Newspaper Page Text
The Augusta News-Review - January 10, 1974 -
■Walking fl
ffl With "W? wr
H Dignity fl
by Al Irby JQTjMHfIjHI
A PHILIP RANDOLPH IS THE ELDEST OF THE GREATEST
LIVING TRIPARTITE OF CIVIL RIGHTS GIANTS; THE
OTHER TWO ARE ROY WILKINS AND BAYARD RUSTIN.
THEY ARE A PERFECT ANTITHESIS OF THE MAJORITY OF
THE YOUNGER BREED OF RACIAL HUSTLERS. THE
CURRENT BUNCH OF PUBLICITY HUNTERS THAT THRIVE
ON FEDERAL GRANTS PLUSH HOTEL SUITES AND ARE
CRY BABIES BECAUSE THE PRESENT ADMINISTRATION IS
DRYING UP THEIR PORK-BARRELL SLUSH FUNDS.
FREDRICK DOUGLAS, W.E.B. DUBOIS, AND MONROE
TROTTER were Black freedom fighters endowed with innate
love for their people inspite of the danger that existed in their
days. Today we have Black blabber-mouths that curse white
people in day light, and bed-down with fay chicks in luxurious
pads at night.
The life of A. Philip Randolph will cover almost the entire
spectrum of liberated history of Black people in America. The
venerable ex-president of the Brother-hood of Sleeping Car
Porters is one of the many peerless Black leaders of this century
of viable Black struggle. Mr. Randolph is 84 years of age; he was
raised inJacksonville, Florida. He is the product of the spiritual
radicalism of the fearless African Methodist Episcopal Church, at
the time when Black men and women were pointing out the base
hypocrisy of white Christianity in he new world. His father was
an A.M.E. minister who joined an armed Black group that made a
lynch mob back down.
Like many young talented Blacks at the turn of the century,
youthful Randolph left the South for New York City and
Harlem, and contributed his fresh intellectual ardor in creating the
much talked about “Harlem Renaissance”. Young Philip was
converted to Socialism while attending night school in the New
York City school system. When I was a young man, 1 listened to
him many nights on his soap-box at Lennox Ave. and 135th St.,
battling the Marcus Garveyites and advocators of Communism.
Randolph became an articulate street comer orator, and editor of
a small socialistic magazine. Eventually he turned to labor
inequities among Black workers, and eventually organized the
pullman porters, this became his life’s calling.
When Black organizations were quite in disarry, the
Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters carried a big clout because of
the stellar leadership of Mr. Randolph, to prove what, weight he
yielded nationally, his threat of a march on Washington prompted
President Roosevelt to issue Exective Order 8802, forbidding
antiblack discrimination in defense employment in World War 11.
This same pressure by Randolph forced President Truman’s
Executive Order 9981, ending segregation in the armed forces.
When the long deferred march materialized on August 28th, 1963
at the peak of the Civil Rights movement, it was no doubt the
capping of Mr. Randolph’s long and successful carreer, the
historical shot in the arm, that the Black movement certainly
needed as a glowing memory of its past great struggles and
suffering. This certainly is a triumphant accolade to the Black
heroes of the distant past, Monroe Trotter, Booker T.
Washington, William E.B. Dußois and Marcus Garvey. A. Philip
Randolph has surely won a place among these truly dedicated
Black freedom fighters.
Jervis Anderson has prepared a brilliant Biographical Portrait
of this great Black American.
Writing about a life that has spanned more than 50 years of
progressive protest raises a more comprehensive interpretation
than would a biography of many of the current crop of fly by
night con artists. Much of Mr. Anderson’s work on Randolph first
appeared as a series in the New Yorker. This portrait was written
with graceful simplicity and insight. Anderson’s biographical
finesse produced great literary compassion, because of his
admiration of Mr. Randolph’s political thinking.
The Black movement sorely needs a respected documentary
that will give memory of its past great debates over strategy and
ideology. Much of the 60s verbosity about Black Power, Black
capitalism and Black nationalism have brought back memories of
the bitter disputes among Black thinkers, such as the famed
Booker T. Washington vs. W.E.B. Dubois verbal battle and
gabfeasts between Marcus Garvey and A. Philip Randolph.
Mr. Anderson gave a vivid account of these past and present
disputes with fascinating perspective. Also briefs on the
celebrated controversy over Marcus Garvey’s early 1920 s “Back
to Africa movement”. Garvey was a staunch admirer of Booker T.
Washington, the Southern Black educator who tried to sell the
nation the virtue and salvation of vocational training for young
Blacks, through an autonomous Black economic base.
But Garvey, s spell-binding debater from Jamaica had a
different slant on Black awareness. He developed many Black
businesses in the of Harlem; and built them around a
fantastic dream of an'independent African Empire. He did a great
job of reviving hope‘for a Black culture, and nationalistic pride.
Garvey was a fore-runner of today’s Black separatists, he
completely captivated the Black lower classes; embittered already
by he vicious anti-Negro riots of World War I.
Mr. Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association
boasted of four million members before the Black intelligentsia
doubled-crossed him and helped the Federal government railroad
him to prison. This was the last organized front of Blacks in
America, until the spiritual debut of Elijah Muhammad’s Nation
of Islam. Dubois led the attack against Garvey, he argued that the
Black middle-class should demand full equality in every facet of
American life. Dubois contended that the achievements at that
time of the Black intelligentsia would elevate Blacks, even if they
lost touch iwth the sluggish Black masses.
But Garvey labeled the so-called “Talented Tenth” so much
poppycock; and his organization not only pitted the lower class
Blacks against the so-called intelligentsia, in so doing, he accepted
the inferiority of Blacks to whites. It was said that Garvey
elaborated with the Ku Klux Klan, and thus threatened to
discredit Black aspirations.
Randolph posed an entirely new alternative to this raging
debate that surely destroyed all of the solidarity that the esoteric
Renaissance had produced; he turned to the struggling Black
laborers in tandem with the powerful American Labor Movement.
Mr. Randolph's faith in Black labor paid off in V practice to a
strategy of Black coalition with white liberals and organized
labor.
THE AUGUSTA NEWS-REVIEW
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY
Mallory K. Mfflandftr Editor and Publisher
Mailing Addrwi: Box 953 Augusta, Ga. Phone 722-4655
Second Claes Postage Paid Augusta, Ga. 30901
SUBSCRIPTION RATES
Payable in Advance
One Year in Richmond Countyss.oo tax ipd.
6 Months ./ $2.50 tax Ind.
Ohe Year elsewheress.oo tax Ind.
ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT
Classified Advertising Deadline 12 noon on Tuesday
1 Display Advertising Deadline 12 noon On Tuesday
News Items Printed Free
Page 4
|i GOINGHfI
I PLACES IHfl
I with Philip Waring
■ flg||
1973 EVENTFUL YEAR FOR AUGUSTA
This is section one of a two-part review of happenings in the
Augusta Area during 1973. There were ups and downs, progress
and setbacks. But we still have a long way to go before attaining
even minimum equality. News events have been faithfully
presented by the NEWS-REVIEW.
YERBY DONATION TOP NEWS STORY
One of the major events of 1973 was the donation of
internationally famous author Frank Yerby of valuable books,
literary works and unpublished material to Paine College, his
Alma mater. There is of course common agreement that this will be of
great service and prestige to Paine College and should be used also for
a base to expand, raise funds and move towards the college
Bicentennial in 1982. The Yerby Collection and the new entrance
of Frank Yerby should also be used as part of the Black
Community contribution to Augusta’s observance of the nation’s
Bicentennial in 1976. (Incidentially in my last column on this
subject of those who helped train and guide Frank during his
boyhood days “Printing Gremlins” ommitted two names. They
were the late and beloved Coach John Tutt and Mrs. Mercedes
Douglass Felton, both superior educators who positively touched
the lives of hundreds of Augusta young people, including, Frank
Yerby. And Frank’s aunts were the “Smythe Sisters”, also
long-time and outstanding Augusta teachers. ‘Tis easy for the
“Printing Gremlin” to make an error in physical makeup of a
newspaper, whether it is the Wall St. Journal. New York Times or
NEWS-REVIEW).
FEDERAL COURT DECISION ON BLACK POLICE TOP EVENT
Another top newsmaker for 1973 was the U.S. Federal Court
decision to immediately expand appointments of Blacks to the
Augusta Police Department. While this followed similar legal
rulings in Bridgeport, Conn., Buffalo, New York, Chicago, 111. and
elsewhere, it was indeed a landmark for the entire CSRA area in
race relations and equal opportunity. Warm kudos to Attorney
John Ruffin and the courageous Black policemen who pushed
this case. And also to the Federal judge who handed down the
ruling. This significant decision is already positively affecting
many other aspects of equal opportunity and public institutions.
It is also good to note the appointment of Black equal
opportunity officers at the Augusta Police Dept, and the Medical
College. I repeat, Judge Alaimo’s decision, just like the U.S.
Sumpreme Court opinions of the mid-19505, should have
far-reaching effects on many, many facets of race relations in the
CSRA, especially as to recruitment, testing, appointment,
supervision and promotion to Blacks by publicly supported
institutions and agencies. Augusta is fortunate to get such high
caliber men as Sgt. Major H.E. Johnson for the Police Dept.,
James E. Carter, 111 at the Minority Students Section of he
Medical College and Freddie Gavin to equal opportunity
representative at the Medical College. Sgt. Johnson, Mr. Gavin
along with Charles Walker, Executive of the Human Relations
Commission all have especially important and sensitive positions
in the field of race relations. There will be all kinds of pullsand
pressures from all directions. (I know, having directed the St.
Louis Human Relations Commission at the advent of the early
civil rights and public accomdations laws ten years ago). Os
course they will be fair, professional and objective in all of their
cases and dealings. Fortunately, there are a number of good
resources which they might find of good use in this complex but
important field of human endeavor. They include: (1) The U.S.
Advisory Commission on Civil Rights (the Kerner Report), (2)
The Federal government has a number of recent publications on
law enforcement and race relations, (3) The Community
Relations Department of the U.S. Department of Justice has
many publications in this field, and (4) The Augusta Race
Relations Audit, completed by the Southern Regional (Atlanta)
Office of the National Urban League in 1971 by request of the
Augusta City Council following the riots of that era. It is a widely
accepted fact that the Urban League Race Relations Audit of
Augusta was by far the most comprehensive and complete survey
over made on this subject and is “must” reading for persons
working in he field - professional or lay board members. Its
director was J. Harvey Kems of the National Urban League, who
has conducted scores of surveys on race relations in different
parts of the nation. Dr. Kems is accepted as one of the top
national specialist in this field. To its everlasting credit the
NEWS-REVIEW ran this complete report weekly over a period of
several months. So when people say today that “we did not know
of any discrimination”, etc. you’ll know what to think for
yourself.
So you see that there are a number of highly respected surveys,
studies, etc. highlighting the wide extent of the disadvantaged
status and discrimination against Blacks, including the Augusta
area. Unfortunately, many of our White Brothers would
attempt to make the case otherwise despite tons and tons of facts
of the past and present.
GOOD RESOURCES ON HAND TO HELP
PROFESSIONAL HUMAN RELATIONS WORKERS
There are still other resources for our professional workers:
The National Association of Human Relations Workers, an
effective and highly respected association of professional workers.
It conducts workshops, conferences, does research and works to
increase the know-how and efficiency of professionals working in
this highly complex field. It is very important that advisory board
and lay commissioners make it possible for the staff workers to
participate in hese professional development activities. The
association has local, regional and national meetings as needed. It
was good to note that Mr. Charles Walker of the
Augusta-Richmond County Commission was elected chairman of
the state Georgia Association of Human Relations Commissions.
(My reference to the national group of human relations staff
workers is a different 27-year old national and regional body
which can also be mighty helpful to local workers.)
Still another resource is contacts with equal opportunity or
“contract compliance” officers in he various local units of
national business firms. Over the past decade the Federal Equal
Opportunity Commission and related bodies have required that
business firms doing business with Uncle Sam to adhere to equal
opportunity policies and practicies. From this requirement has
come formation of full-time workers in hundreds of American
business and industrial firms.
And lastly, the Alaimo decision will undoubtedly have positive
effect on the basic policies and philosophy of the Richmond
County-Augusta Human Relations Commisssion. While good will,
Understanding and interracial cooperation are always part and
parcel of the thousands of Human Relations Commissions
throughout the land, there are also civil rights laws and Federal
court decisions which are now part of the laws of our land. They
must be recognized, respected and enforced. May we wish Sgt.
Major Johnson, Mr. Gavin, Mr. Carter, and Mr. Walker much
success in their important inter-group relations assignments
during the 1974. And let’s hope that our Augusta Area Black
Community and liberal whites will give them the understanding,
support and backing they will need. Their job is to help move
race relations and equal opportunity forward. We must help. The
Augusta Area will then benefit from improved race relations and
equal opportunity made into reality. More in another column
about what happened during 1973. Happy New Year and Best
Wishes.
Phil.
tusticf
I f
WofiATIpM fffWTKMcE-
h I C — \
IJ I I \ I
/] 1 -k-L \ 1
Guest Column by Ronald Ware
PSYCHOLOGICAL WARFARE
It is indeed amazing to watch and see to what extent some people
will go in a futile attempt to keep others down and remain at the
top of the “Totem Pole” or to have people believe they are
superior to others. Refer to Webster’s Dictionary and note the
definition of the word psychological. Webster defines
psychological as “a social science of the mind”. In other words,
psychology is a mental state or attitude. The Communists utilized
this same method of psychological warfare to victimize thousands
of Americans during war time. Now it is hard to take but may be
understandable for such barbarity to take place in times of war,
but what about during times of peace .... and right here at home
in the good old U.S.A.? In case I lost anyone with all that mumbo
jumbo, let me elucidate. This same tactic of barbarity is and has
been going on all along right here in the land of the free. Example
... the average Black man or woman who manages by some
miracle to pull himself or herself from a life of obscurity and
obtains a position as, say, an attorney, a doctor, a nurse, a
baseball player, or for that matter to any professional status. All
is well and he or she is accepted as a professional ... for a
while. Now that “while” is for as long as the Black professional
does not attempt to become an equal. What I mean by that is as
long as he works, gets off duty and goes his separate ways, fine.
But let him try socializing ... I mean really socializing. That
entails get the best home he can afford, eat the best foods, and
just try to live the way a person thinks he has earned the right to.
The first thing you will hear from those so called
“SUPERIOR” people at the top of the totem pole will be
“personally I don’t care... But there are some people who are not
as liberal as I am... I think you are as good as any white person”.
Those sneaky individuals will hug you on the shoulder and start
in with their ethnic jokes... Now if you fail to see the humor in
this little joke you are then called bitter or better yet, labeled as a
militant. The next thing you hear will be “look how far your
people have come along”! Well let me say this, if I have managed
to ‘come along” as you say it, I came along with a “hump” on
my back... Mainly thousands of prejudiced individualshiding
behind that social barrier. I say call me militant or what have you,
but I have worked for my position... I mean really sweated for it
and the hell with that psychological hogwash. It can’t stop me.
You at the top of the totem pole, you better move over and be
prepared to realize that your day of being in charge and keeping
your foot on my back is over... And no amount of psychological
bull is going to stop me from getting what is rightfully mine
because my parents, their parents, and their parents parents have
earned me the right to share in this country’s better things
through the sweat of their brow.
LETTERS TO EDITOR
Dear Editor:
The placing of a portrait in
the state capital in Atlanta is
one of the greatest tributes to a
person, his family, and to his
fellowman that any (state)
government could grant.
Less than two weeks before
the birthdate of one of the
world’s most outstanding
persons, Dr. Martin Luther
King, the ex-governor and now
Lt. Governor of the state of
Georgia has again taken the
position of the righteous bigot.
This so called God fearing
Christian gives credit to the
Communist, whoever they are,
for every meaningful
contribution that people like
Dr. King and many others have
made.
In this critical period of our
nation’s history, it is all but
amazing that a former governor
can be malignantly
unAmerican.
Anyone in this country who
openingly denies, hinders,
suppresses, or threatens human
beings with ax handles doesn’t
show the true meaning of
Americanism. If there was a
Nobel Prize for supporting
unAmerican activities through
bigotry, Lester Maddox would
be a front runner for the top
award.
It is an unfortunate fact that
this country is being partially
run by egotist, hypocrits, liars,
bigots, pseudo-Christians<
monopolies, and legal
manipulators.
Honoring those who are
deserving serve as an
inspiration to all of our youth,
whereby building a strong
country and state. The
majority of the American
people are probably more
willing to give credit where
credit is due. Undoubtedly,
bigotry interferes with a
person’s ability to measure
another person’s contributions
to the world because Black
comes before their eyes before
fact.
Walter Gambel
508 Oak Street
PEACH ORCHARD
FLORIST
In The Plaza
Ph. 798-7437
WANTED
NEWS BOYS
Good Pay
CALL
Newt-Review Office
722-4555
" -SCHOO
1 • /zWI I WWS*
I Fl/EL
Si .. I SHORMCE
'■ "k, ffS Q < :
’ SCHOOLBUS i
Il .
Mlllk 0
J CONGRESS PASSED AN ADMENDMENT TO THE
•h ENERGY ACT THAT MOULD BAN ALLOCATIONS OF
Kfuel FOR BUSING CHILDREN PAST NEIGHBOR
VHOOD SCHOOLS.
THEY HAD TO BLAME THE ENERGY CRISIS ON SOMEBODY
We Dew Bvt Never
Clow 24-Hewr
Sorvho
Jack
Dempsey
Prefastartl
OfR
118 Ninth St.
• SOUL FOOD FEAST AND RAFFLE
[ All That You Can EAT and DRINK
Saturday, January 19,1974 —1 P.M. until 6 P.M.
THE ZODIAC LOUNGE
• (Formerly The Veterans Club)
• 1925 2nd Avenue
Raffle drawing at 6 p.m. for SIOO.OO Cash You do not have to
1 be present to win. 1
' BILL MACK, Manager ]
i DONATION $4.00 i
000000000000000000000000000000
Bids Wanted
The County of Aiken is accepting bids on the
rewiring of its County Shop. The building is located
behind the old County Commissioners Office on
Williamsburg Street and by the County Fanners
Market in the City of Aiken. Send Bids to Aiken
County Shop, Attention: Mr. Bob Taylor, P.O. Box
897 Aiken, South Carolina 29801. For further
information, contact Mr. Taylor by letter or phone
649-2919. Bids should be in no later than January 18
1974. 7 ’
Bids Wanted
The County of Aiken is accepting bids for a large
Industrial Harrow to be used behind a motorgrader.
Send bids to Mr. Walter Byrd, Superintendent of
Roads and Bridges, P.O. Box 897, Aiken, South
Carolina 29801. For further information, contact Mr.
Byrd by letter or phone 648-0357. Bids should be in
no later than January 18,1974.
Bids Wanted
The County of Aiken is accepting bids for a Rome
Series H.M. Hydra-Mower with 180* rotation, weight
6,654 lbs. or equal. The price should include
installation - F. 0.8. and it has to be installed behind
or on a large motorgrader. Send bids to Mr. Walter
Byrd, Superintendent of Roads and Bridges, P.O. Box
897, Aiken, South Carolina 29801. For further
information, contact Mr. Byrd by letter or phone
648-0357. Bids should be in no later than January 18
1974.
EARN $4.00 TO SIO.OO
PER HR
GOOD RETIREMENT
Ex-
Veterans
PART TIME
Bob Gore 733-2249
733-2240 279-7087