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Morrow and Jackson (of the Negro
PostaJ Employees Organization) chat
with candidate Eisenhower at his
elevated form of enslavement.
After the war, Morrow went to law
school and later became the first
Black writer for CBS television. Mor
row performed superbly in this
capacity especially when one consid
ers that he worked during television's
embryonic stages. Due to the newness
and lucrativeness of the field, he met
with stiff competition. He says that
this period in his life helped to
sharpen his tools for survival.
The principles of survival that Fred
Morrow practiced at CBS still apply
to today's situation for many Blacks
in a white corporate structure. Many
of the same erroneous attitudes on the
part of both Blacks and whites still
hold true.
Morrow states, "After corporate
bosses feel they have satisfied the
spirit of cooperative human relations
by putting Blacks at desks in the same
room with whites, leaving them there
to splutter and flounder until attrition
solves their plight. 1 learned. ..that no
one was ever going to hand Blacks
opportunity on a platter. They had to
be better qualified for the job and
brighter than anyone else. Unfair?
Yes, but the rules of the game are not
promulgated by the minorities."
How true. We are fully aware that
many Blacks who work within corpo-
home during lull in the presidential
campaign.
rate America still have "tokenism"
jobs devoid of any tangible responsi
bility or power. Consequently, we still
must strive to excel so that we can
feasibly demand positions more befit
ting our abilities.
Fred Morrow became involved in
national politics when he was offered
a job with Dwight D. Eisenhower's
first presidential campaign. He was
the only Black to work in such a
capacity. He tells a fascinating story of
his experiences during this time that
cover the gamut of loyal friendship to
blatant injustice both from those least
expected to act as they did.
Morrow allows the reader to glean
heretofore little known facts about the
personalities of powerful men who
have made a tremendous impact on
America's history. For example, the
Eisenhower administration is remem
bered for its slow movement to rectify
the problems of America's Blacks.
However, Morrow explains that Eisen
hower did not dislike Blacks but had
little exposure to them hence he
was somewhat indifferent. The pri
mary obstacle to Black progress was
not Eisenhower as much as it was his
host of southern political colleagues
and advisors.
Morrow vividly recalls his long
relationship with Richard Nixon. He
15
said that during the Eisenhower years,
Nixon was a bright, determined, artic
ulate man who was well respected
and well received everywhere he
went. Morrow feels that when Nixon
lost the 1960 presidential election to
John Kennedy he developed a vindic
tive bitterness that eventually culmi
nated in Watergate.
One of the most significant points
revealed during Fred Morrow's White
House years is the often handcuffed
position of the Black political figure.
Long misunderstood often accused
of selling out the reader finds that
many decisions that have adversely
affected Blacks have been beyond the
political control of the figures Blacks
have looked to for favorable solutions.
Morrow spent many painful hours of
anxiety faced with the reality that
he could do little while his people
appealed to him to alleviate the dis
crimination of the 1950's. In spite of
bureaucratic obstacles and a lack of
concern by many of those in power,
Fred Morrow nonetheless made some
positive gains. Although at that time
he was criticized more than praised
by Blacks it is certain that history will
give him fairer treatment.
A disillusioning segment of Mor
row's life deals with his difficulty in
finding suitable employment after his
departure from the White House in
1961. Morrow found himself in a
"Catch 22" situation. Either he
couldn't find a job commensurate
with his abilities, or the job was
offered but not the money. However,
he overcame these temporary set
backs and went on to become Vice
President of the Bank of America.
Throughout Fred Morrow's remark
able life he has persevered and
achieved beyond anyone's expecta
tions except possibly his own. How
ever, at seventy years old Fred Mor
row still maintains his commitment to
the betterment of Black Americans.
He is pained to see that he has lived
an entire life fighting for things that
still have not been won. He is a little
bitter when he sees that Blacks are
allowing hard-fought gains to be sys
tematically eroded. But all of these
things mean to Fred Morrow that we
must accelerate our efforts to over
come. E. Frederick Morrow's life has been
a testament to the qualities of resili
ence, dedication and strength of char
acter exemplifying the best that
Black Americans have to offer each
other and the world. The principles
that he lives by develop the kind of
mental stamina that Blacks are in des
perate need of today. His illustrious
life leaves Black Americans a legacy,
a foundation on which to build a tow
ering structure of strength for poster
ity. We must learn from Morrow's
story and carry its best elements into
our future.