation case.
Nashville attorney Avon N. Williams
designed to promote advancement of
higher education, especially in the lib
eral arts field.
Roger Savain, Fisk public relations
director, quoted association officials as
saying Dr. Wright was the first Negro
to be elected to the board although Ne
groes have served previously on the
association’s committees.
Dr. Wright is a member of the board
of directors of Southern Education Re
porting Service.
★ ★ ★
Negro Woman Accepted
By UT Medical School
The University of Tennessee School
of Medicine at Memphis has accepted
Miss Earline Lavernia Houston as its
first Negro woman student.
Miss Houston, daughter of Mr. and
Mrs. Earl J. Houston of Memphis, is
scheduled to enter the school in Sep
tember.
A spokesman for the school on Jan.
8 said “two or three” Negro men have
been enrolled previously.
Miss Houston now is a senior at Le-
Moyne College, which she entered af
ter completing the 11th grade at Ma
nassas High School. She is a member of
Kappa Chi, national honorary scientific
society; Alpha Kappa Mu, national
honor society; and LeMoyne’s honor
society. She is a biology major.
★ ★ ★
East Tennessee State University at
Johnson City has awarded an athletic
scholarship to its first Negro foootball
player.
Receiving the scholarship was Johnny
Russaw, star halfback of Langston
High School, also located in Johnson
City.
ETSU also has an Alcoa Negro,
Tommy Woods, as a member of its
freshman basketball team.
Austin Peay State College at Clarks
ville also has signed a Negro player to
receive a football scholarship.
What They Say
NAACP Criticizes
Memphis State
The Memphis branch of the National
Association for the Advancement of
Colored People on Jan. 26 criticized
what it called “discriminatory” prac
tices against Negroes attending Mem
phis State University.
Jesse Turner, president of the branch,
said:
“Memphis State points to itself with
pride as to how it has integrated, but
we’ve found that Memphis State at the
core is very difficult.”
The statement came during a meet
ing of the NAACP.
Some members of the organization
expressed the view that the state-sup-
ported university is only partially de
segregated and contended that Negro
students should be allowed to partici
pate in all sports, recreational and ex-
Jr. said on Feb. 1 that the plaintiffs had
decided on the withdrawal and to allow
“a little time to see how the board will
operate it (the plan).”
The plaintiffs had objected to transfer
provisions in the plan, which was ap
proved last August. (Monroe et al v.
Board of Commissioners of the City of
Jackson et al, SSN, September, 1963,
and previous.)
The plan approved by the court had
been filed by the commissioners, who
also serve as the board of education,
and called for desegregation of the first
three grades last September with the
remainder of the grades to be desegre
gated by 1967. About 40 Negroes are
attending five predominantly white
schools in the West Tennessee district.
★ ★ ★
The U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Ap
peals at Cincinnati is scheduled to hear
arguments on an appeal by Negro
plaintiffs in the Knoxville school de-
tra-curricular activities without “dis
crimination.”
An estimated 110 Negroes are among
the university’s 8,215 students.
Rep. Ross Bass (D-Tenn.) said in
Nashville on Jan. 15 that a civil-rights
bill “in some form” will be approved
by Congress this year.
Addressing a Kiwanis Club luncheon
in suburban Madison, the Congressman
said, however, “no act will be passed
which will destroy the free enterprise
system.”
Bass is on record as favoring passage
of the civil-rights measure now pend
ing in Congress.
★ ★ ★
Miscellaneous
Clement Appoints
Five More Members
To Biracial Group
Gov. Frank G. Clement on Jan. 14
appointed five additional members to
the newly-created Tennessee Commis
sion on Human Relations.
In addition to the 16 members who
were named on Jan. 1, the governor
announced the appointments of these
members:
J. Emmett Ballard, Jackson attorney;
the Rev. Wayne Dehoney, pastor of
First Baptist Church, Jackson; Bennie
J. Harris, Chattanooga attorney; the
Rev. B. L. Hooks, Memphis minister
and attorney; and Bert Ferguson
Memphis radio station executive.
The commission held an organiza
tional session in Nashville on Jan. 23
and adopted what was termed an “ex
tremely positive” attitude about its fu
ture work.
Major Objective
The Rev. Sam R. Dodson, Jr. of
Nashville, commission chairman, said
the first major objective will be a re
view of race-relations accomplishments
in Tennessee.
Committees are expected to be an
nounced soon to recommend the com
mission’s policies, programs, budgetary
requirements and public relations prac
tices. The group is considering the pos
sibility of employing a full-time exe
cutive director.
Clement formed the biracial commis
sion on Jan. 1 and said it would en
courage equal opportunity for all per
sons regardless of race, color, creed or
national origin.
★ ★ ★
Edward J. Shea, executive vice presi
dent of the Nashville Area Chamber of
Commerce, was presented an award
Jan. 9 by Metropolitan Mayor Beverly
Briley for his work in race relations.
Briley commended Shea, during a
meeting of the chamber’s membership,
for his service as chairman of the
mayor’s interim human relations com
mittee last year.
The interim committee was succeeded
by a permanent group appointed by the
mayor.
Awaited
segregation suit on Feb. 20.
An original grade-a-year desegrega
tion plan was ordered into effect by
Judge Robert L. Taylor in 1960, but
this plan was struck down by the ap
peals court in April, 1962. (Goss et al v.
Knoxville Board of Education.)
The school board filed an amended
plan to desegregate the third and
fourth grades in September, 1962, and
last September desegregation was ex
tended to the fifth and sixth grides
under the accelerated plan.
Plaintiffs appealed the district judge’s
approval of the accelerated plan.
The appeals court last April, acting
on another appeal by the plaintiffs, held
that the board’s plan for Negro trans
fers to previously all-white vocational
high school classes was “too compli
cated” and directed that these pro
visions be simplified.
The district now has about 229 Ne
groes attending biracial classes in 13
schools.
Legal Action
Franklin County Decision