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THE SPELMAN SPOTLIGHT
October 17, 1963
“LOUIS LOMAX ISN’T READY’’
A critical analysis of his article in The Saturday Evening
Post
I approached this article as I approach all those written
by Louis Lomax — warily. While working at the Southern
Regional Council as a junior research assistant when I had
to be familiar with a great many facts concerning the Negro
and civil rights, I found that a large percentage, perhaps
65 per cent, of Lomax’s writings just couldn’t be believed
since he was apparently writing without cross-checking his
facts.
I never recommended any
■article of his since I knew they
had large areas of untrustworth
iness and were often misleading
as to conclusions, although they
contained grains of truth. I had
no reason to believe his way of
presenting arguments and data
had changed, and upon reading
the article I found I was right.
I must admit that I have perhaps
spent more time than necessary
reading through current literature
to find proof that his conclusions
are not accurate. However, I feel
very strongly that those of Us who
are products of what Mr. Lomax
condescendingly calls “ . . . Negro
education. . .” doing service in
the Negro community” have an
obligation to present the truth.
From the very first, I found
the article slanted toward sen
sational overstatements and blan
ket indictments. The . first thing
that catches the reader’s eye is
the title “YOUNG NEGROES
AREN’T READY.” Only after I
was halfway through the article
did I discover that Mr. Lomax was
talking about students in South
ern, predominantly Negro colleges.
This covers at best 71,000 state
college students not enrolled in
UNCF colleges and does not begin
to include the 123,000 enrolled in
white institutions. It also does not
include the Negro youth who are
trying to become skilled workers
and technicians, despite the dis-
The "Y"
Needs You
We, the Cabinet of the Young
Women’s Christian Association,
invite you to join us in the fun
and excitement of a new year.
Every student enrolled at Spel-
man is automatically a member
of our association. But not all of
you are active card-carrying
members. This, however, can
easily be remedied. Just contact
any of us or your dormitory rep
resentative and, in no time at all,
you will be enjoying the many
privileges a membership card af
fords.
The Cabinet consists of President
- C. Etta White; Vice President -
Jane Sampson; Recording Secre
tary - Audrey Harrison; Corres
ponding Secretary - Hazel Flow
ers; Treasurer - Gwendolyn Ro
binson; Reporter - Barbara Walk
er; Social Chairman - Dorothy
Dailey; Publicity - Grace Kelley.
Our adviser is Mrs. C. K. Farris.
The domitory representatives
include: Lorna Wilson in Abby;
Eleanor Hinton in Bessie Strong;
G-ail King in Morehouse South;
Faye Jones in Morehouse North;
Judy Tillman in the city; Gwen
dolyn Robinson in Packard; Jane
Sampson in'Morgan, and C. Etta
White in Chadwick.
The Young Women’s Christian
Association here at Spelman is
one. We urge you to join one of
the miniature clubs. They are the
Campus Affairs Interest Group
with Marilyn Gibson as Chairman,
Community Affairs which is led
by Juanita Robinson and Barbara
Madden, and the International
Affairs Group with Leila Simmons
as leader.
But now, merely obtaining your
membership card is your first
goal. You may then wait until the
second Sunday to become affili
ated with the group of your
•choice. It is on this occasion,
October 13, that we all gather
for the first time. See you then!
C. E. W.
crimination in apprenticeship pro
grams of building, plumbing,
printing and electrical unions-to
name a few.
Lomax only mentions in passing
the burden American society, via
prejudice and discrimination,
places on Negroes. I can’t under
stand why Mr. Lomax doesn’t
stress the importance of this when
it is universally recognized. Even
he cannot deny the 1954-1955
Brown decisions which declared
segregated education (and opened
the way for other areas of segre
gation to be ruled upon in like
manner) damaging and therefore
unconstitutional. If Mr. Lomax
had been on the Supreme Court,
Negroes would have been urged
to “study-in” until they brought
themselves up to the level of
white people.
Taking one of his specific
examples, even if the Urban Lea
gue found the 1,000 qualified
Negroes whom they say they can
place, would all that he claims
automatically follow? Is more
money all a Negro needs for bet
ter housing — or will attempts to
move into white neighborhoods
be met with mobs, bombs, and
vandalism as was the experience
of the family of a skilled Negro
in Philadelphia? Can Mr. Lomax
honestly say . that the only thing
barring Negroes from living in
integrated neighborhoods is lack
of money?
I was particularly astounded by
his flat statement that integrated
housing and schools will automa
tically give Negroes a “. . . more
typically American upbringing”.
This appears to me to say that
Negroes are not” . . . typically
American.” — Where else do you
find it,- outside of South Africa?
STEVENS
(Continued from Page 2)
when she learns that a professor
such as Dr. Howard Zinn has
been dismissed. This concern is
generated by the fact that this
man’s absence constitutes a great
loss to the college community in
general, and to the student in
particular. I understand your be
wilderment about this matter —
I share it. To list this man’s
contributions to this college and
to the community at large would
be unnecessary. You are all
aware of t|iem. They are many
and impressive. And every young
woman who was fortunate
enough to be his student remem
bers Dr. Zinn’s genuine interest
in her and how he taught her to
have faith in her ability and
faith in her intellfigene.
There are few Dr. Zinns in the
world. Spelman was fortunate to
have one in her midst. As Presi
dent of the student body, I artic
ulate a need — the need to know
why this professor who is na
tionally acclaimed as a scholar,
who is an excellent professor, is
no longer here to inspire (as he
and he alone can do) the student
to excel.
The Student Council feels that
the Zinn matter is a matter
which concerns each of us. You
will hear more about it.
The thoughts in this region of
my mind have not been exhaust
ed. As I stated at the beginning
I cannot say all here. Attend
your SSGA meeting — there I
will continue this letter.
Sincerely yours,
Betty Stevens
The Attorney General of the
United States, Robert Kennedy,
has said as quoted most recently
in Judge J. Skelley Wright’s Re
porter article, September 26, 1963,
“For generations, Americans have
prided themselves on being a
people with democratic ideals —
a people who pay no attention to
a man’s race, creed, or color . . .
it has not been true”. Could At
torney General Kennedy have
made this statement, before Con
gress, unchallenged and practic
ally unnoticed, if Americans do
not universally acknowledge, ac
cept and practice segregation as
typical?
Lomax mentions only briefly
the great handicap most Negro
students suffer from the time they
get to college. According to Sep
tember 22, 1963 New York Times,
in one Negro college “. . . about
half of the incoming freshmen
were even with or below the
eighth-grade level in mathematics
and training”. Can you plunge
people like this into a college
curriculum?
I think articles such as this one
do a great disservice. Many white
people will seize upon it and use
it to justify their continuing dis
crimination. “Why hire a Negro
when Negroes aren’t qualified and
ready, and don’t care about chang
ing? But worse, it gives Negroes
the idea that there are hundreds
of jobs waiting for them •— and
if they can’t find one they are at
fault. I do not doubt for a minute
that some industries would like
to hire Negroes in certain positions
and cannot find anyone to fill
them. I can see all around me that
many Negroes limit themselves
When it comes to occupational
choice and training. But, also,
don’t sociologists all agree that
minorities, due to the great emo
tional impact of prejudice on the
psyche, come in time to believe
and live the stereotypes? They
have even named this the self-
limiting factor. Most important,
Mr. Lomax ignores the fact that
prejudice still exists. Does he
point out that even if young Ne
groes strive to go to college and
to enter new occupations, they can
only expect the sum of their
life’s earnings to equal those of
an eighthngrade white student (as
found by the State of Connecticut
Commission on Civil Rights)?
Does he say, as Mr. Glenn, sociolo
gist at the University of Illinois
in his summer, 1963 Phylon ar
ticle, “. . . discrimination against
non-white individuals is still
strong enough to keep most non
whites at a lower occupational
level than whites with the same
quality and quantity of education”.
At the 1950-1960 rates of absolute
change (increase of Negroes with
in various occupational groups)
non-whites would attain occupa
tional equality within 93 years
from 1960, income equality (of
persons) within 219 years . . .”?
Walter Lippman, in Newsweek,
September 16, 1963, “The Negroes’
Grievances” gives the best answer
to Lomax’s arguments.
“. . . there can be no solution
of the Negro labor problem even
if hiring and firing could be
equalized. For we have a chronic
lack of demand for about 5V2 %
of the people wanting jobs. . . A
real solution can be had only in
an upsurge of the American econ
omy which will increase the de
mand for labor, white and black,
by some 2 million to 3 million
jobs. . . . They (the economic
grievances of the Negroes) are
an inseparable part of the nation
al problem of how to stimulate
the American economy — how to
provide that much higher standard
of life which is within the capacity
of our technology, our resources,
our capital reserves, and our labor
force. Here there is no near pros
pect of a big advance.”
—Jane Bond Moore
Spelman Welcomes
Dean Olivers
The Spelman College family is
happy to welcome an addition to
its administrative body in the
person of Mrs. Naomi R. Olivers.
As of September, 1963, Mrs. Oli
vers assumed her duties as Spel-
man’s new Dean of Women.
A native of Lawrenceville, Vir
ginia, Mrs. Chivers received her
undergraduate and graduate
training at Hampton Institute
and New York University re
spectively. For several years she
was an instructor of English and
history at Lunenburg High School
in Virginia, and later was an in
structor in psychology and Eng
lish at Saint Paul’s College in
her hometown of Lawrenceville.
Subsequently, she served as Dean
of Women at Saint Paul’s for
sixteen years.
Certainly Mrs. Chivers is no
stranger to many of Spelman’s
upperclassmen, for they know
her as one with a ready smile,
one with a spirit of kindness and
of dedication. She taught courses
in English and in Education here
for several years, and supervised
the English clinic, which she,
herself, initiated. In addition, she
was the efficient supervisor of
the student teachers at the sec
ondary level, a position to which
she was truly devoted.
September 3, 1963 marked the
beginning of a cooperative work
shop held on Spelman’s campus.
This was the product of Dean
Chivers’ sincere desire to see im
plemented during the 1963-64
school year, a planned program,
creating in all its aspects a col
lege atmosphere conducive to
learning, academically, socially,
politically, and culturally. Through
the cooperation of student leaders,
head residents, counselors, and
faculty advisors, it was possible
to map out several plans of ac
tion for the year. Dean Chivers,
as did all who participated in
this effort, which lasted one
week, considered the workshop
fruitful. She said that this work
shop helped her, particularly, to
become acquainted with the va
rious functions of the groups on
campus.
When an administrator is sin
cerely and totally concerned with
providing the best possible con
ditions for the growth and de
velopment of her students, it us
ually takes very little time for
the students to sense this dedi
cation and to appreciate it. In
view of all she has done in such
a short time, one must conclude
that Dean Chivers surely has this
total concern and dedication. In
her own words, “My greatest an
xiety is that every potential in
each person can be translated
into creative activity, and that
each person will feel a sense of
achievement at the end of each
year. With these goals in mind,
we organize our total personnel
services.”
Bernice Dowdy
JAZZ
(Continued from Page 3)
festival held at Coblain-la-Tour
along with about forty other acts.
Jazz polls are held in Norway,
Finland, Japan and numerous
other countries every year. Our
American musicans are always
better accepted than their own.
The United States is known for
its music, though, and most
foreign musicians take cues and
styles from ours. It’s quite a com
pliment to us.
WHAT’S NEW?
Seven Steps to Heaven by Miles
Davis on Columbia,
The Gospel Truth by Les Mc
Cann (Pacific Jazz 69),
Town Hall Concert by Charlie
Mingus (Atlantic 1407).
If anyone wants to know about
WILPF Offers
Challenge
The Women’s International
League for Peace and Freedom
was started in 1915 during World
War I with Jane Addams as its
first president. Throughout its
history it has maintained its pur
pose: to work for the achieve
ment by peaceful means of those
political, economic, social and
psychological conditions through
out the world which can assure
peace and freedom. Three impor
tant aims of the WILPF will be
discussed here.
The WILPF has worked
through various means to bring
about forceful action for the
preservation of democracy. To
ward this end, the organization
focuses its efforts upon interna
tional and domestic affairs.
The WILPF supports all steps
leading to general and complete
disarmament under law with
United Nation’s inspection and
control. It believes that only to
tal and universal disarmament
under UN supervision offer any
security in this nuclear age. It
further urges the permanent abo
lition of nuclear testing as an
immediate and basic step toward
attaining this goal.
The WILPF urges effective ac
tion to eliminate from all phases
of our national life, discrimina
tion based on race, sex, religion,
politics, economic status or na
tional origin.
Undergraduate women are wel
comed as members into this or
ganization. It would be wonder
ful if Spelman could establish a
local chapter and affiliate with
the national groups. Numerous op
portunities are available for stu
dent members to attend national
conferences throughout the year.
Students interested in becoming
members of this worthwhile or
ganization should contact Ida
Rose McCree.
STRICTLY SPEAKING
(Continued from page 2)
like a soldier trained on the battle
field of education. Academically,'
he is well-prepared to take on,
with deep insight and understand
ing, the engaging and intellectual
ly challenging problems in this
age old decision. Socially, he is
armed to communicate effectively
and persuasively, for it is through
effective communication that ef
fective understanding is accom
plished. Morally, he guards him
self well against the burning pit
of prejudice and discrimination.
These two evils, prejudice and
discrimination, have kept the
Negro from becoming well-edu
cated. But these are only two
reasons for his ill success. The
third and most astonishing ob
stacle that deters the Negro in this
regard is himself. The apathetic
Negro finds it hard to realize that
education is his most immediate
and most indispensable weapon.
With the sword of education he
can slash through iron barriers,
some which even money and pro
perty could not penetrate.
In conclusion, I leave with you
the Negro’s “declaration of inde
pendence,” which, in essence,
states that all men are created
with the ability to learn and to
reach greater heights through
education; that through education
men shall free themselves from
the bondage of ignorance; and that
life, liberty and the pursuit of
education should be the goal of
all people whether they be a
majority or a minority. Hence,
abideth these three: academic edu
cation, social education, and moral
education.
a particular jazz artist, send a
note to the Publications Office and
I’ll see what I can do. See Ya!
—Joanne Merry