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Authorized at Savannah, Georgia
Now To November
(From (he Birmingham World)
Interest stimulated in the political con¬ implications sounded by the Southern re-
ventions of the two major political parties sisters. Unless they become ballot mind¬
should be churned into voter-registration ed they will be almost politically defense¬
interest now until November. The Na¬ less. Let there be a real, sustained, fired
tional Democratic Convention should have up campaign for new voters.
been an object lesson on the importance Those who have the qualifications to
of the ballot. vote and who fail to do so, cheat them¬
The parade of Southern delegates in op¬ selves. The non-voters cheat on their own
position to the adoption of the civil rights citizenship. This is the kind of cheating
plank should stir to action non-voters. which hurts. Civic wonders can be work¬
Some of the re,sisters had the gall to imply ed with a wisely used ballot. The power
that they represented the sentiments of of the ballot is something which should
a section of the Negro group. Yet they be driven home to our voting age youth.
did not include any Negro leaders in their The political conventions could be made
delegations and let them speak for them¬ a clinic for spurring interest in voter- re¬
selves at the convention. They would not gistration. The fact that generally no
dare do this. Negro delegates from the Deep South
Who has the ballot has a tool by which appeared at the National Democratic Con¬
he can help himself. Yet this seems not vention should challenge non-voters gen¬
to have sunken in deeply. Especially erally. The ballot is the crown of first-
should our young people become alive to class citizenship.
Editorial Opinion of The Nation’s Press
(Compiled by the
Associated Negro Press)
Reaction to the recent events in the “nation” whose nationhood is still purely
Congo since it achieved independence fictional.”
June 30 has been widespread and varied ADVERTISER, Montgomery,
as these samples taken from American Ala.
papers indicate: "The Belgian Congo, has long been the
popular symbol of all that is most primi¬
POST DISPATCH, St. Louis tive and savage in Africa. The symbol
“Originally Belgium had planned to may be tragically validated in the wake
give the Congo independence after a five- of independence.”
year preparatory period. Then alarmed by TIMES, New York City
native truculence, the grant was made “There is not a great deal thaf^the
virtually at once. This sort of respect for United States or any other country <>£ the
self-determination hardly was a favor to free world can do at this point to insure
those who demanded it.” stability in the new republic; but it is
AMERICAN, Chicago a prime necessity that We be. prepared
“This artificial republic, and many to extend technical and economic help,
others like it which the U.N. is welcoming preferably through the United Nations,
into its fold, has no experience in self- at the earliest moment it becomes practi¬
government. no stable economy, and no cable to give it. This is not in order to
historical identity as a nation. To many buy friendship. It is to assist the shaky
of its people, "freedom” seems to mean Government of the Congo to maintain its
merely permission to abuse their former independence and its freedom.”
masters. THE NEWS, Detroit
“Of course this is not their fault; a “If this be the moment of truth for
Congolese tribesman cannot be expected Kasavubu and his fiery prime minister
to leap from a primitive civilization to the Lumumba, it is that slogans are not
20th century, or to grasp such terms as enough, that a loathing of imperialism is
“democracy” before he has learned to not a substitute for a rule of law, that
read. nationalism can gag on an over-loaded
“The U. N., however, platter of independence, and that part of
shows the baldest the black man’s new burden is a realiza¬
kind of hypocrisy in rushing to adopt a tion that he cannot go it alone.”
Islam and Africa
B.v ISA S. WALI
PART TWO
of a five-part ANP series
The principles of Islam were
based mainly on the Quran and
the Hadith (or sayings and prac¬
tice. of the Prophet himself).
These cover a very wide scope
including not only religious doc¬
trines but a wider social, political
and economic system, a political
philosophy and a way of life which
regulates and provides guidance to
an individual, right from his cradle
to the grave, for the discharge
of his responsibilities to his fam-
ily, his neighbors, his society and
his country.
The religious doctrines are, how¬
ever, the basis of the whole struc¬
ture, and the Din (or religion)
is divided into Inman (Faith) and
Amal (Practice).
The faith consists in the accept¬
ance of five articles of belief.
These are one, the existence and
oneness of Allah (or God), as
only creator and disposer of
universe, who has no partner
no comparable being, and none
Him is worthy of worship —
begotteth not, nor was
Two, the existence of Angels
the ambassadors of the
from Allah to His apostles,
through them, of His messages
humanity.
Three, belief in the
hooks or scriptures which
been revealed through the
such as Abraham’s Books,
Bible, Jesus’ Gospel, and
hammad’s Quaran;
Four, belief in the
prophets from Noab to
as ordinary human beings,
selected by Allah and authorized
receive His revelations
His Angels and to prielsiaj
to mankind;
Five, belief in the Day of Resur¬
rection, the Judgment Day, as the
life hereafter as the only eternal
life, and as the life of reward and
punishment.
The practical side of the religion
consists in the observance of five
practical duties.
First, the recital of the creed
“There is no god hut Allah, and
Muhammad is the Messenger of
( Allah.”
Second, the observance of five
I daily prayers (or physical ser-
vjces) at their ified tin
(these are in the morning, or sun¬
rise; in the midday; in the after¬
noon, in the early evening, or
sunset; and in the late evening).
These prayers (or services) can be
performed anywhere, — at the
mosque, at home, in the field,
at the factory, in the office —
wherever one happens to be at the
time. Except that on Fridays the
j ble, midday be prayer said is. in wherever possi-
j 1° a congregation
in one central mosque which all
the people in the town within three
miles radius should attend. This is
to afford an opportunity for all
people in the area to congregate
together and fraternize at least
once every week.
Third, is the annual fasting of
the thirty days of the month of
Ramadan, which is the ninth
month in the lunar year. For
whole of that month, every
lim, wherever he may be, is
quired to abstain from any
or drink and from certain
legitimate enjoyments, from
rise to sunset. The purpose is
purify as well as put to a test
soul, and pro mote its capacity
persevfraiet, thus
bis will to keep gw*; a\vfp |\vxy from sins
obvious and obsctfre”. Sk”. The samp-
ling enough of starvation is also
expected to make him warm-heart¬
ed, hospitable ami sympathetic to
the poor who a eg in constant want.
The end of the fasting is usually
marked by alms in food given to
the poor. Those who are exempted
from fasting are the sick, the
old, children, travellers, expectant
and breast-feeding mother^. But
they must make compensation by
fasting an equal number of days
later, or giving out certain mea¬
sures of food in alms to the poor.
The fourth duty is the payment
of zahat—or legal alms—annual¬
ly. This is a fiscal worship by
which the well-to-do are required
to care for the needs of the poor,
by paying annual subsidies with
which to maintain religious and
public benefits like mosques, hos¬
pitals, educational institutions and
a defense force. This is not to be
regarded as a tax (whatever it
may be in practice), but a “loan
made to Allah, which He will re¬
pay many-fold”. The rates are
fixed as follows: One-tenth of the
product of the land if it is water-
ed by rain, and one-twentieth if
it is irrigated by human effort;
one-twentieth of commercial gain;
one-thirtieth on cattle, and one-
fortieth on sheep.
The fifth duty is the Hajj —
or Pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi
Arabia, at least once fn a life¬
time. This takes place within the
second week of the month of Zul
Hajj (the twelfth month in the
lunar year) and consists of certain
religious rites and traditions in
the holy places of Mecca. Like the
Continued on Page Seven
THE SAVANNAH TRIBUNE, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA
Government Enforcement of Court Decision Would Enhance U. S. Leadership
i»iUII»|
X m
Negro Democrats Help in Drafting Civil
Rights Plank Of Party’s Platform
By ALICE A. DUNNIGAN
LOS ANGELES, (ANP) —
Negro Americans had a strong
voice in the formulation of the
Democratic platform of 1960. And
the impact of the “sit-in” demon¬
strations around the nation played
a major role in shaping the future
destiny of this party.
During the two-day pre-conven¬
tion hearings the 10‘5-man plat¬
form committee heard testimony
from scores of liberals, all of
whom insisted that the platform
contain a strong plank guarantee¬
ing first-class citizenship to ail
Americans including the students
of the South.
Among witnesses appearing be¬
fore this committee were Roy Wil¬
kins, L. B. Thompson, the Rev.
Maurice A. Dawkins and four
leaders of the “sit-in” movement.
Wilkins, executive ssecretary of
NAACP, spoke in behalf of the
Leadership Conference * Civil
on
Rights, an organization composed
of 33 national civic, fraternal,
church, labor and intergroup
bodies supporting the cause of civil
rights.
He told the committee that the
students of the nation have fur¬
nished a sharp and dramatic re¬
minder to all Americans that the
pace toward equality is first-class
citizenship has been much too slow.
Their peaceful "sit-in” at variety
store lunch counters “constitute a
dramatic rebuttal of the thesis
that Negro citizens are satisfied
with segregation.”
In drawing up their platform,
Wilkins Urged the committee to in¬
clude a plank which would de¬
finitely prohibit the use of federal
funds for the establishment and
perpetuation of segregation in
education, housing, and employ¬
ment opportunities or in any other-
area.
T h e Leadership
through Wilkins, its chairman,
proposed that the Platform Com¬
mittee include a provision which
would empower the Attorney Gen¬
eral to use civil action in school
desegregation cases, for requiring
every affected school district to
submit a desegregation plan not
later than the end of 1961-62
school year. He further insisted
that technical and financial assist¬
ance be granted to facilitate this
compliance, and that federal funds
and subsidies be refused schools
which refused to comply.
He further urged the authoriza¬
tion that schools for children
military personnel be operated in
localities where they have
closed to avoid compliance with a
court order.
The convention was reminded by
j Wilkins of its duty “to adopt a
platform which will wipe out
widespread and notorious
ment or dental of the rights
register and vote solely because
race and color."
The Brotherhood of sleeping
Porters offered a 10-point
gram to be considered by the
form Committee. The
civil rights program was
in a statement by A. Philip
dolph, president of the
hood, and read by L. B.
son, secretary-treasurer of the
Angeles Local.
1. The Sleeping Car Porters pro¬
posed that the convention endorse
the “great, peaceful, democratic
sit-in movement in the South led
by heroic Negro students. It call¬
ed upon the convention and the
representatives of Federal Govern¬
ment to speak out against, and
halt the lawless terror, intimida-
sm, brutality, false arrest, and
violence imposed upon these stu¬
dents as they seek to exercise their
Constituti - rial rights against the
degredation of segregation, dis¬
crimination and jim crow.
2. “They asked that Federal reg-
istrars be appointed in the deep
South where Negroes are denied
tiie right to vote.
3. They urged the enactment in¬
to law Section 111 of the Civil
Rights bill of 1957, authorizing
the Federal Department of Justice
to intervene to uphold the 1954
Supreme Court decision outlawing
segregation in public schools, and
that 1DH1 1961 be tbf* the t.jtreret. target for for com- com-
pletion of school integration in
| accordance to the Supreme Court
ruling six years ago.
4. Suggested that an Executive
Order he issued barring all dis-
crimination in government em¬
ployment.
5. The passage of an anti-lyneb
law with teeth in it during the
next Congress.
6. The Democratic party was
asked to repudiate, and condemn
the segregationalist, white supre¬
macists, racists and Dixiecrats in
their ranks and to unseat and ex¬
pel them.
8. To guarantee every state a
Representative form of
ment.
9. The inclusion of Negroes as
full fledged members of the Pre¬
sident’s cabinet, convention and
delegations.
10. And to take a clear moral
stand against Colonialism and
racism of all kinds, everywhere
and especially in Africa where
apartheid had led to the massacre
of hundreds of people seeking only
to live in freedom in their own
land.
A statement prepared by the
Rev. Martin Luther King and read
by the Rev. Maurice A. Dawkins,
declared that the jim crow system
and segregation are not only cruel
and inhuman, they are obselete and
no longer have any place in the
soeial fabric of a modern civilized
nation.
The Rev. Dawkins, chairman
the California Ministers Christian
Leadership Conference, is
of the People’s
Church which is
tional and non-racial.
He urged the committee to fight
the forces of discrimination and
segregation between members
the Democratic party and demand
equal consideration for
ments and equal opportunity for
representation in city, county,
state and national elective offices.
He insisted on a strong civil
rights plank, and urged the lib¬
erals to refuse to compromise with
the conservative wing of the party.
“Show a willingness to let the
Southern Democrats walk out
rather than have the civil rights
»f Negro citizens scuttled and sa-
botaged and adopt a weak civil
lights plank in the party plat¬
form.”
And finally he urged the com¬
mittee to “stand four-square on
the Constitution of the United
States — for equal
! equal housing, equal voting,
j equal representation opportuni¬
ties.”
The committee also heard three
of the leaders of the “sit-in” move¬
ment. These young men, Marion
S. Barry, Jr., of Nashville; Bern¬
ard Lee of Montgomery and John
j Mack of Darlington, S. C., were
elected representatives of the
dent non-violent coordinating
mittee in 11 Southern
Maryland and the District of
umbia.
These young people
the Platform Committee
"Negroes have been sent to
hack door in education,
employment and citizenship
j > at the pp]ls » They urf? ed the
^ ocra ........* t s * «< “ s * t 0 p playing
f 00 thall with the civil l ights of
million Negro Americans. And
take forthright and definite
to make American citizenship
;int ] a j; v ; n reality to all,
less of race or creed.”
Being students, their
interest is in education,
they urged the committee to
firmly and immediately to
ment the 1954 Supreme Court
cision against segregation in
lic schools.
In the field of employment
insisted that the Federal
ment set the pace for equal
opportunities by using the
statutes and executive orders
see that Negroes are hired
out discrimination on Federal
and jobs where Federal
are held.
The youths demanded that
ing rights be unhampered and
all citizens be given the right
exercise the franchise.
And finally they asked that all
American citizens be given
protection against violation
their Constitutional rights of
dom of assembly and freedom
petition peaceably for redress
grievances.
With his eye on the Vice
deucy, Michigan’s Governor
Mennen Williams called upon
political leaders to “recognize
great courage and moral energy
the peaceful protesters who
been demonstrating at
counters throughout the land.”
Williams quoted Mrs. Aretha
McKinley, director of the
can Council on Human Rights, as
saying: “Inasmuch as the
of peace and world order depend
upon you as world leaders, a
sponsibility is imposed upon you
to defend and promote the
and worth of every human being.
The elimination of
in the United States based
race, color and creed will serve
as a beacon of hope to those who
believe in a world of peace, free¬
dom and justice for all.”
These are only a few of the
utterances made by Negro lead¬
er.. ar.d ether great liberals which
contributed to the formulation of
SATURDAY, JULY 23, I960
Between The Lines
Bv Dean Gordon B. Hancock for ANP
•?** $ ** $ ' ' I * " I * 'r % **r ****** V V *************** ****** ^
When Paul Butler, chairman of
the Democratic National Com¬
mittee, recently said “The ques¬
tion of human rights is the most
important moral problem of the
Twentieth Century,” he was rais¬
ing a point of order for the serious
consideration of mankind.
Tied in, as it is, with the broad¬
er question of race prejudice, we
have one of the greatest questions
ever to vex the sons of men. And
what is more, this question cannot
be settled until it is settled right,
and that is in accordance with the
teachings of Jesus Christ, that all
men are brothers.
Nothing short of human brother-
hood will settle the upheavals and
miseries that race prejudice is
currently bringing to this troubled
world of ours. Chairman Butler
was also speaking to the point,
when he pointed out the part the
sit-ins had played in calling the
world’s attention to the trouble¬
some part race prejudice is play¬
ing in the current human tragedy.
The sit-ins are feeble demon¬
strations of a serious state of
moral deterioration that may
easily he overlooked or discount¬
ed, although it is undermining the
efforts to build a world order built
upon world brotherhood
human equality.
Russia has, to our nation’s great
discomfort and dismay, played and
played up our shortcomings along
our stiffened color line. While we
are worshipping the gods of race
prejudice, Russia is plucking off
the confused and struggling na-
tions one by one, so that here in
Cuba at our doors she is about to
plant her standards.
We are face to face with a grave
i situation and when Paul Butler
recognizes the connection between
our international plight and our
blundering civil rights program,
he is rendering his country a great
service.
Let us not deceive ourselves, the
great trouble with this nation is
its race prejudice and the stumb¬
ling, blundering civil rights poli¬
cies are just a few of its mani¬
festations.
One stumbling block after
another race prejudice hurtles
to the upward path of the strugg-
i lin 8 Negroes of this country and
that the Democratic party is studd¬
ed with the world’s outstanding
champions of policies steeped
race prejudice, should make the
Civil Rights Plank in
Democratic Political History
Platform Strongest in U. S.
(Continued from Page One)
equal access for all Americans to
all areas of community life, in¬
cluding voting booths, school¬
rooms, jobs, housing, and public
facilities.
“The Democratic administration
which takes office next January
will therefore uses the full powers
provided in the civil rights act of
1957 and 1960 to secure for all
Americans the right to vote.
“If those powers, vigorously in-
I voked by a new attorney general
ano backed by a strong and imagi¬
native Democratic President, prove
inadequate, further powers will be
sought.
“We will support whatever
action is necessary to eliminate
literacy tests and the payment of
poll taxes as requirements for vot¬
ing.
“A new Democratic administra¬
tion will also use its full powers—
legal and moral — to ensure the
ithe Democratic platform.
j Included among the members of
j that committee were Congressman
William L. Dawson of Illinois,
Mrs. Vel Phillips, National Com-
mitteewoman from Wisconsin and
Mrs. Gladys Duncan, a member
of the Democratic Centra! Com¬
mittee of the District of Columbia.
Cong. Dawson was one of the
19-members appointed to the sub¬
committee which drafted the final
platform. Others included Con¬
gressmen Blatnik of Minnesota,
Celler of New York, Green of
Pennsylvania, Harris of Arkansas,
Holifield of California, Johnson of
Colorado, Kilday of Texas, and
Madden of Indiana.
Senators Ervin of North Caro¬
lina, Anderson of New Mexico, and
Hart of Michigan. Leif Ericson of
Montana, Mrs. Ella Grasse of Con¬
necticut. John J. Hooker of Ten¬
nessee, Thorn Lord of New Jersey,
Mrs. Patsy Takemto Mink Mink
of Hawaii, Philip Perlman of
Maryland and Joseph L. Rauh of
i the District of Columbia.
Negro exceedingly cautious and
wary as he chooses candidates in
the coming presidential election.
When Paul Butler calls the civil
rights question the greatest moral
question of the Twentieth Century
and. the late H. G. Wells said that
race prejudice is the worst thing
in the life of mankind today, they
were both uttering the same truth,
that must become more and more
obvious as time passes.
Race prejudice stands between
the Negro and his civil rights ami
it is prejudice that stands between
the Negro and first class citizen¬
ship; and as someone has wisely
said, there can be no first class
i country where there are second
j class In order citizens. to deny Negro citizens
their civil rights, of which voting
| is one, Fayette persecuting County, Tennessee
! is currently its Negro
citizens who dare to make efforts
to vote. They are applying force
and more force, economic of
course, to stay the Negro’s hands
as he reaches for the ballot.
They would put the Negro into
an economic vise and thus deny
him even medicines and medical
services. This is one of the most
cruel manifestations race prej-
udice has known in the history of
this country.
But it goes to show how des¬
perate are the forces which ave
designed to hinder the Negro in
his pursuit of civil rights. Happily
our great country has come up
| with only one Fayette County.
i On the whole even the bitterly
prejudiced whites exercise a sort
of decency that lets the Negro
live, in the hope that, tomorrow will
be a brighter day.
The conscience of the nations
is sensitive. It took just a sit-
in on the part of a few students,
to send a wave of sit-ins through¬
out the country and the sit-ins are
inconsiderable besides the atten¬
tion they called to a troubled situa¬
tion that demands attention-and
now.
I once heard a great teacher in
Oxford set forth the ministry of
pain. Without it the body wttttld
perish without knowing something
serious was the matter. Pain calls
' for attention to the painful area
and by so attending that area life
is prolonged.
The sit-ins were so many
“pains” in our society. Paul Butlar
rightly evaluates them.
ance with the constitutional re¬
quirement that racial discrimina¬
tion be ended in public education.
“We believe that every school
district affected by the Supreme
court’s school desegregation decis¬
ion should submit a plan provid¬
ing for at least first step compli¬
ance by 1963, the 100th Emancipa¬
tion Proclamation.
“To faciliate compliance, techni¬
cal assistance should be given to
school districts facing special
problems of transition.
“For this and for the protection
of all other constitutional rights
of Americans, the attorney general
should be empowered and directed
to file civil injunction suits in
federal courts to prevent the denial
of civil rights on grounds of lace,
creed, or color.
“The new Democratic adminis¬
tration will support federal legis¬
lation establishing a fair employ¬
ment practices commission effec¬
tively to secure for everyone the
right to equal opportunity for em¬
ployment.
“In 1949 the President’s com¬
mittee on civil rights recommend¬
ed a permanent commission on
civil rights. A new Democratic ad¬
ministration will broaden the scope
and strengthen the powers of the
present commission and make it
permanent.
“Its functions will be to provide
assistance to communities, indus¬
tries or individuals in the imple¬
mentation of constitutional rights
in education, housing, employment.
Miss Beckwith Receives
Transfer to Texas
(Continued Horn Page One)
Center there are two extension
projects and a program for
mentally retarded children. She
will work with a bi-racial board
staff.
,