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THE ATLANTA INQUIRER
The power of the
Pen is mightier
than the Sword.
VOL. ONE
®
Looking . . . ..
«....Forward
BY bill strong
There is a time for all things.
A time for thought, a time for
speculation, a time for investi
gation, but most assuredly this
is not a time for straddling the
fence.
The American Negro (espe
cially in the South) is engaged
in a gigantic life or death strug
gle with the foes of human de
cency. The twin evils of segre
gation and discrimination have
been dealt mortal blows. Yet
their disciples, the gradualists,
the reactionaries, the hate ped
dlers are waging a last ditch
stand in an effort to keep them
alive. But there is only one hope
for their salvation, “to turn
back the clock.” This cannot be
done. History moves forward,
not backward, and any efforts,
however mighty, to thwart
operation of this natural phe
nomenon can lead only to stag
nation and eventual destruc
tion. The- pages of history are
covered with accounts of once
powerful empires, whose lead
ers undertook to halt the march
of time. Theirs is a grim lesson
for the world. ,
Yet, here in a time when
the Negro is in need of a
forth-right, vigorous, courage
ous leadership, what do we find
in our own ranks. We find
those, whose positions cover
them with the indicia of lead
ership, giving lip service to our
cause, while publicly decrying
our methods, urging gradualism
and restraint (go slow), sowing
seeds of dissension among our
ranks — straddling the fence,
“shades of Uncle Tom.”
Is it possible that some of
us occupying positions of lead
ership are trying to stay the
hand of fate? Do we recognize
that the old order is in its death
throes and with its passing, our
influence also passes? If the
answer to these questions is yes,
I say to you, step down, retire
gracefully from the scene, pass
on the mantle of leadership to
a younger, more able personal
ity — No man can stop the
march of history, fight it and
be destroyed.
This is a time for taking
a stand. Gradualism died in
Greensboro, N. C., February 1,
TEL. PL. 8-7478
A NEWSPAPER IS BORN
Voters League
Presents Candidates
Registered voters will have
an opportunity to hear the nine
contesting w«candidates in the
September 14 Primary Election
at the Annual Meeting of the
Atlanta Negro Voters League,
in Big Bethel AME Church,
Thursday, August 4, at 8:00
P.M. The annual election of
officers, members of the stand
ing committees as well as ward
and precinct leaders nominated
in their respective sections, will
be held at the same meeting.
A. T. Walden and Rev. Wm.
M. Jackson, co-chairmen of the
League, are urging that every
registered voter in Fulton
County attend this important
meeting. Those persons elected
will serve as members of the
executive committee of the or
ganization until the next An
nual Election.
1960, the day the first student
sat down at a white lunch
counter and asked for service.
Since that time wakes have
been held for it all over the
South — at some there was
rejoicing, at others mourning.
There is only one course of
action open to our leadership.
You must either join hands and
lead us together down the path
of freedom or step aside.
I need not discuss here the
dangers of ‘“fence straddling.”
It suffices to say, the present
need is for positive dynamic
leadership. The Negro commu
nity cannot afford the luxury
of public pronunciations, from
its so called leaders, advocating
a doctrine of stop, wait and see
— do nothing. Such ill advised
statements have the effect of
giving aid and comfort to our
enemies, the foes of human de
cency This is a new day, the
dawn of a new era, let us close
ranks and demand, as one, our
rights as free men in a free
society.
WANTED
Newsboys
Call
PL 8-7478
“To seek out the truth and report
it impartially without Fear or Favor”
SUNDAY, JULY 31, 1960
SCLC HOLDS
WORKSHOP
ATLANTA, GEORGIA — A
two-day community workshop
on the philosophy and tech
niques of non-violent resistance
will be held at the Butler Street
YMCA on Thursday and Fri-
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day, August 4th and 5th.
The workship is opened to
the public and is designed to
provide opportunity for stu
dents, ministers and community
leaders to delve deeper into the
principles and practices of this
relatively new instrument for
social change, and to evaluate
its practical implications for
the Atlanta area. The opening
session is scheduled for ten
o’clock Thursday morning, Aug
ust 4th; and the program will
continue with afternoon and
evening sessions on Thursday,
and morning and afternoon ses
sions on Friday, August 5th.
Dr. Martin L. King, Jr., presi
dent of the Southern Christian
Leadership Conference and in
ternationally known advocate
of the non-violent movement in
America, will be a principal
speaker and discussion leader.
Other workshop leaders an
nounced by the Southern Chris
tian Leadership Conference
are the Reverend Wpyatt Tee
Walker, who will assume the
executive directorship of SCLC
on August 1, and the Reverend
Samuel W. Williams, president
of the Atlanta Branch NAACP,
and pastor of the Friendship
Baptist Church. Rev. Williams,
who is also a vice-president of
(Continued on Page 2)
“This We Pledge”’
Today marks the birth of a new publication in the City of
Atlanta. It is the brain child of a group of young men, who
felt that a void existed in the reporting of news in the “Atlanta
Negro Community.” It is their desire to fill this void by pub
lishing a newspaper dedicated to the advancement of those
STUDENT
COMMITTEE
LAUDS BLAIR
The Student Non-violent Co
ordinating Committee, repre
sentative spokesman for the
student protest movement
against discrimination, has
wired Greensboro student, Mr.
Ezell Blair, Jr., congratulations
for the fact that, on July 25,
1960, Woolworth and Kress of
Greensboro integrated their
lunch counters. Mr. Blair, a
freshman at A & T College in
Greensboro, was among the
four Negro students who, on
February 1, 1960, staged the
first lunch counter sit-in and
thus heralded the beginning of
the nation-wide student none
violent movement.
In letters of congratulation to
Mr. Blair and other student
leaders, the Student Non-vio
lent Coordinating Committee
has expressed the feeling that
“July 25th, bringing the inte
gration of the Greensboro lunch
counters, is a profoundly sig
nificant date in the movement
and marks the completion of
one cycle”. The significance
stems from the fact, according
to the Coordinating Committee,
that “these same stores, only
five months ago refused service
to Negroes and, in so doing, be
came the symbol of injustice
and second-class citizenship”.
This refusal “set off a chain
of non-violent direct action by
Negro students long dissatisfied
with their enforced second
class status and by white stu
dents who had long felt the
contradictions in the American
way of life”.
Jane Stembridge, secretary of
the Coordinating Committee,
stated that “what happened in
Greensboro, the kick-off place,
can happen and is happening
all across the South. People
can come to an understand
ing, barriers can be removed,
a new South can be born, and
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
Ware Printing and Publishing Co.
Post Office Box 9215, Station B
ATLANTA 14, GEORGIA
TEN CENTS
principles which best serve
the interests of the “Atlanta
Negro Community” as a whole.
They have pledged themselves
to a fair and impartial report
ing of the news and to take
a firm unequivocal stand on
controversial issues involving
the interests of our group.
The Atlanta Inquirer shall
endeavor at all times to reflect
sincerity, honesty and integrity
and be a credit to the City of
Atlanta. Your support, coopera
tion and criticism is earnestly
solicited.
Reacder’'s Note
Beginning with the next edi
tion of this publication, a sec
tion will be devoted to printing
the letters of citizens, in the
community, who desire to make
a public expression on certain
issues. All readers are encour
aged to submit to us any com
ments they desire printed. As
nearly as space permits, being
governed by good taste and
journalistic practice, all letters
received will be printed. All
letiers should be typewritten,
doublespaced, and limited to
not more than 100 words in
length. They should be ad
dressed to Editor, Atlanta In
quirer, P. O. Box 9215, Atlanta,
Georgia. Any letters received
which are unsigned and without
complete return address will
not be printed.
America can become an actual
democracy”.
The secretary also reported
that Mr. Marion S. Barry, Jr.,
Nashville student and chairman
of the Student Non-violent Co
ordinating Committee, and Mr.
Bernard Lee, expelled student
from Alabama State, who rep
resented the student committee
before both the Democratic and
Republican Platform Commit
tees, will give their reports to
the student coordinating body
at its August 5th-7th meeting
to be held at Morehouse Col=
(Continued on Page 2)
No. 1
