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ON GUARD
For Human Rights
24 Hours A Day
VOL 3 NO. 39
White Winder Farmer Draws
12-18 Years For Assault
Of Teen-Age Negro Girl
WINDER , GEORGIA — Last
Friday a white farmer pleaded
guilty to the sexual assault of
a seventeen-year-old Negro
girl in this small rural town
and was sentenced to twelve
to eighteen years imprison
ment.
Prior to the court ruling,
Negro leaders in Winder had
gone to the solicitor and the
judge insisting that justice be
ordered in the case. The Ne
groes were supported by some
An Editorial
Vote Yes For Bonds
Last week the Inquirer announced its approval of the upcoming
Bond Issue with certain qualifying observations. Our deliberate
and critical review of the various aspects surrounding the bond
proposals lead us to the position that the passage of the Bond Issue
on May 15th is in the best interest of the Negro Community and the
entire city of Atlanta.
We have not hesitated to point out serious neglects of the bond
proposals. We have asked Negro citizens and leaders to accept
or share the blame for the failure to secure more consideration.
The major group of citizens in Atlanta who are campaigning a
gainst the Bond Issue, include very few if any persons who have
sympathized with the aspirations of Negroes for first class citizen
ship, equal opportunity and human dignity. The anti-bond group
is dominated by persons who have been anti-Negro. This group
includes Lester Maddox Atlanta’s champion race - baiter and
“insuiter of Negroes.”
Progress is being made in the consideration of Capital fund
needs of direct interest to the Negro community. It might be well
to point out one example of progress comparing the current $54,
950,000 Bond Issue with the $80,000,000 Bond Issue that was defeat
ed last summer. The $80,000,000 bond proposal included only
$135,000 in the area of traffic improvements, the proposed open
ing of Washington Place into Ashby Street. This $35,000 is com
pared to some $700,000 to be spent for the improvement of Simp
son Road.
A STRONG DECISIVE VOTE IN FAVOR OF THE BOND ISSUE
WOULD GOA LONG WAY IN ENDING THE THREAT OF LESTER
MADDOX AND HIS FOLLOWERS AT THE ATLANTA BALLOT
BOXES VOTE FOR BONDS I I ! ! II I
Remember: Deadline For High
School Transfers Is Wednesday,
May 15th {See May Day .page 3)
Met Performers Outraged By
Downtown Restaurant Rebuff
Comments and reactions
were varied among the per
formers of the Metropolitan
Opera to their being refused
service at two downtown restau
rants last week.
Seeking food before and after
performances, a group of Negro
and white performers entered
the Stage Door and Davis Bros.
Restaurants. Upon being re
fused services the entire group
left.
When asked their reactions to
tne snub, the group of Negro
penonuers were unanimously
H tlantHnguirer
To seek out the Truth and report it without Fear or Favor"
white Winder citizens in their
demands.
James Meeks, a middle-aged
white man, was convicted of the*
rape of the minor girl whom he
took from her home on the night
of March 11, pretending to need
a baby-sitter.
White leaders in the town of
1,400 Negroes were reportedly
seeking to discourage the as
saulted girl’s mother from pur
suing the case in an effort to
have the matter “swept under
BY JONDELLE JOHNSON
concerned and expressed hope
that a repeat of the incident
would not occur on a return
visit.
Here are the responses of
members of the group: Nadyne
Brewer "I like Atlanta,
but an incident such as that
which occurred is not easy to
take. I’ve had some trouble
at other places, however, this
has made me think much less
of White Atlanta.” George Shir
ley — “ In all my travels in
Europe ana America this is the
ATLANTA, GEORGIA, SATURDAY, MAY 11,1963
BY CHARLES A.BLACK
the rug.” Nevertheless, the girl
and her mother came to Atlanta
to tell their story totheNAACP
and the Atlanta Inquirer. The
NAACP pledged full support and
the Inquirer reported the
“baby-sitter’* rape story in the
April 27th edition of the papier.
Following the visit of the
girl and her mother to Atlanta,
Negroes in Winder immediately
undertook to organize a chapter
of the NAACP “to help prevent
the further mistreatment of
Negroes in Winder.”
Funeral director C.E. Eber
hart told the Inquirer Winder
Negroes have registered the
minimum of fifty members for
their NAACP chapter.
“We know Meeks will only
be required to serve a third of
his 12-18 year sentence before
parole, but we intend to see
him serve those four years,”
Mr. Eberhart declared. Meeks
is presently confined to a Wind
er jaiL
Winder is a .town virtually
free of industry and according
to Mr. Berhart, “Seventy-five
piercent of the Negroes work
outside of Winder.”
Read Your
Inquirerscope
(See Page 111
Freedom Fund
Dinner May 17
The 1963 annual Freedom Fund
Fund Dinner of the Atlanta
branch NAACP will be held
Friday night, May 17, at Union
Baptist Church at 8 o’clock
The featured speaker will be
Rep. John Dingell of Michigan.
Donations will be $lO. The af
tair will bon on the 9th anniver
sary of the Supreme Court de
cision against school segrega
tion.
first time that 1 have been toss
ed out of an eating place.”
Bill Starling “I’ve been
with the Met since 1956. This
is my first visit to Atlanta.
The incident was terrible.”
Eleanor Harper “When we
were refused food, I thought
it was awful. I think the student
movement (sit-ins etc.) is won
derful-”
The entire group said tnat
they will try again for service
in the same establishmetns if
they return with the Met next
year.
?7' ■ • Ml
• ™ "
Mt” -Mfc
I
y
■ ‘
M.L. KING, JR.
BIRMINGHAM, ALA. --The
Negro citizens of Birmingham
can look forward to a new life
and a greatly improved citizen
ship status, regardless of what
takes place at the conference
table in the days to come. As
one long time, Birmingham citi
zen puts it, “Dr. King and those
children have set Birmingham
on fire.” Fire hoses were
used to put out the fire; they
didn’t work.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
and his chief lieutenants, Rev.
Hi
SHUTTLESWORTH
Caps And Recaps
SAVANNAH STUDENTS DEFIANT
SAVANNAH. . . Concessions which school officials made to Sa
vannah State students were being ignored. The officials had offere
to let the students return to classes without penalty after several
days of demonstrations stemming from the firing of economics
professor Cleveland Christophe. The students are continuing their
plan of formally withdrawing from school and attempting to enroll
in Savannah’s Armstrong Junior College.
U, S. COURT HEARS ALA. SUIT
BIRMINGHAM
The federal court was asked by three Negroes to order the Uni
versity of Alabama to admit them. The only Negro ever to enroll
at the school was Autherine Lucy who lasted three days in 1956
before being expelled for making derogatory remarks about
school officials. The three students are Vivian Malone, 20 year
old junior at Alabama A&M, Sandy English, 21 year old Stillman
College freshman, and Jimmy Hood, a 20 year old sophomore
presently enrolled at Clark College.
CONFLICT INCREASES
SANTO DOMINGO .In a move designed to protect UJS. citi
zens in Haiti, the U.S. has stationed a Navy force near the capital,
Port-au-Prince. There is fear that the trouble brewing between
Haiti and the Dominician Republic might erupt into open warfare.
Should it become needed, another naval force can be brought in
from Puerto Rico.
SIT-INS BRING MASS ARRESTS
ATLANTA
. . . Mass sit-in attempts brought on mass arrests
Saturday as Atlanta police rounded up 38 youths who sought to
desegregate downtown eating establishments. Two of those ar
rested were charged with assault and battery and the others with
violating a state law which requires one to leave a business estab
lishment at the request of the manager. Ralph Moore, executive
secretary of the Committee on Appeal for Human Rights has said
that 500 students from the University Center would demonstrate
next Saturday if restaurant owners do not agree to discuss the
problem with the group.
DUKE U. OPENS ITS DOORS
DURHAM .. . Five Negroes are expected to be among Duke
Univeristy*s 1963 freshman class. Although Negroes have pre
viously been accepted on the graduate level, this will mark the
entrance of the first undergraduates.
Attend The Church
Of Your Choice . . .
Take Someone With You
You'll Both Be Richer For It
Dr. King, Negro
Children
Trigger
Birmingham
Victory
f R SL * . ; .
W’ H # s r ? '
" ' \ ,J;
ABERNATHY
Fred Shuttlesworth. Rev. Ralph
Abernathy and Rev. Wyatt Tee
Walker, have successfully stag
ed the greatest civil rights
fight in history.
However, this is not the key
to the Birmingham story. The
key to the Birmingham story is
the drama of Negro children
elementary as well as high
school students.
Thousands of Negro children,
instead of going to school, would
assemble daily at the 16th Street
Baptist Church to sing hymns
(CONTINUED TO PAGE 11)
Price 100
